Governador Valadares

8.0

A city in eastern Brazil northeast of Belo Horizonte

proper noun

: Governador Valadares

Many tourists visit Governador Valadares for its famous hang-gliding sites.

Examples

I visited Governador Valadares last summer.
Have you ever been to Governador Valadares?
My cousin grew up in Governador Valadares and often speaks fondly of the area.
The flight to Governador Valadares was delayed due to bad weather.
Many tourists visit Governador Valadares for its famous hang-gliding sites.
My cousin grew up in Governador Valadares and often speaks fondly of the area.
The flight to Governador Valadares was delayed due to bad weather.

Surface Forms

Governador Valadares main

Morphology

Governador + Valadares

This is a toponym (a place name) composed of non-English lexical items; knowing the literal constituents (e.g., recognizing 'Governador' as governor) does not allow a B1 learner to infer that the item denotes a city in eastern Brazil rather than a person or title. Place names are typically lexicalized and language-specific, so their referential meaning is not derivable from the parts, making this opaque to learners.

Etymology

Governador Valadares may come from the title Governador, which means 'governor', and the surname Valadares. It was likely named for a governor with that name, so the phrase today simply refers to the city named after him.