Adam, J. M. (2001). Linguistics and the analysis of texts. Journal of Linguistic Analysis, 27(1), 1-24.
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. Jean Michel Adam Les Textes Types Et Prototypes.pdf
Jean-Michel Adam's "Les textes: types et prototypes" (1992) revolutionized textual linguistics by replacing rigid text classification with a model based on flexible "sequences". Adam defines five core prototypical sequences—narrative, descriptive, argumentative, explicative, and dialogal—which combine to form complex, heterogeneous texts. For a detailed overview of this foundational text, see the summary available at Archive.org . Les Textes : types et prototypes | Cairn.info Adam, J
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 . Linguistics and the analysis of texts
In the PDF, Adam describes five major prototypical sequences. Here is a breakdown of each as found in the original work: