On the text-image genres from the perspective of text linguistics

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is a reflection on the theoretical foundations and the potential usability of the concept of text-image genres. Text-images (pl. ‘teksty/obrazy’) are in the article defined with Cieszkowski (2014: 41) as such units, which are neither texts nor image, although they demonstrate textuality and pictoriality at the same time. The general tendency to structure the field of research belonging to a certain discipline is apparent e. g. in the text linguistics. The typology related to the language texts stimulates also the attempts to classify the non-language units in a similar way. An example for that is the typology of picture genres by Stöckl (see Stöckl 2004: 139–141), based on the concept of the image linguistics. The article is an attempt to discuss the concept of text/image genres on several examples of text/ image in the context of the mass media. However, it rejects the methodologically convenient but simplifying concept that they are an extraordinary type of texts. The enormous dynamicity of this research field justifies also the question if arranging a typology of text-images could contribute to the research of these units.