Context it is the set of physical or situational elements that help the recipient of the message to understand it.
These elements characterize the text, which is a communication of ideas expressed through written words.
The relationship between text and context it is fundamental for the message to be conveyed to be understood. When a reader starts reading a text, the first thing he does, even if unconsciously, is to try to understand what the content refers to. As the reading progresses, some elements help to understand what subject is being discussed. This set of elements is called context.
Context Types
Below are examples of the main types of context:
production context
Set of elements considered by the sender of the message when creating a text. In that regard, both the reality of the sender and the receiver of the message are taken into account. Aspects such as the purpose of communication, target audience, place where the text will be published, socio-cultural reality of the sender/receiver are observed.
O production context allows an issuer to approach the same topic in different ways.
See below for some examples and see how the same message can be transmitted differently depending on the author's purpose:
Example: Come see the pizzeria that opened in the neighborhood.
- Purpose of communication: informative
- Target audience: friend
- Place where the text will be published: sms/mobile
- Issuer's reality: resident of the region
- Receiver's reality: resident of the region
Example: Come and discover the newest pizzeria in the region!
- Communication purpose: informative/marketing campaign
- Target audience: general audience
- Place where the text will be published: pamphlet
- Issuer's reality: pizzeria owner
- Receiver's reality: potential customer/resident of the region
linguistic context
Set of linguistic properties that accompany a text or speech.
Example: Today Carla arrived on time.
The use of the adverb “today” contextualizes a habit and indicates that Carla is not usually punctual.
extralinguistic context
A set of factors external to the text or speech (age group, time, place, time, social group, physical environment, etc.) that help to understand the message issued.
Example: Fire!
Through an extralinguistic context it is possible to understand if the use of the word occurred in a fire situation or in a shooting class, for example.
O historical context it's the social context they are two of the most relevant extralinguistic contexts. Let's see a little more about them:
Historical context
It indicates circumstances or facts related to a moment of a certain period, such as a political, social, cultural and economic scenario.
Example: The Enlightenment is a philosophical, literary, and intellectual movement that defends the belief in human reason and science. It arose at a time of technological breakthroughs, such as the invention of the steam engine, and it took place during the transition period between feudalism and capitalism.
O historical context helps to understand the historical context that involved the movement.
Social context
It is a set of social factors such as type of environment, type of language, social class, economic conditions, level of education, human relations, etc., which are related to an individual's integration into the society.
Example: The boy lived in a poor suburban neighborhood far from the city center and, as a result, more than half of his day was spent coming and going on public transport.
O social context indicates the social conditions in which the boy lives.
lack of context
The lack of context can make the communication ambiguous or even dubious, as we can see in these examples:
Example: What a wonderful vacation!
Without the context, it is not possible to understand the true meaning of the sentence. As there is no physical or situational element (circumstances, climate, location, state of mind of the sender of the message, conditions in which he is expressed, etc.) it is not possible to know if the vacation was really wonderful or if the phrase portrays a bad experience expressed through irony.
Example: My crown is beautiful!
Given the lack of context, it is not possible to be sure of the meaning of the sentence. The word “crown” can refer either to the adorned object characteristic of royalty, or to a middle-aged or elderly person.
An initial information regarding the context, such as a brief description of a coronation ceremony, with the presence of kings and queens, a monarchical environment, etc. would lead to a certain sense of the word.
See too: Communication Elements