Key Concepts in Literature, Language, and Communication
Literary and Linguistic Terms
Forge: A place where ironwork is done.
Wattage: Likely a misspelling, possibly intended as “Watt’s son” (referencing James Watt’s offspring).
Helm: A piece of armor, specifically for the head.
Ninjas: Figuratively, something less than divine.
Chop: To cut.
Anvil: A piece of iron used for shaping metal (likely intended instead of “Yonque”).
Brandishing: To hold and wave, often a weapon.
Bee-eater (Abejaruco): A bird with a long beak.
Types of Discourse
Dialogue: A conversation between multiple participants.
Description: A presentation of appearance or status.
Narrative: An explanation of actions, real or fictional.
Policy Structure: Consists of instructions, rules, and advice.
Prediction Structure: Text that relates to future events.
Exhibition: The transmission of information about objects.
Argumentation: The defense of viewpoints.
Aesthetic Text: A text that presents a formally beautiful or surprising message.
Administrative and Legal Documents
Minutes: A written document recording what happened at a meeting.
Certificate: An official written confirmation.
Circular: Internal communication binding members of a collective.
Contract: A document gathering the working conditions agreed upon by an employer and a worker.
Curriculum Vitae (CV): A presentation of personal, academic, and professional data.
Report: A detailed exhibition of an addendum and subject.
Instance: A petition or application with supporting arguments.
Appeal (Resources): A request or application arguing for revision.
Official Communication (Profession): A document whereby the administration communicates a decision.
Publication: A public presentation, usually forthcoming.
Word Formation
Derivation: Words that have added a prefix or a suffix.
Compound Words (Comparison): Words consisting of two or more lexemes.
Parasinthetic Words (Parasintesis): Words that are both compound and derived.
Medieval Literature
Traditional Lyric Poetry: Songs that people sang to accompany domestic work and other daily activities.
Courtly Love: Based on the idealization of the beloved, with the poet feeling like a servant or vassal.
Minstrelsy (JuglerÃa Forestry): A set of works transmitted by minstrels.
F = M and M = F (Unclear, possibly a code or formula, needs context)
In medieval times, traditional lyric poetry appeared in different forms and languages:
- In the South (Al-Andalus): Jarchas, the earliest known lyrical manifestations. Written in the Mozarabic dialect, these were popular ditties of no more than 5 or 6 verses, usually on the theme of love.
- In the Northwest: Galician-Portuguese lyric poetry appeared in the 12th century with the *cantigas de amigo*, where the theme was usually the lament of a young woman for the absence of her lover.
- In the Northeast: Catalan lyric poetry was strongly influenced by the poetry of the Troubadours.
- In the Center of the Peninsula: The most used form was the traditional *villancico*, a chorus composed of two or three verses that are repeated, and a series of stanzas that develop the theme.
Jorge Manrique is the most important lyric poet of medieval literature. He wrote around 49 poems on love themes but is best known for his extraordinary elegy, *Coplas por la muerte de su padre* (Verses on the Death of His Father). He uses the *copla de pie quebrado*, stanzas of 6 lines. The most important themes are: life, the instability of fortune, and the power of death and money.
The *Cantar de Mio Cid* is preserved in a manuscript copied by Per Abbat. It is divided into three parts:
- The Song of Exile: The King of Castile exiles the Cid, who is separated from his wife and daughters, leaving them in a monastery. He allies with Muslims.
- The Song of the Wedding: El Cid conquers Valencia from the Arabs. To reconcile with the king, he gives him Valencia. The King accepts and rewards him by arranging the marriage of the Cid’s two daughters to two noble Castilian infants.
- The Song of the Affront of Corpes: The two infants, living in Valencia, are mocked for their cowardice. They return to Castile and, in the oak grove of Corpes, abandon their wives in revenge. El Cid demands justice from the King. His daughters are later remarried to the Infantes of Navarre and Aragon.