Essential Terminology: Literature, Rhetoric, and Policy Concepts

Key Definitions in Geography, Policy, and Culture

Agricultural and Socio-Economic Concepts

Minifundio: Finca rústica que, por su reducida extensión, no puede ser objeto de cultivo rentable por sí misma.

Latifundio: Grandes extensiones de tierra ociosa en manos privadas.

El petróleo se extrae de Petén (Guatemala).

El INAB (Instituto Nacional de Bosques) realiza plantaciones de Pinabete.

Walmart realiza censos.

En Alta Verapaz y Huehuetenango hay mayor crecimiento poblacional.

La Reforma Agraria es un conjunto de medidas políticas, económicas, sociales y legislativas.

Major Literary and Artistic Movements

• Naturalism: An artistic movement, especially literary, related to Realism, based on reproducing reality with documentary objectivity in all its aspects.
• Symbolism: One of the most important literary movements of the late 19th century.
• Realism: An aesthetic movement that marked a break with Romanticism.
• Transcendentalism: An American philosophical, political, and literary movement that flourished between approximately 1836 and 1860.
• Border Literature: Characterized by violating the limits of style and genres, as well as by recreating the narrative.

Rhetoric and Linguistic Terminology

• Alliteration: The use in speech or writing of several words close together which all begin with the same letter or sound.
• Anagram: A word that results from the transposition of all the letters of another word.
• Anthimeria: A rhetorical term for creating a new word or phrase by using one part of speech (as another).
• Autobiography: A story that tells about the life of a person, written by that person.
• Character: (1) A written symbol or figure; (2) The type or figure speaking of a person; (3) Good reputation.

Essential Communication Phrases for Discussion

Agreeing with Somebody

• I agree.
• I couldn’t agree more.
• That’s my view exactly.
• That’s just what I think.
• That’s right.

Disagreeing with Someone

• I don’t entirely agree.
• I see things differently.
• Well, actually I don’t think…
• I’m afraid I don’t agree.

Interrupting Someone

• Could I just say that…?
• Sorry to interrupt, but…
• Sorry for interrupting…
• Can I just interrupt?
• Sorry to butt in, …

Asking Someone for Their Opinion

• What are your views on…?
• What do you think about…?
• Do you agree that…?
• Do you think that…?
• What are your feelings about…?
• What’s your opinion?

Asking for Clarification / Repetition

• Could you repeat the question, please?
• I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that.
• I’m sorry?
• Would you mind repeating that, please?

Saying Something in a Different Way (Rephrasing)

• In other words,…
• What I mean is…
• Perhaps I should make that clearer.
• To put it another way, …
• What I’m trying to say is…

Giving Yourself Time to Think

• How can I put this?
• Let me think about that (for a moment).
• Let me see.
• That’s an interesting / good question.

Summing Up What You Have Said

• So basically…
• So, in conclusion…
• In short, …
• To sum up…
• To summarize.