Jean-Michel Adam’s Les Textes: Types et Prototypes (1992) advances a foundational theory of text linguistics by proposing five flexible, combinable, and prototypical "sequences"—narrative, descriptive, argumentative, explanatory, and dialogic—that constitute complex texts. This approach moves beyond rigid text classification to emphasize the heterogeneous nature of discourse, which is widely utilized in language education to improve textual analysis and composition. For further details, consult the work available on Internet Archive or the summary from Eyrolles.
Les Textes : types et prototypes - 4e éd. - Adam, Jean-Michel - Amazon
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
Jean-Michel Adam’s Les Textes: Types et Prototypes (1992) proposes that texts are structured by smaller, relatively autonomous "sequences" (narrative, descriptive, argumentative, explanatory, and dialogic) rather than being purely defined by genre. The work establishes idealized "prototypes" for these sequences to help analyze the heterogeneous composition of real-world texts. Learn more about the text types at Cairn.info Types et prototypes textuels - Moodle@Units
Les textes : types et prototypes by Jean-Michel Adam (1992) is a foundational work in text linguistics that shifts the focus from rigid text classification to the analysis of prototypical sequences. Adam argues that while entire texts are often too complex and heterogeneous to be categorized into a single "type," they are composed of smaller, recognizable patterns—sequences—that follow specific structural models. Core Theoretical Framework
From Types to Prototypes: Instead of absolute categories, Adam uses the concept of "prototypes" to allow for flexibility. A sequence in a real text may only partially match the ideal model, but it is still recognizable as that specific prototype.
The Sequence as an Intermediate Unit: The sequence is positioned between the individual sentence (proposition) and the full text. It is a self-contained organizational unit with a rigorous internal structure.
Heterogeneity: Most texts are composed of several different types of sequences. For example, a narrative text often includes descriptive sequences. The Five Prototypical Sequences
Adam identifies five primary patterns used to organize discourse: Jean Michel Adam Les Textes Types Et Prototypes.pdf
Narrative: Focused on a succession of events, thematic unity, and a final evaluation (e.g., stories, anecdotes).
Descriptive: Involves "aspectualization" (parts and properties) and relations to other objects (e.g., portraits, scene settings).
Argumentative: Aimed at supporting a claim through premises and inferences to reach a conclusion.
Explanatory: Designed to clarify a "why" or "how," often moving from a problem to a solution (e.g., scientific or educational texts).
Dialogic: Structured around exchanges between speakers, typical of theatrical or conversational texts. Key Bibliographic Details Information Author Jean-Michel Adam (University of Lausanne) First Published 1992 by Nathan-Université Length Approximately 223 pages Latest Editions 4th edition published in 2017 by Armand Colin Les textes: types et prototypes - Google Books
Here, Adam integrates the work of Perelman and Toulmin. An argumentative sequence aims to modify the addressee’s beliefs. It contains:
✅ Empirical adequacy – Accounts for mixed, hybrid, and real-world texts better than pure genre theories.
✅ Linguistic rigor – Provides explicit criteria (temporal connectors, aspectual markers, logical connectors, enunciative markers) to identify each sequence type. Jean-Michel Adam’s Les Textes: Types et Prototypes (1992)
✅ Pedagogical utility – Widely used in French secondary and university education for text analysis (expliquer un texte, production écrite).
✅ Bridges cognitive and social dimensions – Prototypes are cognitive, but sequences are realized in social genres (e.g., “recipe” as descriptive + injonctive, though Adam later added injonctive as a subtype).
✅ Rejection of normative hierarchies – Unlike classical rhetoric (which prized argumentation), Adam treats all types as equally complex.
Before Adam, traditional text linguistics often struggled with classification. Attempts to define texts strictly by their formal features often failed. For instance, if a news report contains a quote from a witness describing an event, does it cease to be a report and become a narrative? Rigid taxonomies could not account for the fluidity of real-world writing.
Adam argued against the idea of "types" as isolated categories. He proposed that the definition of a text cannot rest on a single criterion (such as "telling a story" or "arguing a point"). Instead, texts are the result of a complex layering of operations—pragmatic, semantic, and linguistic.
❌ Under-theorization of “dialogal” – Critics (e.g., Bronckart, 1996) argue that dialogue is a genre (conversation, interview), not a text type. Adam’s later revisions merged “dialogal” into other categories.
❌ Neglect of pragmatic functions – Adam focuses on internal linguistic organization, but some text types are defined by external social action (e.g., a contract). This overcorrects against speech act theory.
❌ Injonctive texts – Where do recipes, laws, or instructions fit? Adam later acknowledged an injonctive (prescriptive) type but never fully integrated it. Data (The starting fact) Claim (The thesis) Support
❌ Overly complex for beginners – The hierarchical model (proposition → sequence → text) is powerful but heavy for quick analysis. Some teachers revert to simpler typologies (narrative, descriptive, argumentative only).
❌ Limited empirical validation – Most examples are literary or journalistic; less tested on administrative, digital, or multilingual corpora.
Adam defines a text not as a linear sequence of sentences but as a hierarchical structure composed of:
In the vast ocean of written communication—from viral tweets to legal contracts, from fairy tales to scientific reports—how do we distinguish one form of writing from another? What makes a story a story? What makes an argument an argument?
For students of linguistics, literature, and communication, these questions are central. Few have answered them as systematically as Jean-Michel Adam. His seminal work, Les Textes : Types et Prototypes (Texts: Types and Prototypes), is a cornerstone of modern text linguistics.
Whether you are a student struggling with a thesis on discourse analysis or a writer looking to understand the mechanics of your craft, here is why this PDF needs to be on your reading list.
Adam’s major contribution is the application of prototype theory (originally developed in cognitive psychology by Eleanor Rosch) to text linguistics.
In this view, textual types are not defined by necessary and sufficient conditions. Rather, they function like the concept of a "bird." A robin is a "prototypical" bird; a penguin is a bird, but it sits further from the center of the category. Similarly, a fairy tale is a prototypical narrative, while a medical report on a patient’s history is a narrative, but a peripheral one.
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.