Books can contain different types of text.
Text is a set of statements that allows a coherent and ordered message to be given , either in writing or through words . It is a structure composed of signs and a specific writing system that creates space for a meaningful unit .
Each text – a term originating from the Latin textus – has a certain communicative purpose : through its signs it seeks to transmit a certain message that acquires meaning according to each context . The length of the text varies greatly, from a few words to millions of them. In fact, a text is virtually infinite.
Beyond the basic concept (the text as a unit of meaning), the same term can refer to things that are quite different from one another. In this sense, a complete book , a sentence in a newspaper , an Internet chat , and a conversation in a bar all include texts.
Differentiations and characteristics
Sometimes, the notion of text is used to refer to the body of a printed or handwritten work , as opposed to something that is separate. The text, therefore, is only the main body of a book, leaving out the cover , index , appendices, etc.
Among the characteristics of a text are coherence (the different positions and information presented must help form a general idea), cohesion (all the sequences of meaning must be related to each other) and adequacy (it must be able to reach its ideal reader).
Texts, on the other hand, relate to other texts to generate meaning. This means that a text is always interpreted through a frame of reference .
Types of text
There are many types of texts , since classifications can be made taking into account different criteria. A narrative text , for example, presents a succession of actions carried out by the protagonist , the antagonist and the rest of the characters in the work. A short story and a novel are narrative texts.
An informative text , on the other hand, presents events. It is often related to an expository text , which presents an idea or a fact in an objective manner. A newspaper article and an essay are texts of this type.
The instructive text and the argumentative text are other common types. It is important to bear in mind that texts often combine features of the different classifications: a chronicle can be narrative, informative and argumentative at the same time, to mention one possibility.
It should be noted that one of the major distinctions often made between texts is between those that are fiction and those that are non-fiction . However, this division is not clear-cut, since a fantasy novel can include references to reality in a chapter and a biography can narrate events in a fictionalized form.
Digital texts are very popular nowadays.
Components and structure
In a text, many components and parts can be identified. In principle, a sentence with just a few words can be constituted as a text. However, it is usual for several sentences to be put together in a paragraph , and for the sum of paragraphs to give rise to a section or a chapter , or even to the complete text if it is not segmented.
As we have already indicated, the text must be coherent and have cohesion. It is essential that the author knows where to place each punctuation mark , when to include information in parentheses and when to use quotation marks , for example.
It is not the same to write "He is my son Roberto" than "He is my son, Roberto" . The comma , in this case, serves to indicate that the statement is directed to an interlocutor called Roberto , which means that that is not the name of the son in question.
Using colons or semicolons ; including a question mark or an exclamation mark in the appropriate place; and using synonyms to avoid repeating words are resources that help with reading and facilitate the interpretation of the message. You should always pay attention to semantics and grammar to avoid making mistakes.
Moving on to another level of analysis, it is possible to affirm that a text is composed of a title (the "name" that identifies it), an introduction (where the theme is presented), a development (which sets out the plot or argument) and a conclusion (the outcome ). A subtitle , a prologue , an epilogue and other elements may also appear. There are, of course, variations in this structure depending on the type of text.
When writing a text, there are several issues to consider.
Textbook and Sacred Text
It is important to emphasize the fact that the idea of text can be used in conjunction with another concept, giving rise to the expression textbook . This refers to the book used in different schools so that students can learn a specific subject.
In this way we could establish the following example: "The teacher ordered all the students to take the Mathematics textbook out of their backpacks in order to start class."
Likewise, we cannot ignore that there is a very specific terminology that has been used since time immemorial in our society. We are referring to what is known as the Sacred Text or Sacred Text , a concept that can be used to refer to the Bible , which is the set of books that acts as a fundamental pillar of the Christian and Jewish religions.
The notion in computer science
Finally, it should be noted that the term we are analysing is also widely used in the field of technology , and in particular in computing . A word processor is a program that allows users to write various documents on their computer. Word and OpenOffice Writer are the two most important and widely used word processors.
Similarly, this process of writing on a computer as well as editing it through said tool is called word processing .