Words Carried Away by the River. Oral History and Lexical Memory of the Productive Activities in the Guadalquivir

This paper describes the compilation of a glossary of words related to the productive activities performed in the mid twentieth century in the middle course of the River Guadalquivir, on its way through Cordoba (Andalucia). The aim is to demonstrate that these words provide a fundamental knowledge about the local culture that is essential to fully understand oral records on that particular place at that time. The words included in the glossary, which can be found in the appendix, were collected from a number of biographical interviews that were carried out in the course of a larger project about the industrial heritage of the city, in which the authors participate as ethnographers and anthropologists. The paper shows how the transcription of the interviews influenced the decision to develop the glossary and how the words were chosen. As a sample, a specific analysis of one of the terms included, the vernacular form sua, is also provided. Finally, the paper reflects on the potential social use of this glossary and its patrimonial status. It argues that these words need to be documented and considers the risks associated to perspectives on heritage that place too much emphasis on conservationism.