Brian James

Discourse Community

It is said that humans are social creatures. People thrive off of the relationships and
interactions of their everyday lives. Much of the communications between people can be
random, their only purpose being to connect with an other person. Then there are times
when these communications become purposeful; people coming together to achieve a
goal that could not have otherwise been done alone. These types of social gatherings can
be defined as a discourse community.
Discourse course community can be defined as many things, John Swales defines it A
discourse community has a broadly agreed set of common public goals. James Porter
defines as A "discourse community" is a group of individuals bound by a common
interest who communicate through approved channels and whose discourse is regulated.
Porter, J. E. (n.d.). Rhetoric Review, Vol. 5, No. 1 (Autumn, 1986), pp. 34-47. Taylor &
Francis.

Using these two definitions it has helped me understand more about a discourse
community using a high school football team.
John swales has six chararistics that a discourse community must follow in order
to be one in his definition. First, as said before the group must have a set of common
goals. That can be from winning a championship for any sports team to getting
commissioned as a 2nd LT in the military for ROTC. These goals do not have to be

private but open to the public to see Swales says The goals are public, because spies
may join speech and discourse communities for hidden purposes of subversion, while
more ordinary people may join organizations with private hopes of commercial or
romantic advancement. Swales, John. ''The Concept of Discourse Community." Genre
Analysis: English in Academic
and Research Settings. Boston: Cambridge UP, 1990.21-32. Print.
Second a community has mechanisms of intercommunication among its
members Swales, John. ''The Concept of Discourse Community." Genre Analysis:
English in Academic
and Research Settings. Boston: Cambridge UP, 1990.21-32. Print. Meaning the
group has a sort of way they communicate within each other. People talk, tweet, and text.
It is what that group chooses to be their language set that is specific to them. For
example, any sports team, they have their plays that they say in their own language that
they only understand.
Third community uses its participatory mechanisms primarily to provide
information and feedback. Swales, John. ''The Concept of Discourse Community."
Genre Analysis: English in Academic
and Research Settings. Boston: Cambridge UP, 1990.21-32. Print. So basically
the group allows for feed back within their group. A good example for this would be the
military after a training exercise. After a training session they have a situation report.
Allowing the group to allow feedback in order to improve on their mistakes to say what
they did wrong. to improve performance in a football squad.

Fourth a discourse community utilizes and hence possesses one or more genres
in the communicative furtherance of its aims Swales, John. ''The Concept of Discourse
Community." Genre Analysis: English in Academic
and Research Settings. Boston: Cambridge UP, 1990.21-32. Print. A good
example would be a fitness community a genre for them would be a gym or anywhere
you can work out.
Fifth a discourse community has acquired some specific lexis Swales, John.
''The Concept of Discourse Community." Genre Analysis: English in Academic
and Research Settings. Boston: Cambridge UP, 1990.21-32. Print. It would be
their
own way of saying something. For example car freaks have certain ways of explaining an
engine to someone. Basically inside words within that group that they only would know.
lastly a discourse community has a threshold level of members with a
suitable degree of relevant content and discourse expertise . Swales, John. ''The Concept
of Discourse Community." Genre Analysis: English in Academic
and Research Settings. Boston: Cambridge UP, 1990.21-32. Print. Basically meaning that
group has a some sort of chain of command within it. James porter states discourse
community shares assumptions about what objects are appropriate for examination and
discussion. Meaning that they communicate about objects within their group. Porter also
states, a discourse community may have a well-established ethos or it may have
competing factions and indefinite boundaries.. Porter, J. E. (n.d.). Rhetoric Review, Vol.
5, No. 1 (Autumn, 1986), pp. 34-47. Taylor & Francis.

Also a community may not have a leader. He also states that some communities are
firmly established. These two have different definitions of discourse communities.
The methods I used to conduct my research on the discourse community I decided
to look at more closely is high school football team. My research started going to the
game last Friday. I even got to be on the sideline. I conducted research by interviewing
some of the players, and coaches. I did some research online. Reading Swales articles
and porters. Both really had good points.
The discourse I chose to look more at was a high school football team. When
reading swales six characistics its the first thing that came to mind It falls under each of
the six chararistics. The Andress high school football teams goals were to win the district
championships, and most important according to Jorge Sanchez was to beat Chapin.
Chapin game is the goal, its the goal each and every year. These goals are of course open
to the public, they have on a banner throughout the locker room. Their goals are very
clear and not private to the public.
Second the football team does have their own set of communications. They do
talk to each other face to face, the way they communicate when calling plays is what
separates them. They had deferent formations with different colors. If the coach yelled
out blue blue. Every player on that field knew exactly what the coach wanted and what
the coach was trying to tell them. Another set of language football uses would be words
like touchdown, PAT, pick, and tackle. Those would be some examples.
Third the football team does have room for feedback within their group. I
saw it first hand when I was at the game Friday. The coach went up to the player and
asked what can we do to make that play better. Not only is that one form of feedback but

also at football practices. When practice is over the coach has all the players kneel down
and discuss what they wanted to happen, compared to what really happened. How can
they improve on their next practice. On the football field there is a lot of ways to provide
feedback. Fourth the football uses many things as their genres most important one would
be of course the football field. Other things would include gyms, and even a practice
field.
A football team does have a sort of lexis within their group. An example would be
a certain play that they run. Only those in the group know what it means. They have their
own ways of describing the game of football to other individuals. Another good example
for an lexis would be a football, pads, helmet, cleats and so on. Those would be things
specific to football.
The final criteria that swales describes is has a threshold level of members with a
suitable degree of relevant content and discourse expertise. Swales, John. ''The Concept
of Discourse Community." Genre Analysis: English in Academic
and Research Settings. Boston: Cambridge UP, 1990.21-32. Print. Basically meaning
does it have some sort of chain of command. In football you have your head coach and
his assistants. The team would even have team captain and maybe a couple of them. In
the NFL it would be even bigger it would start all the way from a CEO or team owner
that runs all the operations.
A discourse community can mean different things to people. Before English class
I had no idea what it meant. After reading Swales and Porter it helped me understand
what really defines a discourse community really was. The first thing that popped into my
head when reading the articles was a football team. After going over swales 6 guidelines I

have I do believe that a football team is a impeccable example for a discourse

community.