Guide in PDF format

Structure, Meaning and Discourse

Code: 105833
Credits: 6

2026/2027

Degree programme	Type	Course
Catalan Philology: Literary Studies and Linguistics	OB	3
English and Catalan Studies	OP	3
English and Catalan Studies	OP	4

Contact lecturer

Name :: Xavier Villalba Nicolas
Email :: xavier.villalba@uab.cat

Group languages

You can consult this information at the end of the document.

Prerequisites

None.

Objectives

This subject analyzes the various aspects of the meaning of the statements involved in the construction of discourse. Students must understand the process of interpreting sentences in the context of use and identify the various factors involved in this process. They must also understand the construction of texts as a structured process aimed at the effective transmission of information.

Learning outcomes

Write text commentaries from a critical standpoint.
Identify principal and secondary ideas and express them using correct language.
Analyse the syntactic structures of simple, complex, modalised and discursively marked clauses.
Analyse linguistic structures.
Identify the pragmatic factors that condition the use of the various linguistic structures .
Single out the grammatical and pragmatic factors that determine the overall interpretation of the clause.
Analyse the most problematic phonetic, phonological, morphological, syntactic, lexical and semantic properties of the present-day language.
Use technological resources (digital and audiovisual) to acquire knowledge and apply it in language and literature.
Interpret texts in depth and provide standpoints from which to analyse them critically.
Produce written work and oral presentations that are effective and framed in the appropriate register.
Gain a greater capacity for reading, interpreting and critically analysing literary and linguistic texts.
Make appropriate use of the knowledge acquired in order to collect data and handle documentary sources in the study of Catalan language and literature.
Work self-sufficiently on the synchronic and diachronic study of Catalan language and literature.
Respect the opinions, values, behaviour and customs of others.
Plan, organise and carry out work in a team.
Distinguish between grammatical gender and natural gender.
Identifying the main and secondary ideas and expressing them with linguistic correctness.
Strengthen the capacity of reading, interpretation and critical analysis of literary texts and language.
Work independently in the synchronic and diachronic study of Catalan language and literature.
Maintain an attitude of respect for the opinions, values, behaviors and practices of others.
Produce normatively correct written and oral texts.
Apply the principles of correctness required in the standard language and the different registers and variants.
Analyse various types of linguistic data.
Describe the combinatory processes for creating linguistic units.
Analyzing linguistic structures.
Identify pragmatic factors that influence the use of various linguistic structures.
To distinguish the grammatical and pragmatic factors that determine the overall interpretation of the sentence.
Plan work effectively, individually or in groups, in order to fulfil the planned objectives.
Locate specialised and academic information and select this according to its relevance.
Make use of the knowledge acquired while respecting diversity of opinion and varieties of a language.
Incorporate ideas and concepts from published sources into work, citing and referencing appropriately.

1. Basic concepts of semantics

2. Basic concepts of pragmatics

3. A model of discourse

4. The nature of referents and their syntactic realization

5. The nature of pronouns

6. Anaphoric relations in syntax and discourse

7. Connectors and rhetorical relations

Learning activities and methodology

Title	Hours	ECTS	Learning outcomes
Online exercises	10	0.4	3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 11, 12
Class lectures	39.5	1.58	2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 20
Essay writing	35	1.4	2, 8, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16
Text reading	15	0.6	2, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14
Study	30	1.2	2, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13
Text discussion and problem analysis at class	15	0.6	1, 2, 9, 11, 16, 18, 20, 21, 23, 24, 25

Learning activities are distributed as follow:

1) Directed (40%).
2) Supervised (30%).
3) Autonomous (30%).

