The alteration of cohesion

Read the text by Julio Cortázar 'Por escrito gallina una' and answer a questionnaire about the text.
They analyze the topic of coherence and cohesion.

Summative Evaluation

The four points raised for the text by Cortázar in 'Detail of the activity' are evaluated.

Activity Detail

Coherence and cohesion are textual properties (See Content: "Textual cohesion and coherence").
These, however, can be altered through various mechanisms.

In the book by Julio Cortázar, "Around the Day in Eighty Worlds," the following text can be found:
allows an approximation to the topic:

IN WRITING A HEN

What happens is we are exhilarating. Quickly, we are overwhelmed by the world, hooray. It was a
apparently harmless rocket launched from Cape Canaveral by the Americans. Reasons are
unknown due to the orbit of the diversion, and probably something brushed against the invisible earth returned to. Crest
We fell into the paf, and mutation hit us. Quickly, we multiplied learning from the table.
We are very well equipped for literature, history, and a bit of chemistry, but now it’s a disaster.
sports, it doesn't matter but: from it will be chickens cosmos, damn what.

1-. What difficulties does this text present?

The difficulty presented by Cortázar's text is due to the alteration of its cohesion. That is, there is
a deconstruction of the message that -in this case- is directly related to the situation from the
which is issued.

What is it about?

The chickens have undergone a strange mutation that has given them the ability to speak; although not
optimally. Therefore, the disorder of the words is coherent.
3-. Characterize the sender and the (the) receiver(s) of the text.

Una gallina por escrito.

In The Round of the Day in Eighty Worlds we find a small text titled 'In Writing Chicken One'
(Cortázar, 1970a: 170), where Cortázar takes hyperbaton to paroxysm:

What happens is we are exhilarating. Quickly we are entrenched in the world, hurray. It was a
apparently harmless rocket launched from Cape Canaveral by the Americans. Reasons are
unknown due to the orbit deviation, and probably something brushed invisibly against the earth returned to. Crest
it fell on us in the paf, and mutation hit we entered of. Quickly multiplying learning from table
we are very equipped with literature for history, chemistry a little less, now it’s a disaster
sports, it doesn't matter but: will be chickens cosmos it, damn what.

In a similar way, one of Queneau's style exercises (1993: 57), titled 'Sínquisis', plays with
the logical syntactic alteration of the elements of the phrase:

Ridiculous young man, whom I met one day on a crowded bus of line S perhaps due to stretching.
elongated neck, a cord in the hat, I observed an arrogant and whiny tone that is found
next to him, against the lord, protests. Because he would have pushed her, every time the low people go down. Free she
he sits down and rushes to a place, that said. Rome (square of) I find it later two hours in the
I have a button to add a friend, advises him.
Coherence and cohesion
Coherence and cohesion are properties of texts that organize them correctly,
so that they can be understood. Recognizing and applying these properties is essential for producing
efficient texts, as well as understanding them.

Coherence and cohesion

1. Description or definition
Coherence: It is the property that accounts for the internal relationship of the meanings proposed by a text.
written, to grant it unity and global meaning. The coherence of a text is achieved through the correct
organization and distribution of information on a specific topic, making it possible for its
comprehension.

Cohesion: It is the property that establishes the mechanisms of lexical and grammatical relationships between
words, the procedures that link words, phrases, and sentences, that is, cohesion is constituted
by the set of all those linguistic procedures that indicate relationships between the elements
of a text (anaphoras, ellipses, semantic relations, connectors, etc.). In other words, the text has
elements that link their sentences, which connect them to each other making their understanding possible.

Below is an example of a text that presents both grammatical notions: coherence and cohesion.
which clearly illustrates the aforementioned characteristics:

Farewell letter
Gabriel García Márquez

If for a moment God were to forget that I am a cloth puppet and gave me a piece of life,
I would make the most of that time as much as I could.

I might not say everything I think, but I would definitely think everything I say.

