Running head: DISCOURSE COMMUNITY 1

Discourse Community Ethnography

Yoseph Hernandez

The University of Texas at El Paso

RWS 1301

September 26, 2018

Abstract

There is no abstract for this paper.

Discourse Community Ethnography

Is this class a discourse community? Yes, according to Swales characteristics that this

class is a discourse community. Swales studies the reality of skilled communities or group within

people. Within the discourse communities there is a different from speech communities, that

have not been defined. Until people understand the definition of how it works, there will never

be a difference between the communities, and make the RWS 1301 class no different than a

night out with your friends or going to an art show. Applying the characteristics of Swales to the

RWS 1301 proves that it is a discourse community.

Literature Review

According to Swales (1990), a discourse community testifies to the increasingly common

assumption that discourse operates within conventions defined by communities, be they

academic disciplines or social groups (p. 217). It is composed of six characteristics. Discourse

community must have a common goal, inter communication, feedback and info, a type of genre,

specialized vocabulary, and a hierarchy. The meaning of discourse community is having a group

of people that brainstorm together and share the knowledge of one’s opinion. Swales also

discussed the difference between speech community and discourse community. Most of us

would think that there would be a difference but there is. Discourse was a group of people but

now with speech community is that the community is sharing their knowledge and it is clarified

by speech.

Wardle and Kain (2004) have different motive to teach us students the threshold concept.

They express that activity theory helps the people how text, language, and discourse mold the

activities of people sharing when they are working in groups. They interpreted this concept

called activity system when working in a group (p. 398). With using this concept, we use
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different tools that we use to get something accomplished. From an example form the book they

used was that the university goal to make learning possible, is its participants, like teachers,

students, and professors; using tools, including textbooks and power points. Same thing when it

comes to writing, they want us to use the tools (articles, books, and knowledge) so we can make

a meaning for our reader to understand.

Borg (2003) mentions that discourse communities that correlates with the characteristics

of Swales theory of discourse communities must and share the common goal with people (p.

398). People that are communicating amongst each other to achieve the goal they are set out to

do. For example, from the article of Borg uses an example of Swales about the stamp collectors

and how they are around the world but are mostly interested in the stamps of Hong Kong, in a

discourse community there is no need to be close to one another the group doesn’t have to be

meeting physically to communicate to each other they can write to each other by letter. Another

example, discourse community is displayed is through online courses. Taking the classes online

is like the stamp collectors by not being in class but they are still communication through the

course work.

Methods

This research paper interview secondary sources through their scholar’s literature

including Swales, Porter, Kain and Wardle, and Borg. The research also conducted surveyed

artifacts by organizing them according to Swales characteristics. Furthermore, observation

included taking pictures for representing the artifacts, and writing notes.

Discussion

This classroom exhibits the common public goal. According to Swales a common goal is

when people in a group have the same goal to achieve and they achieve it by communication
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with each other to get the goal done (p. 220). A common public goal shared in the class is that all

students want to graduate and receive the diploma and start their career. We know this because

people are completing the work and turning them in. Another example of a common goal exhibit

in this class room is internships. The common goal for internships is that every student is going

to school and achieving good grades and doing extra activities to better their resumes to compete

in the interview to get the job.

In RWS 1301 exhibits intercommunication. Swales claims that intercommunication is the

participation mechanism which it varies on the different types (p. 221). This is a way a group of

people to communicate with in each other. Intercommunication shared in this class room is the

use though email. Emailing is an intercommunication because us the students are sharing

important paper work for other students to review communicate to one another or a group of

students on the issue to resolve or to just get feedback. Another example of an

intercommunication in the class room is though blackboard. Blackboard is a tool student use at

UTEP to see what the professor has for us to do an assignment and we can also communicate

with the professor with help in an assignment and the teacher can also revise our product and

give us feedback to make it better.

