1. Key terms Text Semiotics Semantic Syntax Pragmatics Transcoding Specialized text Non-specialized text

2. What is a text?

3. A text is a sequence of paragraphs that represents an extended unit of speech.

4. Channel Oral textsWritten texts Intent of the Communicator Various types of texts (procedural, expository, persuasive, narrative, descriptive)

5. Intent of the communicator Genre of texts: –Narrative –Procedural –Expository (Informative) –Persuasive (Hortatory) –Descriptive

6. When are they used? procedural text: gives instructions on how to do something. expository text: is used to explain something hortatory text (persuasive): is used to encourage or to get someone to do something. As a matter of fact, it is argumentation descriptive text: lists the characteristics of something. narrative text: account of events (novel, newspaper article, biography)

7. TEXT FORMS Text forms evolve and change Authentic text forms are often mixed According to modern studies, there may be even more text types. Nonetheless, practical suggestions tend to classify texts in 3 main types:

8. Text Types (Sabatini) Group 1 scientific texts technical texts legal, normative, regulative texts (treatises,essays, technical textbooks and essays; laws and decrees; regulations, administrative acts)

9. Text Types (Sabatini) Group 2 expository and didactic texts popularising informative texts (e.g. textbooks on social, historical,political topics, popularising texts of various topics,newspaper and magazine articles)

10. Text Types (Sabatini) Group 3 literary texts, both poetry and fiction.

11. Semantic Syntactic Phonological Prosodic Transcoding Semiotics Specialized texts Non-specialized texts

12. Specialized texts How do we identify them? –External parameters (elements of the communication process) –Internal parameters (formal structure; knowledge structure; linguistic structure) Cabré, Terminology and Specialized Communication

13. External Parameters A specialized text must be written by a specialist Those who want to translate specialized texts should get familiar with their specialized context, and should know the domain conventions and lexical/structural peculiarities

14. Internal Parameters Formal structure Knowledge structure Linguistic structure: Morphological level Lexical level Syntactic level Textual level Specialized texts are precise, more concise, and more systematic. Precision is a relevant feature. Only experts can control it.