february 20th post

In the article "The Concepts of a Discourse Community" Swales defines the makings of a discourse community, providing six qualities that are needed for a group of individuals to be a discourse community.

I didn't like much of Swales' article it was dry, and I didn't feel like any of the information he presented was much of a revelation.

1.1. Discourse communities members share a broad set of common goals.
1.2. There is active intercommunication between members.
1.3.  A discourse community has participratory mechanisms, which incentivize providing information & feedback.
1.4. Use relevent resources (for reference & understanding) to further their aims.
1.5.  Discourse communities develope a lexis.  (use of acronyms & jargon)
1.6.  Reliability of information provided is weighed by the assumed expertise of an individual member.  (heirarchy  novice<expert.)

3. Swales didn't think a first year college class would be a discourse community, but a graduate level class would.  (probably because they have like career specializations.)

5.  A discourse community is my english 151 class.  we all share common goals, interact, use similar resources, provide feedback, developed a lexis, and have a

MM: no


Gee:
      Gee discusses that language and grammer are less important than discourse in our communication patterns.

    Like Swales' article  this paper was rather dry,  but atleast it had more new information than the later article.

3.  Discourse: saying-writing-doing-being-valuing-believing combinations
      discourse: connected lengths of language that make sense.
4.  Primary:  first connections
      Secondary:  connections made outside of our comfort zone.
      Dominant:  Inspirational
      non-Dominant:  social interaction
5.  This makes everyone loose members of the same discourse community.
6.  This is similar to his ideas of Discourse and Identidy because an individual has to on his or her own learn to read& write.. "say-do-believe"
7.  In a scientific community there is an expected level of understanding of the discourse communities focus.  Failure to meet this level of understanding is obvious because a lack of participation or presentation of lacking information.
8.  Bad information is ignored, and growth is more likely to happen in the right direction. (progress.)

13.  I would like to be an apprentice in the Physics discourse community in the near future since I'm pursuing a degree in Physics.
 A&EI: 2.  value of knowledge carries over into academia.  (wanting to know more ensures you'll try to learn more.)
4. Friends & Family hold different expectations for language and formality.  Knowing and following these or atleast following the most mild of the two (family) prevents much conflict.