Levels of Language Use and Verbal Periphrasis

Posted on Feb 9, 2025 in Linguistics and Applied Languages

Levels of Language Use

Three levels are distinguished:

  • Cultivated Level: Characterized by an elaborated code and adherence to grammatical rules (primarily written language).
    • Reflective and thoughtful language.
    • Complete and correct syntactic structures.
    • Precise and varied lexicon.
    • An original style and creativity.
  • Colloquial or Familiar Level: Employs a restricted code with common expressions (primarily oral).
    • Improvised, spontaneous, fast, and direct expression.
    • Short sentences (sometimes incomplete).
    • Less precise and more limited lexicon than the cultivated level.
    • Abundance of idioms, proverbs, metaphors, colloquialisms, and filler words.
    • Unconscious choice of language, more intuitive and emotional.
    • Predominance of expressive, appellative, and phatic functions.
    • Frequent use of codes directed at the receiver.
    • Many interrogative, exclamatory, and suspensive expressions; colloquial and affectionate language.
  • Vulgar Level: Characterized by the speaker’s limited linguistic training, often incorporating slang (phonetic, morphological, syntactic, lexical, or semantic).

Functions of Language

  • Denotative or Representative Function: Dominates messages with a factual intent (objective, verifiable data; prevalence of specific adjectives and characteristics; use of scientific terminology).
  • Expressive or Emotive Function: Predominates in messages that reveal the subjectivity of the sender (presence of explanatory or evaluative adjectives; demonstrative pronouns and verb forms of the 1st and 2nd person; expressions that convey value judgments).
  • Appellative Function: Predominates in messages whose primary purpose is to influence the receiver’s conduct, attempting to elicit a response (e.g., announcements or advertisements).
  • Contact Function: Occurs when the sender uses expressions to ensure the receiver understands the message.

Verbal Periphrasis

Modal Periphrasis

Obligation

  • Deber + infinitive (e.g., Debes bailar más – You should dance more.)
  • Tener que + infinitive (e.g., Tienes que comer más – You have to eat more.)
  • Haber de / Haber que + infinitive (e.g., Has de reír más – You have to laugh more.)

Deliberate

  • Pensar + infinitive (e.g., No pienso ir – I’m not planning to go.)

Possibility

  • Deber de + infinitive (e.g., Debe de llegar dentro de una semana – He should arrive within a week.)
  • Poder + infinitive (e.g., Podría llegar dentro de una hora – He could arrive within an hour.)

Aspectual Periphrasis

Infinitive

Imminent Action
  • Ir a + infinitive (e.g., Voy a salir – I’m going to go out.)
  • Estar por + infinitive (e.g., Estamos por leer la obra – We are about to read the play.)
Inchoative (Action at its Beginning)
  • Echar(se) a + infinitive (e.g., Me echo a correr – I start to run.)
  • Romper a + infinitive (e.g., Rompió a llorar – He/She burst into tears.)
  • Ponerse a + infinitive (e.g., Se puso a cantar – He/She began to sing.)
Iterative and Habitual
  • Volver a + infinitive (e.g., Lo leo otra vez – I read it again.)
  • Soler + infinitive (e.g., Solía navegar en verano – He used to sail in the summer.)

Gerund

  • Estar + gerund (e.g., Están ensayando la obra – They are rehearsing the play.)
  • Llevar + gerund (e.g., Llevo días planeándolo – I’ve been planning it for days.)
  • Seguir + gerund (e.g., Sigue considerando tu propuesta – He/She is still considering your proposal.)
  • Andar + gerund (e.g., Anda diciendo que está enfermo – He goes around saying that he is sick.)
  • Ir + gerund (e.g., Vamos recogiendo mientras tanto – We’ll collect in the meantime.)

Participle

  • Tener + participle (e.g., Te tengo dicho que seas puntual – I have told you to be on time.)
  • Llevar + participle (e.g., Lleva revisado por el juez – It has been reviewed by the judge.)
  • Dejar + participle (e.g., Deja ordenado la transferencia mensual – Leave the monthly transfer ordered.)