Discourses: How Do Communities Shape Writing?

This particular chapter argues that as we move across discourses, we are constantly evolving and obtaining new literacies. Discourses represent how a group of people share how they exist in the world, even if it is just for a short period of time. Different discourses could conflict each other, but we are able to engage in both.

When a group of people communicate to achieve a goal, or about shared beliefs, this could represent another discourse community. It can be useful when trying to identify which discourse communities you a part of by seeing what you have in common with others and what similarities you share. Using these similarities, you can acquire knowledge in how to communicate and engage with these different discourse communities that you can be apart of.

It is critical for members of a discourse community to be able to interact properly. It is important to be able to relate to other members of a discourse community and feel like you belong. As new members continue to be added to discourse communities, it is key be able to evolve and communicate amongst each other. With that being said, being a new member to a discourse communities, you may have to earn the other members’ respect and ensure that you are communicating appropriately.

In conclusion, discourse communities are continuously evolving and adapting to different changes, type of people, and conflicts. Discourse communities focus on the fact that change is okay, as long as members of a discourse community can find common ground and still feel as though they relate to one another. Discourse communities can be within school, work, and social environments.

The Concept of Discourse Community

A discourse community is different from a speech community. Swales defines six characteristics for people to be able to identify themselves as to decide which discourse communities they belong to.

One of the most important characteristics is genre. Genres meet the needs of the rhetorical situations in which they operate. Many discourse communities use genres, and these genres can be recognized to those even outside of the discourse community. Genres and conventions can aid in the ability of discourse communities to adapt as the communities are faced with changes.

A discourse community can be seen as “the center of a set of ideas” that can be accepted, modified or rejected by people. Many question if the term ‘discourse community’ should be defined by shared interests to study, methods of research,  form of communication, or by genre? In result, the absence of any of these shared facets could stop discourse community formation though. Discourse communities focus more on what is written, whereas a speech community focuses more on what is spoken.

A speech community draws attention to “shared norms” rather than “shared performance characteristics”. There are major reasons why a speech community is not another definition for a discourse community. One reason being the difference in literacy activity. Speech is more likely to happen between people in distant places, and people are more likely to act upon writing instead of speech from the past.

Another reason is the difference between sociolinguistic and sociorhetorical grouping. The main difference between the two, is that in sociolinguistic grouping, the primary factors for behavior are social. Whereas, in sociorhetorical grouping, primary factors for behavior are functional.

Finally, the last main reason is the differences in that speech communities are centripetal whereas discourse communities are centrifugal. Speech community members are typically inherited into the communities because of birth. Discourse community members are brought into the community by persuasion, training or relevant qualification.

There are six major defining characteristics to assist in identifying with a discourse community. The first being that a discourse community has a broadly agreed set of public goals. Second, a discourse community has mechanisms of intercommunication among its members. Third, a discourse community uses its participatory mechanisms primarily to provide information and feedback. Fourth, a discourse community utilizes and hence possesses one or more genres in the communicative furtherance of its aims. Fifth, a discourse community has obtained particular lexis. Finally, a discourse community has a threshold level of members with a suitable degree of relevant content and discoursal expertise.

Understanding the boundaries of discourse communities allows you to be aware that individuals can be engaged in multiple discourse communities and can require multiple genres. Swales states that he does not hold an expectation for personal involvement. Also, discourse communities may also be more demanding depending on the focus of each different discourse community an individual can be a member of. Swales emphasizes on his hope that a discourse community can somewhat be in sense apart from reality. Finally, Swales stresses that discourse communities can constantly be evolving in consensus and different discourse communities an individual can be involved in can be very different and isolated.