Info and feedback is another tool used in this class. Swales emphasized that information

and feedback is the interchanging of information within in a group and communicating within

each other to improve the common goal (p. 221). Information and feedback shared in this class is

asking question. Asking question is a normal thing to do because sometimes we did not

understand what was needing to be done or just need some clarity; in the class room of RWS

1301 we are always asking questions and the feedback is our teacher and explaining what is

need. Another tool used in this class is body language. Body language shows a lot about you now
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in time. Some in class you have different types of body language the feedback we are giving to

the professor. For example, is when people put their stuff away early and make a lot of noise it

was rude to the professor and some of the classmates that were trying to listen to him explain

something. The feedback to the professor was that you don’t care.

Genre is another characteristic said by Swales that is also exhibited in class room. He

describes genres as topic, forms, function, and how the text is operation in the discourse

community. It how this are getting done like language is being used to accomplish an

explanation of an idea (p. 221). There are many types of genres that are used in the class room

for example there is the genre of our course book “Writing About Writing”. The book for

RW1301 is a genre because it is other people’s writing all together to inform he reader on the

information being taught and the students in the class have discussions of the readings or

reflections on them. Another tool used of genre is power point. Power point is a tool that can be

uses by presenting information. Our professor uses this application to present to us his notes on

curriculum.

An aspect used in the classroom announced by Swales is specialized vocabulary.

Specialized vocabulary according to Swales is the involving use of lexical items on a wider

speech communication in technical ways (p. 222). One specialized vocabulary used daily in the

class room is endoxa and doxa. We use specialized vocabulary in this community because we

cannot write a report on how we talk in text or by mouth because the readers(scholars) reading

our pieces would not understand it and it will not interest them. We use this vocabulary, so we

can communicate, and they can understand what we are writing about. The second specialized

vocabulary use is the glossary form our books “Writing About Writing.” The glossary is a source

for the students to get an understanding of a word that need to be defined and we can use it in a
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writing or if some other student needs and understanding you can present them with the meaning

show them where to find it.

This classroom revealed by Swales is that there is a hierarchy. Swales reported that there

is a threshold with in the discourse community that levels the members of professionals and

apprentices (p. 222). The top person in the classroom is our professor which is considered the

scholar. The professor gives his knowledge to the students on a subject, so they can teach each

other and make them successful. Professor Vierra is teaching us in class on how to write like a

scholar. Communication with us as well to make our writing better. The ones at the bottom of the

hierarchy are called the novices and those are the students. Students are like sponges they absorb

all knowledge that is given to us by the professor and we use that information in our work. The

students are at the bottom of the hierarchy triangle called novices and we are working our way to

the top like the professor.

There is a seventh characteristic of discourse community which is secondary sources.

Secondary sources are other scholarly article provided to the discourse community to review and

pick off from other research on what discourse communities mold with each other. According to

Swales, Kain and Wardle, and Erik Borg, the secondary sources used by the students RWS 1301.

The professor gave us these articles to read so we can get a better understanding of what

discourse community is and how each of these writers have done their research and on different

groups of people and have notice that they share the same characteristics. The students have read

these articles and given their feedback on the readings and how we talk to each other about

discourse community. These secondary sources have a connection to one another.

Conclusion
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RWS 1301 class is a discourse community, defined by the characteristics of Swales. It is

different from speech communities, by Swales characteristic of a common public goal. This

shows that we can see other groups and their play in society. Swale’s characteristics can be tools

to see how groups of people communicate within each other.

Reference

Borg, E. (2003). Discourse community. ELT Journal, 57(4), 398-400.

http://stabler3010.pbworks.com/w/file/fetch/58120109/Borg%20Discourse%20Communi

ty.pdf

Kain, D. and Wardle, E (2004). Activity Theory: An Introduction for the Writing Classroom.

Writing about Writing: A College Reader, 395-406 Boston, MA: Bedford Bks St Martin’s

Swales, J. (1990). The concepts of discourse community. Genre Analysis: English in Academic

and Research Settings, 21-32 Boston: Cambridge