TEXT TYPES AND GENRES: FOUNDATIONS FOR THE STUDY OF THE PORTUGUESE LANGUAGE

Abstract

In the study of the Portuguese language, it is fundamental to distinguish between text types and text genres, as both organize communication but have different natures. Text types (or textual typologies) refer to the predominant linguistic structures in a text, being classified according to characteristics such as objective, organization, and linguistic resources. Among the main types, the following stand out: Narrative (relates facts in temporal sequence), Descriptive (characterizes beings, environments, or objects), Argumentative-dissertative (defends an idea with arguments), Expository (explains or informs about a topic), Injunctive (guides or instructs the reader) (Marcuschi, 2008). Text genres, on the other hand, are concrete forms of language use that circulate socially and meet specific communicative needs. Examples include: letters, emails, news articles, recipes, advertisements, social media posts, among others. They are historically situated and variable, adapting to social practices and contexts of use (Bakhtin, 1997). While text types are limited and based on structural aspects, text genres are numerous and dynamic, as they accompany the transformations of society. The same genre can contain different text types; for example, a news report can present narrative, descriptive, and expository sections simultaneously (Koch; Elias, 2012). Mastering these concepts is essential for the development of communicative competence, as it allows the speaker/reader to understand and produce texts appropriate to different social situations, objectives, and interlocutors.