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Spanish Language: Variation and Appropriateness

Code: 108313
Credits: 6
2026/2027
Degree programme Type Course
Translation and Interpreting FB 1

Contact lecturer

Name :
Yolanda Rodríguez Sellés
Email :
yolanda.rodriguez@uab.cat

Teaching staff

Cristina Ortiz Rodríguez
Antinea Ravarotto
Andrea González Centelles
Juan Romero Morales

Group languages

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

Prerequisites

Students are expected to have consolidated the descriptive and normative aspects covered in the course Spanish Language: Norm and Standard. Students are also expected to have a level of textual competence that allows them to understand and translate different types of texts of some complexity.

Objectives

Complete Spanish language training through the study of linguistic variation. Specifically, students must be able to:

  • Identify the defining features of different registers
  • Comprehend texts from various registers
  • Produce texts in various registers
  • Based on reviewed and produced texts, consolidate their textual competence (cohesion, coherence, and appropriateness) and knowledge of standard Spanish
  • Identify the cultural specificities of the Spanish language (idioms, set phrases, textual conventions)
  • Apply a gender perspective to text correction and production

Learning outcomes

  • KM02 (Recognise the mechanisms that provide coherence and cohesion to different textual genres.) Recognise the mechanisms that provide coherence and cohesion to different textual genres.
  • KM03 (Identify the normative uses of language in the context of linguistic variation in order to choose the most appropriate options for a given communicative context.) Identify the normative uses of language in the context of linguistic variation in order to choose the most appropriate options for a given communicative context.
  • KM04 (Determine the cultural components that determine the characteristics of texts, both at the micro and macrotextual levels.) Determine the cultural components that determine the characteristics of texts, both at the micro and macrotextual levels.
  • SM02 (Apply knowledge of the lexical, morphosyntactic and rhetorical characteristics of the language to ensure that a written text is correct and suitable for the communicative context.) Apply knowledge of the lexical, morphosyntactic and rhetorical characteristics of the language to ensure that a written text is correct and suitable for the communicative context.
  • SM03 (Correct the linguistic and textual elements that can reduce how coherent and suitable a written text is to the communicative context.) Correct the linguistic and textual elements that can reduce how coherent and suitable a written text is to the communicative context.
  • SM05 (Analyse the communicative value of the cultural references present in written texts.) Analyse the communicative value of the cultural references present in written texts.
  • SM07 (Apply knowledge about sex/gender inequalities and discrimination in society to the production and proofreading of written texts that reflect the gender perspective.) Apply knowledge about sex/gender inequalities and discrimination in society to the production and proofreading of written texts that reflect the gender perspective.

Contents

  1. Language, variation, and appropriateness. Linguistic variation: geographical, social, and functional variation. The text as a communicative unit. Appropriateness as a condition for well-formed texts.
  2. The grammar of intertextuality. The voices of discourse: sender, speaker, and enunciator. Direct and indirect speech. The modal interpretation of verbal forms.
  3. Modalisation I: textual objectification. Textual objectification and decontextualisation. Impersonal sentences. Passive constructions and textual objectification. Non-finite verb forms.
  4. Modalisation II: the expression of subjectivity. Modality of the utterance and modality of enunciation. Verbs of propositional attitude. Modal adverbs. Desiderative sentences. Exclamatory sentences and the grammar of emotion.
  5. Information structure. The notions of theme and rheme. Information structure and word order in Spanish. Marked syntactic constructions.

Learning activities and methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
Preparation of exercises 14.5 0.58 SM02
Resolution of exercises 9 0.36 KM02, KM03, SM02, SM03
Supervision and revision of written activities 16 0.64 KM02, KM03, KM04, SM02, SM03, SM05, SM07
Master classes 12 0.48 KM03, SM02
Supervision and revision of exercises 6.5 0.26 KM02, KM03, KM04, SM02, SM03, SM05, SM07
Realization of writing production activities 12 0.48 SM02, SM07
Search of documentation 17.25 0.69 KM03, SM02
Preparation of reading comprehension activities 14.25 0.57 KM03, KM04, SM02
Realization of reading comprehension activities 12 0.48 KM02, KM04, SM05
Expansión of knowledge 11.75 0.47 KM02, KM03, SM02
Preparation of writing production activities 17.25 0.69 SM02, SM07

The learning of this subject by the students is distributed as follows:

• Guided activities

These directed activities must be guided by a predetermined time schedule, which requires the classroom management of a lecturer.

• Supervised activities

Supervised activity is understood as that which the lecturer schedules for students to work autonomously, under their supervision. These activities help prepare and review the tasks that students perform throughout the course.

• Independent study activities

Such activities take account of the hours devoted to study and production of papers, in group or individually, by the students.

• Assessment activities

Continuous assessment of this subject will take place through a number of mandatory graded activities set by the lecturer.

