A text is a composite of signals encoded through a writing system , such as the alphabet from A to Z, which most human beings know and use regularly to communicate with each other.
They need a sense unit so that it can be decoded first and then understood by the reader. Therefore, the importance of the codification process in the context of texts is recognized .
However, we can call both a literary work and a text message a text; this means that all text is composed of signs that match regardless of their size or length.
Likewise, in the current context of the propagation of digital media, the text concept is also directed to a specific type of document, from which it is possible to disseminate written content with the possibility of extension to images, tables, graphics, algorithms and a large number of of supplements that exceed the single organization of conventional language . Likewise, the definition of text is extended to the almost informal communication that arises from chat systems – especially from social networks – and which present a pre-coding in terms of reducing the amount of characters.
In addition, the concept of text is closely linked to another, in this case to discourse, since this is part of the generation of a text through a sender in a given context, with a particular communicative intention, the latter being its function par excellence text . There can never be a speech without a text, after all what motivates a speech is what one has to say.
Currently, many linguists claim that the powerful integration of audiovisual tools is a strong reason for establishing a division between speech and text , arguing that it is possible to deliver true speech with the full tools of visual diffusion
However, not all experts agree, as they consider the use of multimedia elements as a true independent language, derived from the traditional language and which deserves an independent approach by semiology.
Another important feature to understand and further deepen the meaning of a text is that it can be a monologue through a speech or novel, or it can even involve more than one receiver in the case of a conversation between two or more people through a chat (virtual) or being face to face (physically). Dialogue is aimed at expressions in a text between two individuals and conversations when dealing with a larger number of participants. On the other hand, teleconferences are currently a formidable tool when transmitting texts, since there is a significant interaction between the senders and the countless receivers, often located at a great distance from the speaker.
A self-respecting and well-prepared text must meet certain conditions that are called textuality conditions: cohesion, coherence, meaning, progressivity, intention and closure
If a text does not observe any of these aspects, there will certainly be some inconvenience in terms of understanding what is intended to be exposed. This analysis is a matter of debate among sociologists, since it basically involves a certain coding error, and it must assess the real omnipresence of the issuer.
As a consequence of the important diversity of existing texts, there is no other way to classify them according to their function or internal structure . Thus, we can find texts where narrative, argumentative, commutative and descriptive characteristics predominate. The works of art (narrative), in turn, are divided into prose, poetry, epic and dramatic genres. On the other hand, scientific texts constitute a particular variant, with defined transmitters and contextualized receivers, capable of decoding the particular language of these contents.
