Understanding Scientific, Humanistic, Journalistic, and Literary Texts

Scientific and Technical Texts

Science is also developing a theoretical approach. The mental construction of explanatory models must have a precise language, rigorous, logical structure. The characteristics of scientific content are:

• Universal Validity: A scientific principle is valid in any place.
• Objectivity: Several explanations can be proposed, and testing will be required to support them.
• Need for Rigor and Clarity in Exposition: Scientific language is characterized by:

1. Monosemy: The use of a term with a single meaning.
2. Abundant use of techniques specific to each discipline.
3. Predominance of adjectives that clarify the meaning of the noun.
4. Use of the article for generalization.
5. Utilization of passive and adverbial clauses.

Scientific language is defined by the dominance of denotation and the pursuit of accuracy.

Humanistic Texts

The objective of the humanities is the study of man and his multiple artistic expressions. Humanistic texts express views and have rigor, assumptions, and pretensions of science. Their characteristics are:

1. An issuer transmits information using elaborate language.
2. The receiver is the recipient of the message.
3. A climate of distant formality is needed in the act of communication.
4. It presents a persuasive, expressive, and aesthetic intent.
5. It is usually written.

Humanistic texts usually have four different types of structure:

• Deductive or Analyzing: The primary idea is exposed at the beginning.
• Inductive or Synthesizing: It starts with data to reach the main idea.
• Framed: It is a mixture of the two previous ones.
• Parallel: It sets out the facts following their evolution.

Journalistic Texts

The functions of journalistic articles are to inform, educate, entertain, and express opinions. There are several genres:

1. News: A text with brief and clear information about an event that follows a chronological structure.
2. Chronicle: A text with comprehensive and detailed information about a current event.
3. Report: Reports on several events.
4. Interview: Reports on the conversation between the publishing entity and a character.
5. Background: An article on a recent, prominent event.
6. Article: Exposes the contents of a particular thought about a topic.

The language must have some characteristics:

1. Purpose
2. Correctness
3. Clarity
4. Simplicity

Literary Genres

The three important literary genres are:

• Lyric: Serves to express the feelings, sensations, ideas, and passions of the author. It offers a subjective vision of reality. Examples include the ode, elegy, and satire.
• Lyric or Epic: Characterized by the dominance of the world outside the author's observation. Predominance of external reality, then transformed into a fictional genre and literary prose, such as the novel or short story.
• Dramatic: The author disappears, and the characters represent a simulation of reality before the spectators. Dramatic genres include tragedy, drama, Lao, and step.