Topic 33. Descriptive texts

Topic 33. Descriptive texts

1. 1. Importance nowadays

   • Students' 5 senses

2. 2. Definition of text

   • D. Barton & C. Lee (2013): "Any type of meaningful written range or spoken range of words or sentences"
   • Textual features: Texture & Tie
     • Communicative
       • 7 standards of textuality
         • Cohesion
         • Coherence
         • Intentionality
           • Grice's Maxims
             • 1. Quantity
             • 2. Quality
             • 3. Relation
             • 4. Manner
         • Acceptability
         • Information
         • Situationality
         • Intertextuality

3. 3. What is a descriptive text?

   • Closely related to the category of narrative
   • 3 categories:
     • 1. Objective description of a text: Inform or instruct about the object to be described:
       • Instructions
       • Scientific texts
     • 2. Subjective description of a text: Shows author's opinions and feelings
       • Novel
     • 3. Visual description of texts
       • People, characters
       • Dynamic descriptions
       • Static descriptions (Inanimate objects)
   • Types of discourse concerned with the representation of people, animals, objects, landscapes, actions, atmospheres and feelings

4. 4. Other types of descriptions

   • Prosography
   • Etopeia
   • Caricature
   • Portrait

5. 5. Structure of descriptive texts

   • Principles of order
     • 1. Observation of information and selectionf of what we're going to talk about
       • 1. Fixed observer
       • 2. Moving observer
       • 3. Impressionistic observer
     • 2. Selection of relevant aspects
     • 3. Organization of the information
     • 4. Decision of formality