The Argumentative texts Are intended to express opinions in order to support or refute an idea. In this case the sender seeks to convince or persuade the receiver with his arguments.
The argumentative texts can be both written and oral. And it is precisely because of its oral characteristics that this type of texts are part of the day to day life of people. Each individual has their own opinions and often expresses them each time he speaks. However, in order for these to be taken into account, they must be well-founded, since this is the only way to persuade or persuade others.
Persuasion or conviction is done through arguments. These should be facts, tests, comparisons, experiences or data on a particular problem. It will then be these arguments that will support the premise raised by the individual, which is no more than main idea on which to argue. It is important that it be presented in a clear, concise and objective manner.
But the structure of an argumentative text must not only have the main idea, but also with a body, which come to be the arguments. These are the ones that will confirm or reject the thesis. And finally, they must have a conclusion, which is the resolution reached on what has been discussed.
Argumentation occurs in subjects that are liable to be discussed or can be viewed from various points of view (controversial issues such as abortion, euthanasia, the death penalty, etc.). For this reason, the argumentative texts usually have very varied forms. But there is a classification on the most common types that exist. These are.
Scientific texts
These are texts that can deal with different topics. They can be psychological, linguistic, philosophical, theological, etc. The key point of this type of texts is that they are based on facts and facts. The information contained in this type of texts is irrefutable, because it is justified in demonstrable facts or even statistical data. On the other hand, this does not mean that the main idea of the text is not debatable, but the data or the facts that support it are.
Among the scientific texts there are several typologies and in all of them the argumentation is present. Among them is the research report, scientific article, paper, thesis, thesis and research project.
Another type of text that falls within this category is the monograph, which is considered by many authors as a first attempt to write a scientific article. Or as the first step to a larger investigation. Both in the monograph and in the other typologies, the objective is to convince the reader that what is said is true and is done through all the arguments presented.
Judicial texts
There are several types of judicial texts, but all are characterized by establishing conditions or restrictions for some action. And they are those that arise from the legislative practice of lawyers. In these texts they emphasize several types like the sentence, the demand, the resource, the notification, the appeal and the edict, etc.
The structure of all these texts follows the organization of the argumentative texts. They are based on a thesis or main idea and a body is developed where the different arguments are presented to support this idea. In the judicial texts it is evident that it is sought to convince or persuade the other so that actions are not generated or some accusations are dismissed, for example.
Test
The essay is one of the writings preferred by the authors for being the most personal way of transmitting ideas. This type of text is characterized by showing the style of the writer, but equally must carry a logical structure to make it understandable. The purpose of this text is to convince the reader, through his arguments or reasoning, to accept or share the views of the author.
The essay can address any topic, but it must have an introduction, a development and a conclusion, since what is important in this case is for the author to know how to present his arguments to convince the reader. However, it should be noted that since no text is pure, that is, it is not based on a single typology, the essay also uses resources such as narration, description or exposition.
Journalistic texts
The argumentation is also present in different journalistic texts. In the journalistic discourse we find texts whose purpose is to persuade or convince readers to adopt or reject some idea. An example of this type of texts we see in the letters of readers, in which clearly a person exposes his point of view on a subject.
We also see it in the critical reviews, where the author is dedicated to criticize an issue with different arguments. And in editorials and opinion notes, where the writer clearly states his position on a particular subject or person, making evident what he feels and thinks about it. Arguments can be facts or data, but they can also be based on descriptions and comparisons.
Oral discussions and opinion forums
This is the clearest form of argumentative text. It is of the oral type and is basically an act of communication in which different ideas on the same subject are exposed. Debates usually take place on controversial issues where there are several positions. In that case, both parties, who agree or in favor, express their arguments to try to convince others.
Opinion forums, on the other hand, tend to be about much more varied topics. It is a space in which people exchange their opinions or the information they have about a specific topic. Both in the debates and in the opinion forums, the arguments are based on comparisons, experiences, data, among others.
Advertising texts
Commercials, political advertisements, billboards, posters, among others, are types of advertising texts. These are intended to convey an idea about a topic or a product to convince or persuade people to buy a product or accept a way of thinking. The advantage of the publicity texts is that they are aided of visual elements to catch to its objective.
This type of text uses many other resources to convince people. But this advantage comes with a disadvantage. In advertising texts the message should be extremely concise. Which means you should try to achieve your goal in a short time without being able to develop your arguments too much.
References
- Cabezudo, B. (2011). Language Papers.
- Díaz, A. (2002) The written argumentation. Editorial University of Antioquia, Medellín.
- Cáceres, O. (2016) Types of argumentative texts.