Running head: A DISCOURSE COMMUNITY

A Discourse Community
Bianca Robinson
RWS 1301
Lori Whitaker
University of Texas at El Paso

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A Discourse Community

There are many clubs and organizations in the world. They are sports teams, yearbook
clubs, and so much more, but how do you know if your club or organization is a discourse
community? Well if seen in the eyes of John Swales, your discourse community has to follow
certain rules, but if seen in the eyes of James Porter basically any club or organization can be a
discourse community.
A club or organization can be viewed differently and be considered a discourse
community depending who it is analyzing it. A discourse community, as explained by John
Swales, has to follow six major points. In order to be considered one, it has to have a broadly
agreed set of common goals, mechanisms of intercommunication among its members, genre,
feedback, a specific lexis, and a threshold level of members. Therefore, Swales believes that not
any club, organization, or community can be viewed as a discourse community unless they
follow his regulations. On the other hand, James Porter agrees that, A discourse community is a
group of individuals bound by a common interest who communicate through approved channels
and whose discourse is regulated(Porter 38-39). James Porter views a discourse community
with lesser regulations than John Swales does. I chose John Swales regulations to describe The
Eastwood girls Varsity Basketball team to fit his description of a discourse community.
Throughout the first week of September, I observed The Eastwood girls Varsity
basketball team to identify what made them a discourse community in the eyes of John Swales.
On Tuesday and Thursday I rushed after work to make it on time to watch them do their
preseason workouts in the Bob Lesley Gym at Eastwood. I watched each and every player give
their full a hundred percent from crunches to jumping lunges. These months before the actual

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basketball season the team works their body to their full potential in preparation to the upcoming
season. I also stayed to see them play against each other at open gym. I spoke to each individual
player, and questioned them why their basketball team meets the criteria of being a discourse
community.
The sport of basketball isnt just a game to some people. To some, like the Eastwood
girls basketball team, it is a job, a passion, and a huge part of their lives. Each of the thirteen
girls on this years basketball team have a common goal of winning and making it to the playoffs
this year. In previous years the Eastwood Girls Basketball team have yet to make it to the
playoffs since the year 2013. Senior Captain, Jamie Arce said, Weve all set our goal as a team
to work hard every practice and make sure we win and enjoy the sport that we love. Not only is
winning their only goal, but also to improve their skills as individual basketball players. The
two hour practices we have during season isnt sufficient to becoming a better basketball player,
said Junior Desirae Villanueva. These basketball players put in work outside of their Eastwood
practices to benefit the team with new improved skills. The three captains of the basketball team,
Jamie Arce, Jazmine Salcedo, and Alexa Hidalgo all have the same goal of showing good
leadership, motivating the team, and helping the team to success. Not only is basketball their
main focus, so is their education. There is nothing easy about being a student athlete, but it is
just a commitment you make when you join the team, said Desirae Villanueva. In order to play
you have to be passing, therefore doing good in school is one of their main goals as well. The
Eastwood girls varsity basketball team has many common goals, so it does meet one of the
specifications of being a discourse community.

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A crucial part of basketball is communication because it allows for smooth execution of

plays. This is the biggest separator between winning and losing. As I watched the girls play at
open gym I noticed that they communicate with each other constantly. They communicate when
they pass the ball, run down the court, and even when theyre just dribbling. We talk to each
other while we play to prevent mistakes from happening and let our teammates know whats
going on around them as we play defense, said Captain Jazmine Salcedo. The Eastwood girls
Basketball team is constantly communicating throughout the season. We get together every
Thursday before game day and have team dinner at one of our teammates houses. We use that
time together to bond and discuss what were going to do as a team to beat our next opponent,
said Junior Kaylee Martinez. They also meet every Wednesday in their coachs classroom to
watch film. It is there where they analyze and discuss every factor needed to beat the next team.
The mechanisms of intercommunication are seen everywhere in this discourse community. From
receiving text messages from their coach about practice dates to sitting in the locker room before
a game discussing the game plan.
The different ways of communication in a discourse community are known as Genres.
The genres in the Eastwood girls Varsity basketball team are seen everywhere. We have
different types of communication, such as text messages, Emails, meetings, team dinners, and
even team lunches, said Miranda Vega. The variety of communication this discourse community
has fits John Swales view of one.
The Eastwood girls varsity basketball team has acquired a specific lexis, meaning they
have their own way of speaking that they understand. For example, when theyre playing defense
and one of their teammates yells Pic left! Or Pic Right, which means the teammate guarding

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the opponent with the ball is about to get screened by another opponent. Calling that out really
makes a difference in the game of basketball because it helps keep teammates aware of their
surroundings. We have different ways of speaking to each other while we play. We use the
terms such as, Switch, Box out, D-up, and so many other words that really do help us while we
play, said Capitan Jamie Arce. The lexis of this basketball team is different compared to other
sports, but that is what makes them a discourse community.
Another major point of a discourse community is feedback. Feedback plays a huge role
in the Eastwood girls basketball team in order to improve. It comes from everyone, from the
head coach to the freshman on the Varsity team. Theres no such thing as negative feedback.
Each and every one of us are open to any kind of feedback to help us improve as basketball
players and also to help us win, said Captain Alexa Hidalgo. The girls are always giving their
constructive criticism to help better the team and lessen the mistakes made in the game. They
also give the coach their opinions on the plays she makes and how to better them. Feedback
doesnt only come from the players, but also the coach. Shes always giving her opinion to help
better the team and also the individuals on their skills. The Eastwood girls basketball team
completes the point of feedback of being a discourse community.
In basketball there is a threshold level of members. On the Eastwood girls basketball
team there is the head coach. The head couch is the main one on the basketball team. She is
responsible for planning and directing training, evaluates game strategies, and assess the players
skills and assigns their position. The assistant couch works under the head coach and provides
support for the players. Next on the threshold are the captains of the team, which are Jamie Arce,
Jazmine Salcedo, and Alexa Hidalgo. They all have the attributes of positive thinking, leadership,

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and mentoring their teammates. Also, they all have the same role of taking control when needed.
Then there are the rest of the teammates that are responsible for working hard making sure they
are doing everything in there ability to win. Finally, there are the managers,
who are responsible for taking care of the basketball equipment and keeping the statistics of each
game.
In conclusion, the Eastwood girls varsity basketball team perfectly meet the six major
points as John Swales had explained. They have their common set of goals of winning, making
it to playoffs, and improving their individual goals. Communication is also one of the six points
John Swales had mentioned, and the Eastwood girls basketball team utilizes communication
very effectively in order to succeed. Lexis is also apart of John Swales views of a discourse
community. This team has their own use of words or lexis that the basketball players use in order
to help them during games. The other three points John Swales provides are feedback, genres,
and levels of threshold. All six of the points that John Swales made were meet by the Eastwood
varsity basketball team. Therefore, the Eastwood girls varsity basketball team is a discourse
community.

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References

Swales, J. (1990). The concept of discourse community. In Downs and Wardle (Eds.), Writing
about writing (p. 215-229). Boston, MA: Bedford-St. Martins.

Porter, J. E. (n.d.). Www.jstor.org. Retrieved September 10, 2016, from

http://www.jstor.org/stable/466015

Eastwood girls varsity team. 2016, September 8. Personal interview.