Jean Michel Adam Les Textes Types Et Prototypes.pdf Jun 2026

This shift allows for a gradient understanding of text. A text is not judged by whether it fits a definition, but by how closely it aligns with a central prototype. This resolves the anxiety of classification: a text can be "mostly" argumentative with "some" descriptive elements, without invalidating its categorization.

Prototypes are exemplary representations of each text type. They serve as models or templates that illustrate the typical characteristics of a text type. Prototypes can help writers, communicators, and analysts understand the structural and linguistic features of a particular text type. Jean Michel Adam Les Textes Types Et Prototypes.pdf

Les textes: types et prototypes (1992) by Jean-Michel Adam is a foundational text linguistics work that proposes a shift from rigid, all-encompassing text typologies to a flexible model based on five prototypical sequences: narrative, descriptive, argumentative, explanatory, and dialogic. Adam argues that texts are inherently heterogeneous, consisting of combinations of these sequences, rather than a single, pure type. For an overview of the text types and prototypes, see this summary on Cairn.info This shift allows for a gradient understanding of text