Foundations of Language & Medieval Literary Traditions
Classified in Latin
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Grammar & Linguistic Concepts
This section delves into the fundamental building blocks and structures of language.
Phoneme: Smallest Unit of Sound
The phoneme is the smallest unit of sound in a language that can distinguish one word from another, though it is meaningless on its own (e.g., the 'd', 'c', 'e', 'n', 's' sounds in 'docenas').
The Syllable: Vocal Impulse Units
A syllable consists of one or more phonemes spoken with a single vocal impulse (e.g., do-ce-nas).
The Morpheme: Meaningful Language Units
The morpheme is the smallest unit endowed with meaning, though its meaning may depend on its combination with other elements (e.g., doc-ena-s).
The Word: Lexical Meaning Units
A word is the union of one or more morphemes, forming a unit with full lexical meaning.
Syntactic Group: Functional Word Units
A syntactic group is a word or group of words that has meaning and collectively serves a functional purpose within a sentence (e.g., "three dozen eggs").
The Phrase: Minimal Communication Units
A phrase is a minimal communication unit, often lacking a full subject-predicate structure.
The Sentence: Subject & Predicate Structure
A sentence typically contains a subject and a predicate (e.g., "The cook bought three dozen eggs.").
Sentence Fragments: Incomplete Structures
If a linguistic unit lacks a full subject-predicate structure, it is often called a sentence fragment or an elliptical sentence (e.g., "three dozen eggs," "two euros").
Sentence Types: Classifying Expressions
Sentences can be classified by their communicative intent:
- Declarative
- Interrogative
- Exclamatory
- Dubitative
- Optative (Wishful)
- Imperative
Neologisms: New Words & Loanwords
Neologisms are words that enter a language either from another language (loanwords) or through new creation.
Loanwords: Borrowed Vocabulary
Words adopted from other languages (e.g., "soccer" from "football").
Word Formation: Derivation & Blending
New words can be formed through processes like prefixation and suffixation (e.g., "microscope" from Greek "micro" (small) and "scopeo" (to view)).
Medieval History & Literature
This section explores the cultural and literary landscape of the Middle Ages.
Life in the Middle Ages: Key Aspects
- Religion
- War
- Feudal System
- Coexistence
Medieval Culture & Art: Influential Eras
Monasteries served as vital centers of culture during this period.
Two prominent artistic and architectural streams emerged:
- Romanesque (from 1000 to the late 11th century)
- Gothic (originating in France from the 12th century)
Medieval Literature: Origins & Forms
The fragmentation of Latin led to the emergence of the Romance languages, influencing literary development.
Medieval literature encompassed both popular and scholarly traditions, often transmitted orally by minstrels and troubadours.
- The Arabic-Andalusian Lyric: Muwashshah and Zejel
- Provençal Lyric: Exemplified by William of Poitiers and courtly love poetry
- The Galician-Portuguese Lyric: Including the *cantigas de amigo* (songs of a friend)
The Jarchas: Arabic-Andalusian Lyric
The jarchas are short, popular pieces of Arabic-Andalusian lyric poetry, often found at the end of longer poems (muwashshahas), reflecting a rich community heritage.
Mester de Clerecía: Educated Poetic School
- A poetic school of educated writers, often clerics.
- Key figure: Gonzalo de Berceo.
- Characterized by two main periods.
- Utilized the *cuaderna vía* (four-line monorhyme stanza), often employing elevated language.
- Gonzalo de Berceo: Milagros de Nuestra Señora (Miracles of Our Lady)