Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and problems for Language and literature

Improving Techniques for Investigating Opinions

The second aim of this book is to improve the technique for investigating opinions. We shall have before us several hundred opinions upon particular aspects of poetry, alongside the poems themselves, to assist our examination. We possess the great advantage of being able to compare numerous, extremely different opinions upon the same point.

We shall be able to study what may be called the same opinion in different stages of development as it emerges from different minds. Furthermore, we shall be able, in many instances, to see what happens to a given opinion when it is applied to a different detail or a different poem.

The Impact of Comparative Analysis

The effect of this process is remarkable. When

The Decline of Vers Libre

This school [Imagism] has since been “joined” or “followed” by numerous people who, whatever their merits, do not show any signs of agreeing with the second specification. Indeed vers libre has become as prolix and as verbose as any of the flaccid varieties that preceded it. It has brought faults of its own. The actual language and phrasing are often as bad as that of our elders without even the excuse that the words are shovelled in to fill a metric pattern or to complete the noise of a rhyme-sound. Whether or not the phrases followed by the followers are musical must be left to the reader's decision. At times I can find a marked metre in “vers libres,” as stale and hackneyed as any pseudo-Swinburnian;...

The Power of the Internet

Internet: The speed for real-time information allows us to access data from all over the world. We can view information and news from past days through a multitude of websites and online encyclopedias that provide extensive knowledge on various issues.

Protecting Animal Rights

Animal protection: It is essential to defend animal rights, protect animal species from poachers, and take control of endangered species populations.

Economic Benefits of Mass Tourism

Tourism is very important for the economy of any country. In Spain, for example, tourism employs people throughout the year due to the good weather. Large infrastructures are built to provide excellent services to visitors.

How Weather Affects Our Mood

Weather significantly...

Narrative: Definition and Purpose

A narrative is a form of expression used to recount events or stories, whether real or imagined, that happen to characters within a specific space and time. Literary narrative appears in novels, tales, and legends. While the story is not exclusive to literary news or features, its primary function is referential, aiming to reflect events that are either real or invented.

Key Features of Narrative

• Action: The events that occur within the narrative, typically structured into an introduction, middle, and end.
• Time: Encompasses the time of writing, the time of the story, and the historical context of the events.
• Space: Indicates the setting where the story takes place.
• Characters: The individuals involved in the narrative.

Tristana by Benito Pérez Galdós: Historical and Literary Context

The 19th-century work, Tristana, by Benito Pérez Galdós, was written in 1892. This period was characterized by the contrast between political stability, with the alternating power between conservatives and liberals, and the growing threat to the bourgeoisie's privileged position posed by developing labor movements.

In the literary context, Tristana, a realist novel, is marked by a spiritualistic naturalism. It features an introspective approach to the characters and a concern for their spiritual conflicts. The novel emphasizes the idealism of the characters, and the description of reality becomes less important.

Key Aspects of *Tristana*

The most striking aspect of the work is...

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Language Functions

• Issuer (Emotive / Expressive): Focuses on the addresser's feelings.
• Message:
  • Metalinguistic: Language that describes the language itself (the "code").
  • Aesthetic: Creative and fun use of language.
• Channel (Phatic): Testing the effectiveness of the communication channel.
• Receiver (Conative): Draws attention to the receiver (e.g., using nicknames).
• Context (Referential): Emphasizes the content and references to the message context.

Language Levels

Denotative Level: The single-literal sense. Truth is established when what is said corresponds to reality.

Connotative Level: Several senses involving figurative language. It requires interpretation by the receiver.

According to the degree of emotion: positive, neutral, or negative.

Methodology

ICT's Impact on Business Innovation

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) have driven significant advances that reshape how businesses operate and innovate. Key developments include:

• Computers: A Business Revolution

  The rapid advancement of computer technology has revolutionized daily life and fundamentally changed business operations. Today, it is almost unthinkable for any company, regardless of size, not to utilize computers. This adoption leads to significant savings in both money and time, and the use of advanced software serves as a powerful competitive weapon for many organizations.

• The Internet: Information and Opportunity

  The internet revolution provides an impressive amount of information. The challenge for businesses lies in

Language and Dialect

Language: The fundamental instrument of social communication among members of a particular linguistic community, it serves as the hallmark of this community.

Dialect: Each of the language modalities present in different regions within its domain.

Horizontal Bilingualism: The balance of two or more languages in similar or comparable social situations, where both hold the same social and cultural prestige.

Diglossia: The imbalance between two or more languages where one enjoys greater social prestige and effectively dominates the other with which it coexists.

Cohesion in Language

Cohesion: A necessary condition for coherence. Cohesion is studied in spoken and written language. Methods of achieving cohesion include:

• Lexical Recurrence:

Expressions of Opinion

When expressing opinions, use phrases like "In my opinion" or "My point of view," or first-person verbs such as "I believe" or "I think."

Argumentation

Opinions should be supported by arguments. Use causal conjunctions like "It seems inappropriate because..." or "Because..."

Arguments can be strengthened with adjectives that express an evaluation of reality.

The Verb Phrase

The verb phrase acts as the predicate of a sentence, and its core is a verb.

Verbs indicate actions (studying, running, laughing) or states (being, seeming) and express time.

• Verbal moods include indicative, subjunctive, and imperative.

Clarín's Stories

Clarín, the pseudonym of Leopoldo Alas, wrote the novel The Judge's Wife.

He also authored articles set in...

Characteristics of the Essay Genre

The essay belongs to the didactic prose genre and is defined as a letter of variable length. The author addresses a subject through a subjectively objective, argumentative procedure.

• Size of Subject Matter: Can cover any topic, though current and humanistic issues are most common.
• Subjectivity: The author conveys personal thoughts, opinions, criticisms, and experiences.
• Open Structure: The author makes no commitment to a rigorous treatment of the subject, though it usually follows an argumentative structure.
• Lively, Dynamic, and Suggestive Style: Spreads theory on a topic in a simple, clear, and attractive manner.
• Use of Literary Procedures: The author may employ aesthetic or literary elaboration to make the subject