Running head: DISCOURSE COMMUNITY 1

Discourse Community Ethnography

Anieus Medrano

The University of Texas at El Paso

RWS 1301

Dr. Vierra

November 4, 2019
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Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to show what a discourse community is and what makes one.

The main ideas of this paper are the six characteristics that make up a discourse community.

Another main idea of this paper is providing the meaning of each characteristic. What this paper

finds are that this RWS 1301 class does in fact have these six characteristics that make up a

discourse community. It has these six characteristics because it is proven in the RWS 1301 class

every day.
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Discourse Community Ethnography

There are many interpretations of what makes a discourse community. Some scholars

have a very broad definition of the characteristics of a discourse community. Swales offers a

standard set of criteria by which to evaluate the defining attributes of any discourse community.

discourse communities can exist in nearly any context from sports teams to management teams;

however, for the purpose of this paper we will investigate and apply Swales’ criterion to an RWS

1301 class at the University of Texas at El Paso.

Literature Review

Often times Swales style of writing was not understood because of the words he used. He

just knew how to get his points across. According to Swales (2011), He is good, however, at

highlighting his main claims and defining terms, so you pay close attention, he should clear up

most of your confusion (p. 216). Students tend to get lost and not know what they are reading

because of certain words. You need to use the six characteristics he describes to analyze

communities you are familiar with, so it is important that you understand his definition (p. 216).

Accordingly, when reading Swales writing be prepared to not know the terms he uses.

When reading something, it all comes from some place. According to Porter (1986), this

principle is known as intertextuality, the principle that all writing and speech—indeed, all

signs—arise from a single network (p. 34). When people are writing and talking, it comes up

within its own network. Intertextuality provides rhetoric with an important perspective, one

currently neglected (p. 34). Therefore, even though intertextuality gives us rhetoric it is still

being pushed away.

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There are a lot of people that join these discourse communities for certain reasons.

According to Johns (2017), The term communities of practice refers to genres and lexis, but

especially to many practices and values that hold communities together or separate them from

one another (p. 321). When joining a certain community, the person looks for one’s that have the

same beliefs as they do. In order to introduce students to these visions of community, it is useful

to take them outside the academic realm to something more familiar, the recreational and

avocational communities to which they, or their families, belong (p. 322). Therefore, people join

these discourse communities for different reasons and people need to join communities where

they belong.

Methods

The research methods that were used were interviews and observations. We consulted

multiple scholarly journal articles including Swales, Johns, and Porter. They presented various

outlooks of the material. We applied the information through inquiry and discussion during class.

We did a case study of the RWS 1301 class by applying the practices in class. We applied them

to the accepted characteristics of what makes a discourse community.

Discussion

Common Goals

The RWS 1301 class has common goals. According to Swales (2011), a common goal is

something that a group of people are working towards (p. 471). In our RWS 1301 class we have

an agreed set of common public goals. For example, the common goals include passing this

class, improving reading and writing skills, completing a requirement for a college degree.

Therefore, these goals fit into a larger context of more success in the future.
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Intercommunication

The RWS 1301 class does have intercommunication. According to Swales (2011),

intercommunication includes various forms of communication in between and among the group

(p. 472). The members of the discourse community in the RWS 1301 participate in

intercommunication. For example, we do group assignments which require communication

among ourselves. Another example of this characteristic is through email because group

members collaborate outside of class. Therefore, any form of talking within one another is

intercommunication.

Participatory Mechanisms

The RWS 1301 class does have participatory mechanisms. According to Swales (2011),

participatory mechanisms provide information and give feedback (p. 472). Case in point, the

professor leaves comments on our paper which requires the students to revise. Another example

of this characteristic is that the professor teaches the students about rhetoric on slides. Therefore,

this class has participatory mechanisms because the professor gives us feedback and information.

Genres

The RWS 1301 class does in fact have genres. According to Swales (2011), genres are

used for topics and it is how things get done (p. 472). For example, the students use websites for

information. Another example of this characteristic is the class uses journal articles for research

about a certain topic. Therefore, genres make up a huge part when writing and especially for this

RWS 1301 class.

Specialized Language

The RWS 1301 class does in fact have specialized language. According to Swales (2011),

specialized language is a specific set of vocabulary (p. 473). For example, in RWS 1301 the
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students use specialized language by utilizing words and phrases from the study of English and

Rhetoric. This attribute of discourse communities is demonstrated through the specialized

communication such as “final drafts, “rough drafts”, and “proof reading”. Therefore, other

students not taking this course will not understand the language that is being used in the class.

Hierarchy

The RWS 1301 class does have hierarchy. According to Swales (2011), hierarchy is a

threshold level of members with a suitable degree of relevant content and discoursal expertise (p.

473). For example, the professor is responsible and more trained then the class members.

Another example of this characteristic is the students listening to the professor’s instructions.

Therefore, hierarchy deals with people who are higher up.

Analysis

This RWS 1301 class is a discourse community. With meeting all these characteristics

this class is a discourse community according to Swales. Although a few examples were

mentioned above there are many more examples from this class which would further support the

conclusion that this class in fact is a discourse community. Furthermore, if we expand our lens

and think of other common accepted definitions of discourse communities this class would also

qualify.

Conclusion

Discourse is a multifaceted concept which can be applied in numerous forms of

communication. Communities rely on discourse for efficient interactions and common practices

and understandings. RWS 1301 at the University of Texas at El Paso is most definitely a

legitimate discourse community which meets all the descriptors put forth by John Swales. In his

article “The Concept of Discourse Community”.

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References

Johns, Ann M. “Discourse Communities and Communities of Practice”.

In writing about writing, edited by Wardle, Elizabeth and Doug Downs.

319-42. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2017.

Porter, J. (1986). Intertextuality and the Discourse Community. Rhetoric Review, 5(1), 34-47.

Retrieved from http://0-www.jstor.org.lib.utep.edu/stable/466015

Swales, John. “The Concept of Discourse Community.” Genre Analysis: English in Academic

and Research Settings. Boston: Cambridge UP, 1990. 21–32.

https://learn-us-east-1-prod-fleet01-xythos.s3.us-east-

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