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Jacob McElwain
Professor Volstad
UWRT 1103-010
11 February 2019
Discourse Communities
Do you remember that really hard math course you took your freshman year of college?
How about learning to make that new recipe? Or when you first started playing tennis? How
about that one video game level that you could not get through on your own? Who did you turn
to? Other students in the class? Other people who have made the same recipe? Other tennis
players? People who played the same game? YES! You would not turn to somebody who is
unfamiliar with the context of the situation for help—you would turn to somebody who is
knowledgeable about the subject or who you can relate to. These people you turn to help make
up a discourse community.
A discourse community is typically broad but can be specific. For example, all students at
UNC Charlotte make up a discourse community. All Wendy’s customers make up a discourse
around the world can be considered a discourse community. However, according to Professor
John Swales, Ph.D., many things must occur before a group is considered a discourse
community.
The first thing he mentions is that a discourse community must have a “broadly agreed
set of common public goals.” For example, let us say that a discourse community exists for
tennis players. The common goals for this community are probably to get better at tennis, get
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others into the sport, and to enjoy the game. A group of pilots most likely wish to fly their plans
The second aspect that Swales says a discourse community contains is “mechanisms of
intercommunication among its members.” He says that the mechanisms may alternate between
conversations, and others. Now, let us refer back to the tennis discourse community. This
community most likely has forums of some sort on multiple domains that users can interact with
each other on. These users will share tips about form, equipment, locations to play, etc.
The third point Swales makes is that a discourse community “uses its participatory
mechanisms in order to provide information and feedback.” He uses the example of people
paying a subscription to a particular society, but those people are not taking any information up
and therefore are not part of the discourse community. As another example, a discourse
Swales’ next argument says that a discourse community must operate on more than one
genre “in the communicative furtherance of its aims.” Though, this point is similar to his second
point, it differs slightly. For example, members may have to write to or communicate with other
members and will most likely have to follow a specific template set forth by the leader of the
community. Genre is the tricky word here. A genre is basically a text. The genre could be a blog,
His second-to-last point says that a discourse community will share common lexis.
Common lexis are one of the most distinct properties of discourse communities. This term makes
up all the common words that one may find within a specific discourse community. Typically,
these words are only familiar with those within the discourse community and not those outside of
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it. Lexis make communication between members of the community easier or simpler. Lexis is
jargon specific to a discourse community. Consider all those who play basketball to be in a
discourse community. This community certainly has common lexis. Some of those community-
specific terms include the elbow, free-throw, corner, wing, or poster. If one was not a member of
the community, he or she may need the term “poster” explained to him or her. (A poster is when
the ball handler dunks on a defender who attempted to block the offensive player’s shot).
Additionally, consider cyclists. They have specific terms that refer to bicycle parts and
equipment. Lastly, consider toxicologists and engineers. They will not understand the other’s
lexi.
Swales’ sixth and final point says that a discourse community must “contain a threshold
of members with a suitable degree of relevant content and discoursal expertise.” This is a wordy
definition. Basically, a discourse community must contain “levels” (if you will) of membership.
Generally speaking, these levels can consist of apprentice, mentor, leader, etc.
writing course at UNC Charlotte. I understood the general sense of what a discourse community
was, but to help us further our understanding, our professor had us play a game on our own and
then with our classmates. The game was called RuneScape. Although playing the game was a
whole new experience for me, I learned a lot from it. I learned a lot by playing on my own and
then playing again with other people. I immediately understood why lexis are important in a
discourse community because when I searched for help, I encountered a few terms I was
unfamiliar with (though, they were not difficult to decipher). I can say that the community all has
somewhat similar common goals. Those goals may consist of maxing out skills and stats to
completing a lot of quests. Basically, the goal of RuneScape is to achieve. Playing with a group
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satisfied the intercommunication requirement, we used some of the lexis we learned throughout
our playtime and we communicated verbally, helping each other through different levels of the
game. Without their help, the quest I did would have taken me much longer, as I would have had
to figure out each part instead of discussing with the classmates when we got stuck. Because of
this, I found working with others greatly beneficial and would encourage others to work in
groups as well. One person can only do so much, and a group is capable of much more. I would
like to add that I learned about game, the community, and a lot about both of my groupmates as
well.
You are part of more discourse communities than you likely are aware of. This being
said, consider how much you benefit from being a part of these discourse communities. Have
they helped you sharpen your skills? Have they helped you broaden your horizons?
Since the answers to the previous questions were “yes,” I am sure you agree that
crucial because these communities allow those who share common goals to communicate and
help each other reach their goals. Those in a fitness discourse community can share workout tips,
diet tricks, meal plans, schedules, gyms, etc. This communication helps everyone involved gain
On another note, perhaps you are wondering how to know if you are part of a particular
discourse community. To do this, you must ask yourself a few questions. Do you share the same
goals as most or all of the other members? Do you contribute in the forums, letters, meetings, or
discussions that the community holds? If so, are you contributing useful, factual information? If
you can answer those questions with “yes,” then you are likely part of that community.
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Everybody is involved with discourse communities some way or another. You are
associated with discourse communities from your interests, school, and even work. Discourse
intercommunication, mechanisms that provide feedback, multiple genres, lexis, and a threshold
of members. They can be highly useful for sharing information, advancing public knowledge,
and helping people become more well-versed. Discourse communities are an important part of
society.
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Works Cited