Abstract
Research on language and communication in television is usually based on classifications of different text types which can differ notably from each other depending on the research focus and cultural context. Years ago, Jost (1997) underlined the fact that the question of text types had not as yet been resolved, and this is still true today since the progression of media communication strategies has even accelerated. In view of the vast number of research fields and approaches, the scope of this article is not to provide an exhaustive inventory of television text types. Instead, I shall summarize the most important approaches in order to identify factors, underlying assumptions and research perspectives leading to the different categorizations. Classification criteria and recent changes such as the internal heterogeneity of television text types will be discussed. Furthermore, special attention will be paid to their historical nature and to the dynamic relationship between text types and language use. The article will focus on those aspects of television text types that might be particularly relevant for French language use in this medium.
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