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In the framework of givenness hierarchy, this paper analyzes the asymmetries between the definite article and demonstratives in Spanish and makes a comparison between Spanish and Chinese. The paper concludes that despite some similarities, the asymmetries in Chinese are more moderate because the instruction encoded in Chinese demonstratives is more general. In addition, the asymmetries in the two languages should be understood in different ways. In Spanish, the main factor that causes the asymmetries is that the article does not impose restrictions on the context construction. However, with the demonstratives, the selection of encyclopedic context is impossible. In Chinese, the demonstratives do not impose restrictions on the context choices. However, being an element not fully developed as grammaticalized representation of definiteness (Cao, 2014), the demonstratives remain inadequate in the use of the first mention and associative anaphora. In cases of direct anaphora, due to the lack of economy and the fact that most anaphoric expressions are incomplete descriptions, the percentage of use of demonstratives in Chinese is also low. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents how the combination of both the active methodologies and the information and communication technologies (ICT) constitutes effective procedures and tools for teaching and learning business Spanish. The theoretical concepts reviewed are the framework of the activity implemented, which main aim was to verify the proposed assumption. In addition, it was also suggested to test the development of the communicative and digital competences of the students that were involved, as well as the necessary abilities to work cooperatively. The participants were 36 individuals, divided into two groups, who studied Spanish as a foreign language and Business and Finance at an educational centre in the USA. Each group used a different active methodology, the case study method and the project-based learning, and digital tools. The research had both a mixed method design, quantitative and qualitative, and a quasiexperimental one. An assessment rubric and an observation sheet were used in order to analise the results, which validated the hypothesis and the objectives of the study. It is therefore concluded that the interaction, participation and skills stimulated during the didactic performance with the active methodologies and the ICT tools implemented and the motivation derived from this process achieve and improve the significant learning of business Spanish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is a first approach to flapping in Spanish. This phenomenon has been traditionally associated with /l/, but recent research has revealed that it is also possible with other coronal consonants, namely /n, d, s/. With this data in mind, we have carried out an acoustic study based on the analysis of a spontaneous speech corpus. Its main goal has been to examine if the flap is a possible allophone for these phonemes and, in case it is, to account for its context of emergence. In addition, it is also interesting to determine whether rhotic sounds can be a widespread realization for coronal segments in weakening contexts. The results show that all of the phonological categories investigated display [ɹ] or [ɹ̝] allophones, especially in unstressed medial intervocalic positions (in spite of some differences between categories), which are contexts generally related to weakening. In any case, it seems that rhotic sounds are common realizations in lenition situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present the results of a case study that was carried out in order to evaluate the passive paremiological competence of university learners with advanced mother tongue and foreign language proficiency. In doing so, 10 Spanish paremias and 10 French paremias characterised by differing degrees of frequency of use, idiomaticity and opacity were selected. Along these lines, we designed a questionnaire that was completed by a group of 20 university students with Spanish and French considered as their mother tongue and their foreign language, respectively. In this case, passive paremiological competence is directly related to age (the competence of the youngest is significantly lower than that of the oldest), to the frequency of use of the mother tongue and to the degree of idiomaticity and opacity in the foreign language. Finally, it should be noted that passive paremiological competence in the foreign language is significantly lower than in the mother tongue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the methodology for developing a lexicon of Spanish (up to and including level B1) within the framework of the European iRead4Skills project. The basic metalinguistic notions that should be presented to students are introduced so that this resource could be exploited in the most appropriate way possible. The main microstructure fields (in particular, those corresponding to syntactic-semantic features, semantic classes and domains) introduced in the database are presented and discussed. The treatment of phraseology and diasystematics is also specifically examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the combinatorics of the terminological unit of law (TUL) delito in a corpus of Hispanic normative texts on organised crime (CRIMO) around three relevant semantic values in this specialised domain. First, we have extracted the verb-noun constructions (VNCs) (cf. Tabares Plasencia, 2012), including the terminological nucleus delito with object function and distributed them according to the semantic value to which they are associated. Subsequently, their morphosyntactic behaviour has been described, and then the different types of phraseological variation have been delimited. The analysis has led to the following conclusions: (i) both concurrent variation (topolectally motivated heterovariation) and co-occurring variation (self-variation in a broad sense) are found; (ii) concurrent variation is, in general terms, a controlled variation, and (iii) the morphosyntactic behaviour of VNCs is similar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with diatopic variation in Spanish wine-related language. We evaluate the degree of penetration of diatopic variation in this specialized language at different levels: international, national, regional, county and local. We also analyze the presence of diatopic variation in the origins and evolution of Spanish wine-related language. Documentary research has allowed us to establish the state of the art and fieldwork and documentary work have yielded results that we have analysed using qualitative methodology. We have collected a large number of specialized voices from different geographical areas of the Spanish-speaking world. Our main conclusion is that diatopic variation is intrinsic to the Spanish wine-related language. We have also been able to verify diachronic and functional variation in this specialized language. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phraseology is undergoing a paradigm shift largely due to the application of techniques and concepts from other related disciplines. This paper combines big data analysis with the principles of construction grammar. It includes an automatic extraction protocol for the resultative constructional idioms with de quicio. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of the data are performed in order to draw conclusions about the adequacy of the corpora selected for analysis, the relationships established between these constructions and more schematic ones, as well their distribution, frequency, and productivity, with a focus on "global" Spanish and its diatopic varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article we will try to show five humorous signs used in Spanish linguistic jokes and that could be used in Spanish teaching. These signs are polysemy, homophony, paronymy, phraseology and diminutives. The election of jokes as a structure to use in teaching is based not only in the fact that it is the main humorous structure, but also in its easy to learn structure. As Attardo (2008) said, joke is the easiest humorous text type. Also, "joke is a humorous unit with no context and selfcontained, which has all the required information to be understood and enjoyed" (Martin, 2008: 37). The goal of this paper is to show how previously mentioned signs work in an internet extracted corpus, so we can get generalizations that can be used in Spanish teaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the few researchers who have approached Alonso de Herrera's Libro de agricultura, the accuracy and richness of its terminology would be two of its main features. Under this premise, in this paper we focus on the fourth book of this six-volume treatise on agriculture, which is dedicated to the knowledge of everything related to the vegetable gardens. After an appropriate lexicological classification of the selected vocabulary, we examine the effect that these words has haved on the Spanish lexicographic tradition, with particular attention to the Diccionario de autoridades--after being Herrera selected as one of the classics of the Hispanic literature for its preparation--, as well as the Covarrubias' Tesoro (1611)--in this case is due to its noticeable encyclopedism, which connect with the rich and assorted information supplied by Herrera--. After our analysis, we conclude the low impact of the Libro de agricultura in the first academic dictionary. On the other hand, we detect a greater harmony between Covarrubias and Herrera, having found several lexicographical articles from the Tesoro with information of vegetable gardens clearly coinciding with the Libro de agricultura. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]