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What linguistic features are used to convey feelings in Spanish literature visualisation

What linguistic features are used to convey feelings in Spanish literature

Unlock Your Emotions: Expressing Feelings in Spanish: What linguistic features are used to convey feelings in Spanish literature

In Spanish literature, feelings are conveyed through several linguistic features:

  • Figurative Language: Use of metaphors, similes, and idioms is common to express emotions indirectly and richly. Spanish idiomatic expressions often carry strong emotional meanings, with many conveying more negative than positive feelings, adding depth to the emotional tone. 1, 2

  • Poetic Devices: In poetry, sound symbolism and phonological features are utilized to reflect emotional valence and arousal. Melodic traits in emotional speech also contribute to expressing feelings through rhythm and intonation. 3, 4

  • Passion and Conflict: Especially in Spanish Golden Age tragedy, emotions are sometimes hidden but revealed through non-verbal cues like eyes or silence. This reflects intense internal feelings that characters struggle to express verbally. 5

  • Direct Speech and Pragmatics: Spanish literature often employs direct speech framing expressions to create emotional tension and highlight interpersonal dynamics. The explicit addressing of characters intensifies emotional exchanges. 6

  • Emotion-laden vocabulary: Selective word choice, with words charged with specific emotional valence, reinforces the feel of the literary piece. Research shows that Spanish words carry affective connotations statistically linked to phonological features. 2, 7

Together, these features create a rich emotional landscape in Spanish literature, blending lexical choices, sound patterns, and pragmatics to convey feelings effectively.

References

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