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

Mariano José de Larra: Critical Writings

His newspaper articles are classified into three groups:

• Articles of Manners: These criticized the backward and uncivilized Spanish society of his time. He defended Europeanization and the country's modernization, with French society as a model. Larra intended to help reform these customs.
• Political Articles: These harshly attacked the Carlists and also the moderate-leaning liberal governments.
• Literary Criticism: These items are comments on various literary works. As an author, he is Romantic, but as a critic, he is eclectic. He has a direct and uncomplicated style, though with very careful language. He uses stories inspired by everyday life as examples for his theses, develops small essays, uses irony,

Charles Dickens: Life, Legacy, and Social Criticism (1812–1870)

His American tour was highly successful. Dickens was the first editor of the Daily News.

The Master of Sentiment and Social Reform

To his contemporaries, he was the master of sentiment. But his popularity arose from his denunciation of specific ills that everybody hated and his advocacy of improvements that everybody supported. Even the most devastating attacks by Dickens upon contemporary society are primarily aimed not against bourgeois ideals but against the failure of men to live up to those ideals.

His success sprang too from the romantic treatment of characters within realistic settings.

The Pillars of Dickens's Continuing Stature

His continuing stature rests upon:

• Fantastic fertility

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... Continue reading "Spanish Literature & Language" »

Miguel Hernández: A Poetic Life's Tragic Arc

In the poetry of Miguel Hernández, a perfectly dramatic discourse of his life unfolds, beginning with a basic, almost festive and unconscious existence that gradually, as it is shaped by suffering, slides down the slope of tragedy.

Early Optimism and Passionate Beginnings

His early poems show a conscious disregard for some things, a vital carefree spirit, and even a natural optimism derived from the joy he found in observing nature. This jubilant and vital Miguel Hernández lived immersed in his two great passions: reading and writing.

The Onset of Melancholy and Deepening Themes

After the excitement of nature comes melancholy, which is merely an internalization of the life around him. A death knell... Continue reading "The Poetic Journey of Miguel Hernández: Life, Death, and Love" »

Fundamental Linguistic Concepts

Understanding Syllables and Vowel Combinations

The Syllable

The syllable is a set of sounds produced in a single stroke of the voice.

The Diphthong

The diphthong is the union of two vowels in one syllable.

The Triphthong

The triphthong is the union of three vowels in one syllable.

The Hiatus

The hiatus occurs when two contiguous vowels are pronounced in different syllables.

Accentuation and Word Structure

The Accent

The accent is the element that distinguishes the stressed syllable from unstressed ones. Depending on the position of the accent, words can be classified as oxytone (sharp), paroxytone (flat), or proparoxytone (antepenultimate).

Words

Words are sets of sounds endowed with meaning.

Variable words are those that support... Continue reading "Essential Grammar and Literary Definitions" »

Program Review Essentials

Importance of Program Reviews

Its significance lies in conducting a proper program review. This process can be improved for better efficiency, enabling administrators to implement systems simply and ensuring users have minimal questions during use.

Review Committee: Functions and Structure

As the name suggests, a review committee's functions involve conscientiously examining every part of a program. This ensures all instructions are properly documented in both the administration and user manuals. Its structure is as follows:

• At least one person acting as a system administrator to install, configure, test, and, if necessary, perform required maintenance.
• One or two individuals who will attempt to use the program and its services,

Emilio Vilanova: Chronicler of Catalan Customs

Emilio Vilanova stands as a foremost representative of customs in Catalan literature, embracing the traditions of great literary works. His entire body of work creates a vivid world with a magnificent use of the Catalan language. Vilanova's narratives are often set in the Barcelona neighborhood of Santa Maria del Mar, featuring characters drawn from the working class and popular strata. He is a keen observer of reality, and his works present an elegiac, nostalgic, and poeticized vision of disappearing customs, while also revealing subtle social criticism.

Narcís Oller: A Writer in Tune with His Times

Narcís Oller, a lawyer, regretted not being able to dedicate himself solely to literature, especially... Continue reading "Catalan Literary Figures: Vilanova and Oller's Realist Narratives" »

The Radio Environment

The radio environment, where oral language is the most important expressive element, has specific characteristics:

• Immediacy
• Speed
• Irreversibility

Its functions include:

• Informing
• Training
• Entertainment

Semantic Relationships and Word Meanings

Denotation and Connotation

Denotation: The meaning found in the dictionary.

Connotation: The meanings that words evoke in us beyond their literal definition.

Hyperonymy

This is an inclusive relationship or hierarchy of meanings.

Synonymy

A relationship between meanings of identity. Types:

• Absolute Synonymy: When the meaning is identical.
• Partial Synonymy: Occurs in terms whose meaning is identical but their use differs.
• Referential Synonymy: When several words or expressions with distinct meanings

Federico Garcia Lorca - Sin City Dream

Topic: Lorca describes a New York night, focusing on the city's skyscrapers, which he finds monstrous and unfamiliar. This perception characterizes Lorca's tendency to anthropomorphize buildings, blurring the lines between the built environment and the animal world. The poem highlights the dehumanization prevalent in the city that never sleeps, where constant activity and a sense of modernity lead to a monotonous existence, with residents seemingly waiting for death without hope. The subtitle, 'Night of Brooklyn Bridge,' reinforces the theme of a sad city devoid of rest.

Metrics

The poem is written in free verse, with rhythm achieved through repetition of ideas, words, and sentence structures (e.g., 'whip!... Continue reading "Analysis of Lorca's 'Sin City Dream' and Salinas' 'The Soul Had'" »

Verb Conjugation: Regular and Irregular Forms

Conjugation refers to all the forms a verb can take, encompassing all tenses and moods.

Regular Verbs

Regular verbs maintain the same root in all forms and use the same endings as their model verb.

Example:

• Singing ........ cant-o ......... cant-é ......... é sing ....

Irregular Verbs

Irregular verbs do not maintain the same root in all forms and do not use the same endings as their model verb.

Example:

• Be ..... est-o ..... est-uve .... ....... be-é

Propositions and Coordinated Clauses

Coordinated propositions are at the same syntactic level; none depends on the others. They can become independent clauses if the connecting links are removed. Coordinated clauses can be of several types:

• Copulative: Express