Spanish Language and Literature: From Medieval Times to Regional Variations

Impersonality in the Spanish Language

Syntactic Impersonality

• Natural phenomena and weather verbs
• Verbs do and have
• Have to + infinitive
• Attributive or pseudo-copulative verbs with "se" or reflexive

Semantic Impersonality

• Ignorance of the agent by the issuer
• Intention to hide the agent
• Agent indeterminacy
• Second passive (subject + be + past participle)
• Reflexive passive (be + verb + subject in agreement)
• Constructions in the 3rd person plural
• Constructions in the 2nd person plural
• Constructions in the 2nd person singular with one
• Use of the plurality of humility

Regional Variations in the Spanish Language

Northern Varieties

• Distinction of sounds "s" and "z"
• Unaspirated pronunciation of "s" at the end of a syllable
• Leísmo, laísmo, loísmo
• Asturias: Closure of final vowels, diminutive -in/-ina, using "yes" and "e" without pronouns
• León, Zamora, and Salamanca: Preservation of diphthongs "ei" and "ou", maintaining the initial Latin "f" before the possessive article
• Aragón: Diminutive -ico, change of stress from esdrújula to grave, conservation of Latin initials

Southern Varieties

• Ceceo, seseo
• Relaxation of "s" and "z"
• Consonant aspiration
• Assimilation to the following consonant
• Consonant loss
• Confusion of "r" and "l"
• Andalusia: Western: Aspiration of initial "h", use of ustedes, loss of intervocalic "d" (-illo); Eastern: Vowel opening
• Canary Islands: Aspirated pronunciation of final "s" and Castilian "j"
• Extremadura: Aspiration of final "h" and "j", diminutive -ino
• Murcia: Seseo, diminutive -ico

Literary Genres

Literary genres are established categories that allow us to classify works based on common features. Literary works are divided into epic, lyric, dramatic, and didactic genres.

Epic

The presence of a narrator is essential. Prolepsis is used to anticipate events, and flashback to tell events immediately before the recital. The timing highlights the story, composed of the chronological development of the facts, and the plot, the order in which events are recounted.

Epic Subgenres

• Epic: A long narrative that recounts events related to the heroic deeds, origin, or myths of a community.
• Chanson de geste: Recounts the exploits of a real or fictional hero.
• Epic Poem: Emulates the epics of the classical era.

Lyric

Presence of the lyrical voice, expressing intimate feelings. It can be found in prose poems and poetic prose. It consists of odes, songs, elegies, epistles, and romances.

Drama

Represented before an audience. The text distinguishes between dialogue and stage directions. Plot development includes comedy, tragedy, and tragicomedy.

Didactic

The purpose is to teach or disseminate ideas. Subgenres include essays and dialogues.

Medieval Spanish Literature

Characteristics

• Didacticism
• Oral transmission
• Anonymous authors

Lyric Poetry

• Jarchas: Stanzas of 5-6 verses in Arabic, at the end of muwashshahas.
• Cantigas de amigo: Several stanzas ordered by a parallel structure, written in Galician.
• Villancicos: Lyrical manifestation of Castile, short poems, minor art verses, two parts: the chorus and the gloss.

Narrative Poetry

• Mester de clerecía: Didactic narrative poems composed in cuaderna vía.
• Miracles of Our Lady: Miracles featuring devotees of the Virgin Mary.

Romances

A popular genre discussed through oral channels. The style shows the essence, and is fragmentary. Some are characterized by:

• Simple syntax
• Archaic language
• Dramatization
• Exclamations, questions
• Epic epithets

The set of fixed formulas is called romancero. The earliest texts that come from oral transmission are called old romances.

Classification of Romances

• Historical Romances
• Moorish Romances
• Lyrical Romances
• Briton Romances