Narrative Techniques and Linguistic Devices
Narrative Techniques
Definition of History in Literature
In literature, history refers to the narration of fictional events, even if they appear real. This type of narrative is considered a fictional story.
Linear Order
The most common way to present a story is through a linear order. This structure follows a specific scheme:
- Approach: Presents the initial situation, characters, setting, and their intended project.
- Knot: Introduces a conflict that complicates the initial situation, driving the action as characters attempt to resolve it and complete their project.
- Denouement: The story culminates in a final state where the conflict is resolved, either with the characters’ success or failure.
Non-Linear Order
Authors often manipulate the temporal order of events, using techniques like:
- Retrospection (Flashback): The narrator interrupts the present narrative to recount past events, often to explain characters’ behavior, personality, or current circumstances.
- Advance (Flashforward): The narrator reveals future events that haven’t yet occurred in the story’s timeline.
Linguistic Devices
Bilingual Dictionaries and Language Interference
A bilingual dictionary translates words and expressions between two languages. However, routinely using multiple languages can lead to language interference, where a correct word is replaced with its equivalent from another language. This can also manifest in the incorrect usage of phrases, proverbs, and grammatical structures.
Example: illness = less bad luck, nothing to do = anything to do, has been realized = realized.
Interjections
Interjections are words or phrases, common in oral and informal language, that express the speaker’s attitudes and feelings or facilitate communication. They can be categorized into two types:
- Proper Interjections: Simple forms with vague meanings, used exclusively as interjections (e.g., oh, ouch, hey).
- Improper Interjections: Nouns, verbs, adverbs, or phrases used as interjections (e.g., attention, good day, come on).
Interjections have three main communicative functions:
- Expressive Interjections: Convey the speaker’s positive (joy, wonder) or negative (pain, fear) feelings.
- Interjections of Incitement: Attract the listener’s attention to warn, command, or encourage action.
- Contact Interjections: Facilitate social interaction (greetings, farewells, thanks, apologies).
Heckling
Heckling expresses emphasis and often introduces exclamatory sentences (e.g., “Hey, watch out! You’ll fall into the abyss!”).
Onomatopoeia
Onomatopoeia imitates natural sounds or evokes the movements of objects. They are classified into:
- Elementary Onomatopoeia: Imitate natural sounds (e.g., meow, woof, chirp).
- Secondary Onomatopoeia: Evoke movements or sounds of objects (e.g., splash, bang, whoosh).
While considered interjections, onomatopoeia can function as nouns (e.g., “The stew simmered with a gentle chup-chup.”) and can form derived nouns and verbs.
Spelling Rules
- Rule 1: Use “b” before “l” and “r” (e.g., blue, branch).
- Rule 2: Use “b” in words that alternate with “p” (e.g., saber/sé).
- Rule 3: Use “b” after “m” (e.g., tomb, ambition).
- Rule 4: Use “v” in the imperfect indicative of the first conjugation (e.g., caminaba).
- Rule 5: Use “v” in words that alternate with “u” (e.g., nuevo/nueva).
- Rule 6: Use “v” after “n” (e.g., invitar).