Annotation: within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Assessment

Continuous assessment activities

Title	Weight	Hours	ECTS	Learning outcomes
Delivery of two individual exercises through the Moodle platform	30%	2	0.08	1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22, 23, 28, 29, 30, 31
2nd written test	30%	1.5	0.06	3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 12, 16, 21, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27
Submission of exercises in class	10%	0.5	0.02	2, 5, 6, 9, 11, 16, 17, 18, 20, 30
1st written test	30%	1.5	0.06	4, 5, 6, 21, 23, 25, 26, 27

In the continuous evaluation, students must provide evidence of their progress by completing assignments and tests during the course:

two individual assignments to be submitted through the Moodle platform (30%)
written partial test 1 (30%)
written partial test 2 (30%)
4 short exercises in class (10%)

In the continuous evaluation system, students must provide evidence of their progress by completing assignments and tests at the end of the course:

individual assignment (25%)
a written test (50%)
oral test (25%)

To pass the course you must obtain a weighted average grade of 5 and a grade of 4 in all the blocks.

The detailed calendar with the content of the different sessions will be exposed on the day of presentation of the subject. It will also be posted on the Virtual Campus, where students can find a detailed description of the exercises and practices, the various teaching materials and any information necessary for the proper monitoring of the subject. In the event that the tests cannot be carried out in person, their format will be adapted (maintaining their weighting) to the possibilities offered by the UAB virtual tools; homework, activities and participation in class will be done through forums, wikis and/or exercise discussions through Teams, ensuring that all students can access it.

Erasmus and exchange students who request to advance an exam must present a document from their home university justifying their request.

In the event that the student commits any irregularity that may lead to a significant variation in the grade of an assessment act, this assessment act will be graded with 0, regardless of the disciplinary process that may be instructed. In the event of several irregularities in the evaluation acts of the same subject, the final grade for this subject will be 0.

Review

By submitting the final grades before incorporating them into the student's transcripts, the teacher will post a date and time on the Virtual Campus to review the assessment activities. Students must arrange the review in agreement with the teacher.

Evaluable activities suspended / not presented

Failed students may recover suspended assessment activities or compensate for those not submitted, provided they have completed assessable items corresponding to two thirds of the total grade of the course or module. Only the written tests can be recovered. The maximum grade for recovery is 5.

Students opting for the unique evaluation modality must present all the evidences for recovery, which will be under the same conditions than the students under the continuous evaluation modality.

The teacher will inform the students of the recovery procedure through the Virtual Campus when he / she publishes the provisional final grades. Theteacher will be able to establish an evaluation activity for each activity passed or not presented or a single activity to cover all these activities.

Students will obtain a “not assessed / not submitted” course grade unless they have submitted at least a 30% of the assessment items.

Use of Artificial Intelligence

In this course, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies is not permitted in any of its phases. Any work that includes fragments generated with AI will be considered a lack of academic honesty and may lead to a partial or total penalty in the grade of the activity, or greater sanctions in serious cases.

Bibliography

Ahern, A. K., Amenós Pons, J., and Escandell Vidal, M. V. (2020). Pragmática. Akal. [UAB: https://bibcercador.uab.cat/permalink/34CSUC_UAB/1eqfv2p/alma991010726585306709]

Espinal, M. Teresa et al. (2014) Semántica. Akal. [UAB: https://bibcercador.uab.cat/permalink/34CSUC_UAB/avjcib/alma991010433003406709]

Leonetti Jungl, M., & Escandell Vidal, M. V. (2021). La Estructura informativa. Visor Libros.

Mayol, L. 2026. Curs de pragmàtica. Universitat Pompeu Fabra. https://doi.org/10.31009/trad.2026/01

Portner, P. H. (2005). What is meaning? Fundamentals of formal semantics. Blackwell.

Rigau, G. (1981). Gramàtica del discurs. Tesis doctoral (UAB). [UAB: https://ddd.uab.cat/pub/llibres/1981/138514/gradis_a1981.pdf]

Todolí, J. (2008). «Els pronoms». In J. Solà, M. R. Lloret, J. Mascaró, and M. Pérez Saldanya (Eds.), Gramàtica del català contemporani (vol. 2, pp. 1337-1433). Empúries.

Vallduví, E. (2008). «L’oració com a unitat informativa». In J. Solà, M. R. Lloret, J. Mascaró, and M. Pérez Saldanya (Eds.), Gramàtica del català contemporani (vol. 2, pp. 1221–1279). Empúries.

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