THE letter or correspondence it is among the most applied in everyday communication.
The main characteristic of this textual genre is the existence of an emitter (sender) and a receiver (recipient).
With the technology, the letter went through a process of adaptation in the form of transmission, which stopped taking place only on paper and took on the electronic medium.
Currently, the most used form of transmission for the letter is the email (electronic mail - e-mail).
There are three basic types of letters, regardless of how they are transmitted: official correspondence and business correspondence and personal correspondence.
Personal Letter
At personal letters do not follow a ready-made model. In them, the text reflects the intentions of the sender to the recipient. Still, textual coherence is recommended as a way of clarifying the message sent.
When sent by physical mail - on paper - this type of letter displays at the top the date it was written (initial greeting) and the company seal the date of dispatch. This way of sending, however, is little used nowadays.
Sent by e-mail, the personal letter already has the date in detail at the top, including the time of delivery. And the body of the text is inserted in the standard space of the program where it is written. The programs also make it easier to store the message.
Sample Personal Letter
São Paulo, August 18, 1929.
Carlos [Drummond de Andrade],
I was amused and enjoyed his enthusiasm for the Getúlio Vargas – João Pessoa candidacy. É. But look how we are... exchanged. That enthusiasm should be mine and it is I who retain the skepticism that should be yours. (...). Me... I contemplate, in an only sympathetic crowd, the Getúlio Vargas candidacy, which I had wanted so much before. But for me, at present, this candidacy (the only one acceptable, of course) is tarnished by these fragile peace of government Minas Gerais, Gauchos, Paraíbas (...), with democratic people from São Paulo (who stopped attacking Bernardes) and oppositionists from Rio de Janeiro and gauchos. All this does not sadden me. I continue to recognize the existence of necessary evils, but I distance myself from my country and from the Getúlio Vargas candidacy. I repeat: only acceptable.
Mário [de Andrade] Renato Lemos. Well-drawn lines: the history of Brazil in personal letters. Rio de Janeiro: Bom Texto, 2004, p. 305 (Enem - 2007)
Argumentative Letter
In addition to the dissertation-argumentative text, the argumentative letter, although less common, may also be required in university entrance exams or public examinations.
The main difference between the two textual genre models is that the text essay-argumentative is addressed to a universal receiver, while the argumentative letter is addressed to a specific receiver. Both are aimed at persuasion.
The argumentative letter consists of the opening greeting, introduction, development, conclusion and farewell.
Reader's letter
At reader letters they are generally sent to newspapers and magazines as a way of providing support or showing dissatisfaction with the material published, whether informative or advertising.
There is no specific model for letters from readers and there are vehicles that publish excerpts or the full text, depending on the repercussion of the subject.
With the increase in reading on the Internet, newspapers and electronic magazines direct specific space in the graphic design to accommodate the reader's letters.
Some, however, report moderation, which consists of publishing material that does not offend the community, such as bad words and attacks on specific groups or people.
Open letter
THE open letter it is among the main instruments of political participation. It is a way to clearly demonstrate a problem, subject or topic of collective interest.
As a textual genre, it obeys the criteria of the argumentative text, but it has a broader character than the argumentative letter because it is intended for the community.
The sender is not an individual either, it can be a group of people, representatives, unions or associations.
To complement your research, see also the article: Commercial letter.