I would value things not for what they are worth, but for what they mean.
I would sleep little, dream more, I understand that for every minute we close our eyes, we lose sixty.
seconds of light. I would walk when others stop, I would wake up when others sleep.
If God granted me a piece of life, I would dress simply, I would throw myself face down in the sun, leaving exposed,
not only my body, but my soul.

I would prove to men how wrong they are to think that they stop falling in love as they age,
without knowing that they age when they stop falling in love!

I would give a child wings, but I would let him learn to fly by himself.
I would teach the old that death does not come with old age, but with forgetfulness.

I have learned so many things from you, men... I have learned that everyone wants to live in the
top of the mountain, not knowing that true happiness lies in the way of climbing the steep.

I have learned that when a newborn grasps with its little fist, for the first time, the finger of its
father, he has him trapped forever.

I have learned that a man only has the right to look down on another when he is to help him.
to get up.
There are so many things I have been able to learn from you, but in reality, they will not be very useful.
Because when they put me inside that suitcase, unfortunately, I will be dying.

Always say what you feel and do what you think.

If I knew that today was the last time I would see you sleep, I would hold you tightly and pray to the Lord.
to be able to be the guardian of your soul.

If I knew that these are the last minutes I see you, I would say 'I love you' and wouldn't foolishly assume that
you already know.

There is always a tomorrow and life gives us another chance to do things right, but just in case I
mistake and today is all we have left, I would like to tell you how much I love you, that I will never forget you.

Tomorrow is not guaranteed to anyone, young or old. Today may be the last time you see those who
So don't wait any longer, do it today, because if tomorrow never comes, you will surely regret the day.
that you didn't take time for a smile, a hug, a kiss and that you were very busy to
to grant them a final wish.

Keep those you love close to you, whisper in their ear how much you need them, love them and treat them well, take
time to say 'I'm sorry', 'forgive me', 'please', 'thank you' and all the words of love that
you know.

No one will remember you for your secret thoughts. Ask the Lord for the strength and wisdom to express them.
Show your friends and loved ones how much they matter to you.

(Source: http://www.frasesd.com/textos_carta_de_despedida.htm)

2. Meaning of your learning

The knowledge, understanding, and use of the concepts of coherence and cohesion are essential for
the students, who must be incorporated from the early years of schooling, since they
facing various communicative situations - oral and written - that require expression and
captured (understood) clearly and sensibly. Therefore, it is about handling increasingly
aware of these elements in order to communicate properly and also understand the texts
that are read.

3. Levels or cycles addressed

Coherence and cohesion are present in some way throughout the entire Language curriculum.
and Communication. In Basic Education, these concepts are not explicitly mentioned; however,
In Secondary Education, they are indeed mentioned in the writing axis. Nevertheless, there are contents that are useful.
the foundation or preparation to gradually develop this learning in students.
Basic Education.

4. Content and Curriculum Axis to which it corresponds, according to the Curriculum Framework

The Minimum Contents of the Curriculum Framework related to coherence and cohesion are:

First basic year, axis WRITING

Writing and reviewing your writings, with an emphasis on their readability.

(This means it should have coherence and cohesion, as it is supposed that what the students write in this
The level, however brief it may be, must have clarity and appropriate organization regarding what is intended.
to express or communicate.

Second year of basic education, focus WRITING

Respect for the agreements between nouns and adjectives, between verbs and their subjects, in the sentences and
simple sentences that are written with communicative intention, reviewing their texts to improve the
legibility of the same.

Thus, in the higher grades, with an increasing progression, for example:

Fifth grade, focus on WRITING

Use, in the texts they write, of commonly used coordinated and subordinated sentences, and
causal, temporal, and additive connectors, respecting the agreements of both sentence elements
as between sentences, as well as the necessary spelling for the adequacy of the text.

Eighth grade, axis WRITING

Proper use, in the texts they write, of coordinated and subordinated sentences, well
built, with a variety of connectors, respecting modes, verb tenses, and agreement, both
within the sentence as in textual coreferences, as well as the necessary spelling for adequacy
of the text.
First to Fourth year of high school, focus on WRITING

Flexible use of simple and compound sentences and of linguistic resources required by the
structure of texts to give them coherence and cohesion.