Spanish Golden Age Drama and Linguistic Fundamentals

Characteristics of the National Comedy

The national comedy blends the tragic and the comic. It utilizes dramatic units, including scene changes and time management. It admitted two or three simultaneous actions if they led to the same outcome. The drama is divided into three acts, within which different categories are distinguished.

Decorum, Language, and Polymetry

Decorum refers to the fitness of behavior and language according to the conventions of a social role, which are related to verisimilitude. Lope de Vega required a language that was pure and chaste, and polymetry was frequently used. Predominant themes include honor and virtuous actions, often presenting the social conflicts of the time.

Archetypal Characters

• The Lady: A star who is beautiful and faithful.
• The Gallant: Beautiful, noble, generous, and loyal.
• The Powerful: Embodied by the King; if young, he may be violent; if elderly, he is wise. He dispenses justice and presents himself as the guardian of order.
• The Old Man: Usually the father of the lady.
• The Gracioso (Funny): A character subject to the noble and acts as a counter-figure to the gallant.
• The Criada (Maid): The female counterpart to the funny character.

Key Features of Human Language

• Arbitrariness: No direct relationship between the elements of a language and the reality to which it refers.
• Displacement: The ability to say the same thing in one part of the world as in another, or across different times.
• Prevarication (Lie): The possibility of sending messages that are not true.
• Reflexivity: The ability of the system to refer to itself.
• Differentiation of Units: Sounds are perceived by recipients as distinct, discrete units.
• Productivity: The capacity to create infinite messages with a limited set of elements.

Causes and Types of Semantic Change

Semantic change occurs due to several factors:

• Historical Causes: The invention of new objects or technical advances can lead to a change in significance.
• Psychological and Social Causes: This includes the use of euphemisms to replace taboo words, the restriction of meanings, or the extension of signs where words pass from a specific social or cultural semantic to a general one.
• Linguistic Grounds: The influence of the context in which a word occurs.

Specialized Terminology and Word Formation

Terminology is a set of terms specific to a particular profession or activity. These terms are denotative, unique, and unambiguous.

Classification by Source

• Terms that acquire a precise significance.
• Cultisms, foreign loanwords, and calques (tracings).
• Terms formed with names and eponyms.

Classification by Shape

• Simple terms and terms formed by the standard processes of a language.
• Popularized versions of technical terms.