Textualization of encyclopedic entries in Wiki systems

Abstract This article aims to analyze textualization in entries of Wiki encyclopedias in order to find out if they form a new genre or a new kind of genre, from the perspective of tipelementos proposed by Travaglia (2007a, 2007b), or whether they keep their main characteristics from paper encyclopedias. Thereunto, from the perspective of a qualitative research, two articles from different Wikis are compared from their superstructure organization to their macrostructure, taking the occurrence of modalization as specific data of linguistic regularity. To describe modalization, a link with the tipelementos theory is proposed. Analysis then parts from a general focus, following Araújo’s (2016) approach to the re-elaboration of new genres in digital media, from the genre’s formation context to its intern structure. We observed there are not enough differences between entries to the point of arguing for the emergence of a new entry genre merely because of its digital medium.