The 10 types of text (and their characteristics)

Reading is a mental exercise that we do all the time. We read the newspaper, the posters on the street, the billboards, the letters we receive, the message they send us on our mobile, the novel we are reading,... it seems that escaping from this routine act and spending a day without reading is practically impossible.

However, not all the texts we read are the same. In this article we will see the different types of text that exist and their characteristics, since there are singularities that you probably have not thought about before and that are relevant to know.

The 10 types of text and the explanation of their characteristics

The different texts have characteristics that define them according to their objectives. In this way, they can be classified according to different typologies and thanks to their characteristics (presence or absence of technicalities, literary resources, formal language, author's opinion, etc.)

We are going to see below the main types of text and their characteristics so that you can identify each and every one of them.

1. Informative texts

The objective of the informative text is to give evidence of some facts or a reality to the reader. He is interested in knowing some information, which may or may not be current, and his reasons may be multiple.

It must always be written from the maximum possible objectivity, although it is very difficult to do it; to represent things we need to make an interpretation that is always subject to subjectivity.

Medical brochures, encyclopedic articles, dictionary definitions or this article are some of the many examples that there would be of an informational text.

2. Administrative texts

Administrative texts are used when a person and an institution must come into contact. A specific type of communication is used and among it are these texts, which have their specific characteristics.

High rigidity and formality is one of them, and all kinds of rhetorical devices should be avoided. The information that the text contains must be clear and concise, responding to informative and prescriptive functions..

Typical administrative texts can be certificates, payment or collection letters, documents from a newsletter. informative, informative circulars, contracts, thank you letters, memos, certificates, request letters, resumes, etc.

3. Legal texts

These types would strictly be a type of administrative text, but due to their importance and singularities we believe that we should mention them separately.

The language of legal texts must be explicit at the highest level when dealing with legal texts. Like the other administrative texts, they have to be very clear to avoid any possible ambiguity or misinterpretation. Commonly, their sentences are formulated in the form of passive reflex phrases and using the third person singular.

Examples of legal texts can be laws, contracts, jurisprudence, regulations, lawsuits, associations, marriage certificates, birth certificates, etc.

4. Scientific texts

Scientific texts use highly specialized language. It is characterized by the technicalities that different experts can share, depending on which of the multiple fields of knowledge is their specialty.

The objective of scientific texts is that experts can communicate efficiently, but the dissemination of their contents to wider audiences is also important. It is for this reason that science can also be expressed using plain and accessible language.

Examples of scientific texts: presentation, doctoral thesis, scientific article, pedagogical book on scientific topics, memory of practices of some university studies. etc.

5. Literary texts

Literary texts are all those that seek to create beauty to convey meaning. Thus, they use language in a certain way to create an aesthetic as an essential means of expressing a message in an elegant way.

Language resources and selected vocabulary are an essential part of these texts, which require the reader to give himself meaning to what he is reading. Using your imagination and comprehension skills to decipher their message is essential.

6. Humanist texts

The first characteristic of humanist texts is the type of content they deal with, which is some aspect related to any of the human sciences.: anthropology, psychology, sociology, philosophy, literature, politics, history, art, etc.

The other aspect that defines them is, basically, the way in which the author expresses his point of view. Unlike the formality expressed in scientific texts, the author can use more literary resources. They are used to achieve an effect on the reader or guide the interpretation of it according to the author's conclusions on the subject in question.

7. Historical texts

Historical texts are documents that help us interpret some moment in human history, as they provide us with knowledge about the past.

They offer significant elements to obtain a better knowledge of the historical moment in question. It is very important to take into account the context of the author himself when writing the document, because he himself is transferring his interpretation of what he tells us.

The type of text is generally narrative and descriptive, and can reflect experiences in a chronological way. This is how autobiography, memoirs and letters are examples of historical texts.

8. Journalistic texts

The production of journalistic texts is closely linked to the written press and the oral press.. These texts are characterized by having the purpose of informing and / or generating an opinion, and generally refer to facts or matters of general interest.

There are media that specialize in journalistic texts on certain topics, such as politics, sports, economics, events, etc., and are generally financed thanks to having an audience interested in reading these texts.

Examples of journalistic texts are the news, the report, the opinion column, the interview, the chronicle or the criticism (theatrical, musical, television, cinematographic, ...)

9. Advertising texts

This type of text is particular, and it is that the only mission of advertising texts is to convince those who read it of something. Normally it is about the qualities of something that is being advertised, because if the reader sees the benefits of it, they will buy it and those who are behind the advertising will be financed.

The desire for the reader to develop the need that is being sold makes the text very friendly, without the literary resources implying digging or anything like that. Rather you can use puns, slogans or combinations of text with words or images with an eye-catching design.

10. Digital texts

The new times have promoted a type of text that is associated with new technologies, since its use is practically null in the analog world.

It is a type of text that is basically used to communicate informally, and can be found in social networks, blogs, chats, forums, etc.. At the time they were used a lot for SMS messages on the phone, but this is something that has fallen into disuse.

They are characterized by abbreviating the language, being able to reach the smallest expression of characters used, and they can have a high traceability in the network.

Bibliographic references

• Bernárdez, E. (1987). Linguistics of the text. Madrid: Arco Libros.
• Travaglia, L.C. (2012). Aspects gives research on textual typology. Journal of Linguagem Studies, 20 (2), 361-387.