Semiotics: Understanding Signs, Symbols, and Meaning
1. Semiotics
The word semiotics comes from the Greek word ‘semiotikos,’ which means “an interpreter of the sign.” Therefore, semiotics refers to the study of all written and spoken signs and their interpretation within society. The two main traditions in semiotics were carried out by Saussure (semiology) and Pierce (Semiotics).
2. Signs
A sign is everything that can be interpreted. However, in order to be a sign, it has to have a meaning. The most common signs are road signs, images, sounds, words,
Read MoreUnderstanding Limited Real Rights, Accession, and Property
Limited Real Rights
Rights of Enjoyment
- Usufruct: The right to enjoy the property of others, preserving its form and substance.
- Uses: Fruits of another’s property for the user’s needs and their family’s.
- Room: Pieces to occupy someone else’s house for himself and family.
- Surface: Being able to construct on the land of another.
- Easement: Assessment of a property for the benefit of another.
Rights of Guarantee
- Mortgage: Right to seize the domain of a property to ensure compliance with the obligation to pay
Narrative Structure and Time in The House of the Spirits
Narrative Structure in *The House of the Spirits*
The House of the Spirits (1982) is a polyphonic text with three narrators: Alba, Esteban Trueba, and a third-person narrator. These narrators can be classified into two types:
Narrator-Characters
Alba Trueba and Esteban Trueba are the two narrators who alternate in the first person to tell the story, offering two different perspectives of the same reality. Some chapters are narrated by Esteban, others by Alba, and some alternate between the two narrative
Read MoreTextual Cohesion and Literary Genres: An In-Depth Look
Textual Cohesion
Cohesion is a property related to textual expression. It is expressed in the relationships among diverse text elements: pronouns, connectors, etc. Mechanisms that facilitate cohesion include:
- Textual Reference: When a word or phrase refers to something already mentioned in the same text (anaphora) or to something that will appear later (cataphora).
- Ellipsis: When linguistic parts that can be understood from the context are suppressed.
- Lexical Substitution: When a lexical item is substituted
Narrative Style and Language in Literature: An In-Depth Analysis
Narrative Style
The speech responds to the double point of view adopted by the author, who lies on the side of innocent characters and reveals their world through language records to coincide with the speech of such characters. The narrator adopts the language of oral baseline, called oral narrator. On the other hand, we perceive an external narrator to the narrative. This is the narrator-witness, who knows the world that moves the novel. This is a writer who dominates the literary use of language
Read MoreUnderstanding Narrative: Elements, Techniques, and Structure
The Narrative
The narrative is to have facts, real or imagined, that happen to characters in a time and in a specific space. They are told by a narrator in a particular chronological order and from a specific perspective.
Elements of the Narrative
Action
These are the elements that are succeeding and which give rise to history. They must present a logical motive and subsequent processing. The narrative texts tend to have a primary action and other secondary ones.
The Characters
They are responsible for
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