{"id":27208,"date":"2021-04-11T03:37:42","date_gmt":"2021-04-11T10:37:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/?post_type=section&#038;p=27208"},"modified":"2023-09-09T17:35:06","modified_gmt":"2023-09-09T16:35:06","slug":"text-composition","status":"publish","type":"section","link":"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/section\/rhetoric\/rhetorical-situation\/text-composition\/","title":{"rendered":"Text &#8211; Composition"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"tts_content_wrapper_2\" >\n<p>In <a href=\"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/section\/writing-studies-definition\/\">writing studies<\/a>, a <em>text<\/em> or <em>composition<\/em> isn&#8217;t just a collection of words. It is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A work of art: \n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A text can be an artistic creation, a carefully curated tapestry of words and ideas that tells a story, shares knowledge, or provokes thought.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A <a href=\"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/section\/literacy\/semiotics-sign-signifier-signified\/\">signifier<\/a>: \n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A composition serves as a conduit for thought, taking <a href=\"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/section\/style\/diction\/abstract-language\/\">abstract ideas<\/a> and packaging them into <a href=\"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/section\/style\/diction\/concrete-language-sensory-language\/\">concrete signs<\/a> &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/section\/style\/diction\/\">words<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/section\/grammar\/sentences\/\">sentences<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/section\/organization\/paragraphs\/\">paragraphs<\/a> &#8211; that can be read and understood by others.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A socio-cultural-historical artifact: \n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A text is not created in a vacuum. It is influenced by the writer&#8217;s social and cultural background, their personal experiences, and the historical context in which it is created. This dynamic, networked nature makes each composition a unique reflection of its time and place.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>While the terms &#8220;text&#8221; and &#8220;composition&#8221; are often used interchangeably, there are other synonymous terms you may come across in your writing journey:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Discourse: \n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This term is often used in linguistic studies to refer to language in use or the process of communication.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Copy: \n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In the field of advertising and marketing, written content is often referred to as &#8220;copy&#8221;.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Content: \n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This is a broad term that encompasses any piece of writing intended for publication, whether online or offline.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Prose: \n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This term is generally used to describe any form of writing that is not poetry.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Writing: \n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This is perhaps the most generic term, simply referring to the act of producing text.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Key Concepts: Composing; <a href=\"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/the-writers-guide-to-writing-commons\/\">Composing Processes<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/section\/writing-studies\/interdisciplinary-scholarship\/composition-studies\/\">Composition Studies<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/section\/rhetoric\/rhetorical-situation\/text-composition\/\">First-Year Composition<\/a>; <a href=\"Semiotics: The Signified &amp; The Signifier\"><em><\/em><\/a><em><a href=\"semiotics: The Signified &amp; The Signifier\">Semiotics: The Signified &amp; The Signifier<\/a><\/em>; <a href=\"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/section\/research\/research-methods\/textual-methods\/textuality-intertextuality\/\">Text, Textuality<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_69_1 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/section\/rhetoric\/rhetorical-situation\/text-composition\/#FAQs\" title=\"FAQs\">FAQs<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/section\/rhetoric\/rhetorical-situation\/text-composition\/#How_has_the_term_text_evolved_over_time\" title=\"How has the term text evolved over time?\">How has the term text evolved over time?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/section\/rhetoric\/rhetorical-situation\/text-composition\/#What_are_some_examples_of_texts\" title=\"What are some examples of texts?\">What are some examples of texts?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-faqs\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"FAQs\"><\/span>FAQs<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_has_the_term_text_evolved_over_time\"><\/span>How has the term text evolved over time?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>When you hear the term &#8220;text,&#8221; the immediate associations that come to mind might be books, magazines, or even text messages. Indeed, these are some of the most traditional forms of text.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tracing the etymology of the term, &#8220;text&#8221; is derived from &#8220;textus,&#8221; a Medieval Latin term used for Scriptures or treatises. It was historically applied to literary masterpieces such as The Holy Bible, The Holy Quran, or The Talmud. Even today, &#8220;text&#8221; typically refers to pieces of written discourse like books, magazines, newspaper articles, or online text messages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, the definition of &#8220;text&#8221; has expanded significantly over time, going beyond the written word.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In contemporary discourse, the concept of text has come to encompass a wide array of forms. It can now refer to images, recordings, mathematical equations, computer code, paintings, sculptures, sign language, nonverbal cues, clothing styles, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In academic and professional environments, a text is essentially anything that can be &#8220;read&#8221; or interpreted to convey meaning. The term &#8220;text&#8221; is therefore synonymous with the concept of a &#8220;sign&#8221; from semiotics, the study of signs and symbols. This term is used to explain the connection between thought and language, further underscoring the versatility and complexity of what we now understand to be a &#8220;text.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_are_some_examples_of_texts\"><\/span> What are some examples of texts?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table is-style-stripes\"><table><tbody><tr><td><\/td><td><strong>Examples of Texts<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>events<\/td><td>an <em>event<\/em> like Christmas day can be read as a <em>text<\/em> that conveys information about a culture&#8217;s history, religious traditions, gift-giving rituals, socioeconomics\u2014and more.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>physical space<\/td><td><em>physical space<\/em> between people can be interpreted as a measure of different cultures: researchers have found Romanians like 140.2cm space between themselves and strangers whereas Americans are okay with 94.5c.m; Argentinians, 76.2c.m. (Erickson 2017).<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"What is text?\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/PwECUrfPap8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":56202,"parent":2060,"menu_order":0,"template":"","tags":[],"chapters":[1900,2367],"class_list":["post-27208","section","type-section","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","chapters-rhetorical-situation","chapters-text-composition"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/section\/27208","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/section"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/section"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/section\/27208\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":58130,"href":"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/section\/27208\/revisions\/58130"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/section\/2060"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/56202"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27208"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27208"},{"taxonomy":"chapters","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writingcommons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapters?post=27208"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}