Text and Properties, Romance Languages, and Expository Texts
Text and Properties
Linguistic Competence
Knowledge of the rules of construction and combination of words to form sentences.
Communicative Competence
Knowledge of the strategies and rules of construction that any talk of texts must know to ensure efficient communication.
Textual Properties – Adaptation
It suits the intention and the communicative situation, considering 3 factors:
- Recipient: Must take the proper handling formulas for the relationship between sender and receiver.
- Location: Language variations must adapt to factors such as location and earlier records.
- Consistency: Ensures unity of meaning in the text. Requires good selection and organization of information.
Selection
Wrong selection of relevant information can lead to communicative failure. Information known by the receiver may be ignored. New information should be introduced coherently. A coherent text balances the two.
Thematic Progression
New ideas are chained with previous information and provide context:
- Linear Progression: Information is provided by the subject from beginning to end, creating an argumentative texture.
- Constant Theme Progression: A simple form that picks up and completes the opening theme, creating a descriptive texture.
- Derived Topic Progression: Partial aspects are explored, contributing to an overall characterization, often used in descriptions.
Text Structure
The text is divided into blocks that develop ideas on the subject, each paragraph focusing on one idea.
- Inductive Structure: Exposition of particular details leading to the main idea or “thesis.”
- Deductive Structure: Exposition of the main idea, followed by descriptions of causes, consequences, and examples.
- Circular Structure: Synthesis of previous features, ending with the main idea and emphasizing it.
- Successive Structure: Exposition of facts following a chronological order.
Cohesion
To construct a unit, a text should establish links between sentences and words.
Referential Relations: Lexical and Semantic Connection
Substitution of a word with another related one through synonymy, hypernymy, hyponymy, periphrasis, etc.
Grammatical Connection
Deixis, anaphora, pronominal anaphora, adverbs, catafora, ellipse.
Textual Connectors
Extra-orational ties that relate different ideas within a text and guide its interpretation. They have two functions:
- Structuring Text: Present information in a specific order. For example, “respect” to begin a topic, “moreover” to continue.
- Structuring Ideas: Organize ideas based on semantic relations.
Romance Languages
Romance languages come from Vulgar Latin, a colloquial variety of Latin that was permeable to innovations and borrowings, particularly from Germanic languages.
Factors that Influenced the Fragmentation of Romania
- Substrate: The language spoken in each territory before the Romans left its mark and, in some cases, influenced the introduction of Latin.
- Colonizers and Social Dialect Origin: Differences in the origin of Latin implanted by geographical and social factors.
- Romanization Intensity: Romanization was not uniform across the empire, leaving areas where the Roman influence was weaker and previous cultures persisted.
- Superstrate: Subsequent language contributions were diverse and unequal, modifying the influence of Romance languages in different territories.
Romania Division
- West: Portuguese, Spanish, Catalan, Occitan, French, Romansh, and Sardinian.
- East: Italian and Romanian.
Expository Text
An expository text aims to convey information and facilitate understanding of related aspects of reality or fiction.
Linguistic Function
Referential function.
Characteristics
The text must be clear, orderly, and objective. It presents information in an understandable way and uses appropriate terminology. The sender can use citations to strengthen the veracity of the information. It has a teaching character.
Recipient
- Informative Exhibition: Presents information in plain language, understandable to a general audience.
- Specialized Exhibition: Informs about phenomena and aspects that require specialized knowledge.
Structure
- Introduction: Presents the topic.
- Development: Provides information about different aspects of the topic.
- Conclusion: Includes an evaluation or summary.
Information Ratio
- Cause and Effect: Describes actions and their consequences.
- Date: Presents events in chronological order.
Linguistic Resources
- Vocabulary: Predominance of monosemic words with a single meaning. Use of classifying adjectives and quality adjectives.
- Morphosyntax: Use of the present tense for its timeless character and 3rd person impersonal verbal forms. Predominance of attributive sentences and enunciative syntactic structures, both coordinated and subordinated.