TEXTUAL TYPOLOGY: CHARACTERISTICS AND TYPES - LITERATURE - 2025

A textual typology consists of the classification and organization of texts carried out by systematizing their common features according to certain criteria. this classification requires abstracting from shared elements. The concept of textual typology is framed within the linguistics of the text.

Linguistics is the discipline that studies the text as a fundamental unit in the process of human verbal communication. In turn, a text is defined as the maximum communicative unit with complete meaning; it contains one or more sentences that are arranged in a certain way to convey a specific message.

In addition to statement (minimum unit of communication), a text has other discursive units, such as the paragraph (set of statements) and the sequence (set of paragraphs). Together these units form a semantic whole.

There is a multiplicity and diversity of texts. Although it is not an easy task, a textual typology seeks to inventory and order this diversity by determining the features that identify and differentiate them from each other.

characteristics

In 1978 the German linguist Horst Isenberg published an article entitled Fundamental questions of textual typology, which was very influential in the area of ​​text linguistics.

According to Isenberg, the first step in establishing a typology was to offer a theoretically informed explanation of the linguistically relevant dimensions of the texts.

After this, a general typology of as many texts as possible had to be built with a high level of abstraction. This textual typology could then be applied in empirical investigations.

Isenberg established some fundamental principles or conditions for a textual typology. These principles will be described below:

Homogeneity

For there to be homogeneity in typologization, a unitary base must be defined. Then, all types of texts must be characterized in the same way, taking this typological basis as a reference.

Monotype

Another characteristic of a textual typology is that it must be rigorous and unambiguous. Thus, the same text cannot be classified in more than one category.

Completeness

Within a textual typology all texts must be assigned to a certain category, without exceptions.

Types

In practice, despite Isenberg's theory, it has been shown that the problem is not making textual typologies, but rather giving them a theoretical foundation. This is because the texts are not homogeneous constructions.

However, there are several proposals by some authors, some more widely accepted than others. Even in ancient Greece some classifications of texts had already been offered.

Traditional typology

In The Rhetoric Aristotle proposed a typology for public discourses. This philosopher distinguished between judicial discourses (they accuse or defend), deliberative (they advise or dissuade) and epidictic (they praise or criticize).

On the other hand, in La poética he proposed a typology for literary texts that is still studied in the theory of genres. Thus, she divided them between lyrical (poetry), narrative (fiction) and dramatic (plays).

Sandig typology

The German author Barbara Sandig suggested a typological matrix based on 20 parameters with opposite characteristics -linguistic and extralinguistic- that allow differentiating the types of texts.

Among others, aspects such as the material manifestation of a text (spoken or written), spontaneity (prepared or not prepared) and the number of communication participants (monologue or dialogue) are taken into consideration.

In this way, the typical characteristics of a certain class of texts consist of a different combination of the characteristics presented in these oppositions.

Werlich's textual typology

In 1976 Egon Werlich identified five idealized text types based on their cognitive and rhetorical properties. These are: description, narration, exposition, argumentation and instruction.

Each reflects cognitive processes: perception in space, description in time, understanding general concepts, creating relationships between concepts, and planning future behaviors.

Thus, Werlich has the merit of methodically listing many linguistic and textual characteristics that interact and coexist in each type of text.

Adam typology

The texts are complex and heterogeneous. For this reason, Adam proposes his concept of textual sequences, partially independent units with typical forms recognized and delimited in an intuitive way by the speakers.

These prototypical sequences are the narratives, descriptions, arguments, explanations and dialogues. Although a text can combine these sequences, one of these will always predominate.

Narrative sequence

The narrative sequence is perhaps the most studied because it is the oldest and one of the most used. Even when communication is oral, people have the habit of informing facts through stories.

These inform about an event or series of actions in a sequence of time. Her discursive marks are action verbs, the alternation of voices (characters / narrator) and the presence of dialogue and description.

Descriptive sequence

The descriptive sequence presents the qualities and properties of a given entity, without presenting a well-defined temporal organization. Its main objective is to present physical and psychological characteristics.

Now, in this class of sequences, the use of adjectives and adverbs of mode and intensity, verbs of state or situation in the present or past tense, in addition to comparisons and enumerations, are very common.

Often times, the description can appear in texts where other types of sequences predominate, such as narrative or scientific.

Argumentative sequence

The argumentative sequences defend a point of view or opinion through logically organized arguments and counterarguments, showing cause and consequence relationships.

In these, the issuer appears explicitly or implicitly, as well as other voices (to give validity to the arguments). Opinion verbs are also frequently used ("believe," "think," "consider," "suppose").

Explanatory sequence

The explanatory sequence aims to discuss, inform or expose a topic. As discursive strategies, it uses definitions, exemplifications, classifications, reformulations, comparisons and other resources.

Dialogical sequence

This sequence presents a dialogical exchange (exchange of statements of two or more voices). It is characterized by the use of conversational formulas and the importance of non-verbal communication.

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