Argumentative Texts: Statements, Phrases, and Spelling
Argumentative Texts
The purpose of argumentative texts is to convince or persuade others that a particular opinion or theory is correct. There are two different basic types:
- Opinion or Thesis: A statement from a personal perspective of the issuer of the text on a particular subject.
- Arguments: Various reasons or evidence that the author of the text presents to support their thesis.
Examples of argumentative texts include editorials, letters to the editor, articles, opinion columns, essays, and oral
Read MoreEarly Modern English: Morphology, Syntax, Lexis
Early Modern English: Morphology, Syntax, and Lexis
Morphology
Declensions: Only Genitive -es and -s. The apostrophe in ‘s wasn’t used to mark possession until the 18th century; it was used to mark elided e (e.g., Thron’).
- Umlaut plurals: men, feet, lice, teeth.
- Uninflected plurals: sheep, deer, swine.
- Lexical imports: phenomenon-phenomena, stimulus-stimuli, analysis-analyses.
Adjectives & Adverbs: Adjectives were indeclinable. Comparison used both periphrastic more/most and synthetic -er/-est. Double
Read MoreSociolinguistics: Key Concepts and Definitions
Unit 1: Foundations of Sociolinguistics
Analytic Language: Words are one syllable long with no affixes; function is determined by word order. Example: Chinese.
Black English Vernacular: Non-standard English spoken in U.S. Black communities, influenced by Creole languages.
Borrowing: Spread of words or phrases across languages due to contact, dominance, or prestige.
Communicative Competence: Dell Hymes’ concept of appropriate language use in context.
Dialect: Language variation by region, affecting vocabulary,
Read MoreText Analysis: Capability, Characteristics, and Appraisal
Capability Analysis and Synthesis
1. Capability Analysis and Synthesis (3 points PAU)
- 1.1. Theme and Summary (1.5 points):
- Identify the theme (0.5 points).
- Provide a brief summary of the text’s contents (1 point).
- 1.2. Organizational Structure (1.5 points):
- Divide the text into paragraphs and identify the main ideas.
- Define the text’s parts (introduction, development, conclusion).
- Determine the organizational structure (expository, argumentative, narrative sequences).
- Identify the argumentative strategy
Oscar Wilde: Life, Plays, and Aestheticism
Oscar Wilde: A Literary Icon
Oscar Wilde was an Irish playwright, journalist, novelist, essayist, and poet. Born in Dublin in 1854 and passing away in 1900, he rose to prominence as one of the most popular playwrights of the 1890s.
Wilde’s Aesthetic and Political Views
Wilde’s aesthetics and politics were marked by a disdain for the ordinary and an unwavering obsession with beauty, form, and style. He championed aestheticism, advocating for “Art for art’s sake.” He also embraced dandyism, showcasing
Read MoreDiachronic Linguistics: Language Evolution
Diachronic Linguistics: How Languages Evolve
Diachronic Linguistics is concerned with:
- How languages change
- The processes that trigger the change
- The reasons for the changes
Two main issues dominated the early course of historical linguistics:
- Synchronic irregularity (hope-hoped vs. keep-kept)
- Cross-language similarities (why related languages have similar, although not identical, forms)
The Comparative Method and Language Reconstruction
The Comparative Method was used to establish the relationship between
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