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
Text analysis evaluation activity 40% 3 0.12 KM02, KM03, SM02, SM03, SM05
Test on theoretical concepts 40% 2.5 0.1 KM02, KM03, KM04, SM02, SM03, SM05, SM07
Text production assessment activity 20% 2 0.08 SM02, SM07

Continuous Assessment

Assessment is continuous throughout the subject. Students must provide evidence of their progress by completing various tasks and tests. Task and test deadlines will be indicated in the course schedule on the first day of class. The information on assessment activities and their weighting is a guide. The subject lecturer will provide full information when teaching begins. In order to pass the subject, it is essential to master the rules; therefore, when evaluating the aforementioned activities, spelling errors, the incorrect use of punctuation marks, lexical and morphosyntactic errors will be penalised according to the following indications:

Errors Deduction of points Errors Deduction of points
1 0.5
4 2.75
2 1
5 4
3 1.75
6 Automatic fail and will not continue reading the exercise


Review

When publishing final marks prior to recording them on students' transcripts, the lecturer will provide written notification of a date and time for reviewing assessment activities. Students must arrange reviews in agreement with the lecturer.


Missed/failed assessment activities

  • Students may retake assessment activities they have failed or compensate for any they have missed, provided that those they have actually performed account for a minimum of 66.6% (two thirds) of the final grade for the subject and that they have a weighted average grade of at least 3.5. Students who have obtained a weighted grade of 5 or higher will not be allowed to take the resit to improve their grade.
  • The lecturer will inform students of the procedure involved, in writing, when publishing final grades prior to recording them on transcripts. The lecturer may set one assignment per failed or missed assessment activity or a single assignment to cover a number of such activities. Under no circumstances may an assessment activity worth 100% of the final grade be retaken or compensated for.
  • If the failed exam is passed, the final course grade will be a 5, regardless of the grades obtained prior to taking the make-up exam.


Classification as "not assessable"

In the event of the assessment activities a student has performed accounting for 25% or less of the final grade for the subject, their work will be classified as "not assessable" on their transcript.


Misconduct in assessment activities

Students who engage in misconduct (plagiarism, copying, personation, etc.) in an assessment activity will receive a mark of “0” for the activity in question. In the case of misconduct in more than one assessment activity, the student involved will be given a final grade of “0” for the subject. Assessment activities in which irregularities have occurred (e.g. plagiarism, copying, impersonation) are excluded from retake.


Use of artificial intelligence

In this course, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies is not permitted at any stage of the assessment activities. Any work that includes AI-generated content will be considered a breach of academic integrity and will be graded a 0, regardless of any disciplinary proceedings that may be initiated.


Single assessment

  • This subject may be assessed under the single assessment system in accordance with the terms established in the academic regulations of the UAB and the assessment criteria of the Faculty of Translation and Interpreting.
  • Students must make an online request within the period established by the faculty and send a copy to the lecturer responsible for the subject, for the record.
  • Single assessment will be carried out in person on one day during week 16 or 17 of the semester. The Academic Management Office will publish the exact date and time on the faculty website.
  • On the day of the single assessment, teaching staff will ask the student for identification, which should be presented as a valid identification document with a recent photograph (student card, DNI/NIE or passport).
Single assessment activities Weight
Text production assessment activity 20%
Text analysis evaluation activity 40%
Test on theoretical concepts 40%

Grade revision and retake procedures for the subject are the same as those for continual assessment. See the section above in this Study Guide.

Bibliography

Basic bibliography

Cassany, Daniel (1995). La cocina de la escritura, Barcelona, Anagrama.

This is a writing manual in which the author delves into the fundamentals of writing, applicable to all types of texts. This work discusses strategies for researching, organizing, and developing ideas; the structure of the text, as well as the tricks available to enlighten the reader.

Sánchez Lobato, Jesús (coord.) (2006). Saber escribir, Madrid, Aguilar.

This is an essential reference work for anyone seeking to consolidate their use of the written language; since, as stated on the back cover of this book, Saber escribir was created with the intention of helping with drafting; expanding the procedures for generating and refining ideas; selecting the appropriate connecting elements; linking the topic with the chosen expression, register, and style; and learning how to apply revision and correction techniques to any text.

Complementary bibliography

  • BASSOLS, Margarida – TORRENT, Anna Maria (1997). Modelos textuales. Teoría y práctica, Barcelona: Octaedro.
  • CALSAMIGLIA BLANCAFORT, Helena - TUSÓN VALLS, Amparo (1999).Las cosas del decir.Manual de análisis del discurso, Barcelona: Ariel.
  • CASADO VELARDE, Manuel (1993). Introducción a la gramática del texto del español, Madrid: Arco/Libros.
  • FUENTES RODRÍGUEZ, Catalina – ALCIADE LARA, Esperanza R. (2002). Mecanismos lingüísticos de la persuasión, Madrid: Arco/Libros.
  • FUENTES RODRÍGUEZ, Catalina (1996). Aproximación a la estructura del texto, Málaga: Librería Ágora.

Software

There are no requirements.

Course groups and languages

The information provided is provisional until November 30. After this date, you will be able to consult the language of each group through this link. To access the information, you will need to enter the course CODE

Type of teaching Group Language Semester Shift
(PAUL) Classroom practices 1 Spanish second semester morning-mixed
(PAUL) Classroom practices 2 Spanish second semester morning-mixed
(PAUL) Classroom practices 3 Spanish second semester morning-mixed
(PAUL) Classroom practices 4 Spanish second semester morning-mixed
(PAUL) Classroom practices 5 Spanish second semester morning-mixed
(PAUL) Classroom practices 6 Spanish second semester morning-mixed
(PAUL) Classroom practices 7 Spanish second semester morning-mixed
(PAUL) Classroom practices 8 Spanish second semester morning-mixed