Several instances exist in real life situations that we can relate back to writing and its principles: linguistically and relating to literacy discussed within writing. An author named John Swales penned, “The Concept of Discourse Community.” In the article, several references are made to different terms that establish discourse communities and lead to eventual literacy and fluency within said communities.
The first few sections of Swales’ article discuss the link between discourse and literacy. This unit has taught me a considerable deal about discourse and its classes along with degrees of literacy and fluency that come with it. There’s no doubt that what he reflects on is the truth. As the unit had progressed, it became clear how simple discourse is to understand, and its communities that are complex in its diversity. Despite that complexity, the basics of the form of a discourse community remain.
Swales lists conditions under which discourse communities can exist. I also gained a much better understanding of how real life applies to such a concept due to class discussions. I never realized that the specialization of what a group may or may not know qualifies them as a discourse community as constantly and consistently as reality conveys. Some of Swales’ principles were put into perspective long before settling in to dissect the real article.
How Swales’ conveys such points makes it, in my opinion, unarguable — in that I personally cannot argue it. His points about lexis and intercommunication stuck with me the most, for example. Perhaps it is the relations that a class discussion provided me with. I have gained considerable knowledge of our example discussion and it resonated better because I better related the outside world with the principles Swales left with the writing/teaching community.
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