Linguistic Features of Specialized Text Types

Subordinate and Adverbial Clause Structures

Substantive subordinate clauses are utilized when the reason is certain. Adjectival clauses are specified without commas or semicolons. Adverbial clauses are categorized by their function:

• Time: Expressed through words like "while" or "hardly."
• Place: Indicated by "where" or "according to."
• Causal: Used to explain the reason.
• Purpose: Indicated by Para que.
• Comparative: Using structures like tanto-como or mas-que.
• Consecutive: Expressed as "so" or así que.
• Conditional: For example, "will come if you pay."
• Concessive: For example, "although it is cold, I'll wear the jersey."

Characteristics of Scientific and Technical Writing

Scientific writing focuses on enhancing adjectives and the use of abstract nouns, specific adjectives, and prepositional phrases. These texts utilize complex verbal constructions.

Verbal and Syntactic Patterns

• Mood: There is a predominant use of the indicative, though the subjunctive is used occasionally.
• Tense: The present tense is frequently used for its descriptive value.
• Perspective: There is an absence of the first-person singular; instead, the first-person plural is used as the plural of modesty.
• Substitution: Simple verb forms are often replaced by abstract noun expressions.
• Sentence Structure: Declarative sentences are presented as facts without subjective nuances. There is an abundant use of the passive voice to reflect the patient subject.

Lexical Elements and Terminology

The lexical terms in this language are called technical terms (tecnicismos). Words taken from ancient Greek are Hellenisms, while Cultisms are voices produced from Latin. Additionally, English is frequently used in the development of new techniques to introduce necessary new terms.

Journalistic Writing and Media Structures

The characteristic function of technical and scientific texts is presented alongside journalistic styles. Journalistic writing uses nominal constructions in headlines to grab attention, often employing verbal ellipsis (the deletion of verbs in titles).

Stylistic Features of Journalism

• Adjectives: Use of both specific and explanatory adjectives.
• Verbs: Frequent use of the present, perfect, future, and preterite simple indicative.
• Headlines: These can be unimember (without a pause) or bimember (using a pause).
• Style: Utilizes both direct and indirect styles, characterized by objectivity, clarity, and conciseness.

Common Language Misuse

Common issues include the use of euphemistic expressions, unnecessary foreignisms, jargon, the abuse of acronyms, and the misuse of literary resources.

News, Reports, and Editorial Formats

• News: Divided into two parts: the initial paragraph (title) and the body (cuerpo).
• Reports: Consist of paragraph starts and the body. There are three types of features: the event, the action, and appointments/quotes.
• Editorials: Consist of an initial paragraph and a second paragraph which is the news body. These are characterized by brevity and a subjective character that can make objective information difficult to maintain.

Literary and Technical Functions

Literary texts are dominated by the poetic function; the language is based on connotation and the simulation of reality. Technical texts may feature phonetic or spelling peculiarities. The style is characterized by a description where nominal and adjectival noun-phrases abound. Narratives are generally written in the 3rd person.