Understanding Text Types and Their Characteristics
Types of Text and Their Relationships
Each text possesses specific functions and linguistic features, requiring distinct communication strategies. Texts are grouped by areas of use or sectors of human activity. Each area involves interlocutors, specific functions, and deals with particular topics. This leads to the following classification:
- Personal Scope: Texts for personal use, not intended for others. They cover general themes, often using slang and informal language.
- Oral: Monologues, tape recordings, etc.
- Written: Diaries, notes, calendars, reading annotations, bills, etc.
- Family and Friends Scope: Texts within the family and intimate circle, covering general themes with informal or slightly formal language.
- Oral: Conversations, dialogues, poetry recitations, short speeches in formal and social situations, phone conversations, etc.
- Written: Letters, postcards, invitations, congratulations, dedications, etc.
- Academic Scope: Texts related to school and training activities, encompassing various subjects and languages, with a tendency towards specialization and formality.
- Oral: Presentations, tests, interviews, reading aloud, etc.
- Written: Essays, exams, summaries, reviews, outlines, papers, notes, tests, murals, etc.
- Work Scope: Texts from the professional world, dealing with specialized topics, using specific and formal language.
- Oral: Presentations, interviews, short speeches, etc.
- Written: Reports, letters, resumes, notes, etc.
- Social Scope: Public texts for large and heterogeneous audiences, primarily in mass media.
- Oral: Speeches on radio and TV, public addresses, debates, meetings, etc.
- Written: Advertisements, interventions in public events, etc.
- Organizational Scope: Texts used in public and private organizations (schools, administrations, associations, etc.), covering general or specific topics with specialized language.
- Oral: Not applicable.
- Written: Applications, resumes, forms, petitions, letters, laws, etc.
- Literary Scope: Texts within the realm of leisure, with playful purposes, covering varied themes and languages.
- Oral: Oral folk traditions, jokes, movies, theater, songs, etc.
- Written: Traditional literary genres (poetry, novels, etc.), comics, etc.
Understanding Text Types
The concept of “text type” is used to describe the structure outlined above. A text type is a theoretical model with specific linguistic and communicative features, exemplified in numerous real-world messages. Text typologies are used in curriculum design, course scheduling, and textbook indexing.
Werlich’s Typology
Werlich’s typology distinguishes five text types characterized by contextual factors:
- Text Type: Description, Narration, Exposition, Argumentation, Instruction.
- Topic: Facts in space, events in time, analysis of ideas or concepts, demonstration of the speaker’s ideas, future behavior of the sender or receiver.
- Language: Adverbs of place, adverbs of time, ‘be’ + ‘have’ + nominal predicate and nominal complement, ‘be’ + adjective, negation, imperative.
These five types encompass all verbal communication. It’s important to note that a single text can include two or more distinct types. For example, a story may contain both descriptions and narration.