Imagine that you work in a car assembly factory. It is highly likely that you know your job well and the vocabulary used in that job. You also know how to talk to your colleagues to communicate something about the car assembly line. Now, let’s suppose you go to an aeroplane assembly line. Here, you might know some things which are common between car assembly and aeroplane assembly, but you do not know the vocabulary to communicate. So, here is the thing, each factory has its discourse community. The same goes for the academic discourse community. It has its own language of communication, its way of operating and doing this.
However, many students are just unaware of this thing and use discourse which is not academic, or that cannot be allowed in academics. In order to make students not repeat this, there is a need to highlight the importance of the academic discourse community. There is also a need to explain the main features of this discourse community. It is why today’s article is all about this topic. So, let’s start discussing it.
What Does It Mean By Academic Discourse Community?
An academic discourse community is a group of people involved in a particular topic. They communicate with each other using the right vocabulary related to the particular topic. Communicating things about a particular phenomenon, event, or research problem in the right manner is not an easy task. Like other talents and skills, this skill of communicating must be honed in order to be perfected.
For example, the academic discourse community of geology represents the common conversation that takes place between geologists. The same goes for the coursework writing services online. Such companies’ employees talk about their tasks in their routine conversations. So, the discourse community is the way of communication in a particular field or subfield.
Importance Of Academic Discourse Community
From the discussion above, you now have a good idea of the discourse community. The examples discussed above must have strengthened your knowledge further. So, now, let’s look at the importance of discourse community. What makes this kind of scholarly conversation so important? A brief list of those points is as follows:
- An academic discourse done well and in the right manner promotes increased communication and improved learning of those involved in the conversation
- It enhances the problem-solving abilities of those who participate in the academic discourse community
- It is important to have a deeper grasp of the field being discussed
Hence, these are the points that contribute a lot to the importance of discourse community. If you still feel difficulty in making the discourse community for your academic purpose, it is better to get online academic help from a reliable company.
Features Of Academic Discourse Community
As you know, academic discourse is about communicating or conversing about a particular topic, event, or problem. According to “The Concept of Discourse Community” by John Swales, a discourse community normally possesses six features. What are those six features? A brief description of all those features is as follows:
1. Has A Set Of Common Public Goals
The first feature of the academic discourse community is that it has a set of common public goals on which all the conversation participants have agreed. This concept is pretty easy to conceptualise because you see this thing in your daily life routine. A group of teachers has commonly shared goals. Those goals are enhancing the students’ learning and increasing their problem-solving abilities. So, having common goals is the first feature of discourse community.
2. Has A Set Mechanism Of Communication
The second feature of the academic discourse community on the list is that it has a set communication mechanism between the members involved. Depending on several geographical and regional factors, this mechanism can be different for different communities. If one community uses phones to communicate ideas, the other may use emails and skype to do so. Another way of communication can be scheduling meetings between the members.
3. Has A Participatory Communication Method
Participatory communication is about communicating ideas to the stakeholders. It involves methods of sharing information with those stakeholders to facilitate the empowerment of information. So, having a participatory communication method is the third feature of discourse community. It can be like the ones mentioned above, like emails, phone calls, or skype. However, most of the time, blogs, newsletters, and FAQ webpages are used as participatory communication methods.
4. Has One Or More Genres
Genre is a word that may confuse your mind. Do not worry and get confused because a genre is a word referred to as the “text.” The academic discourse community utilises one or more genres to communicate its aims and objectives to the people involved in the conversation. These genres can be websites, magazines, articles, journal articles, or blogs. Hence, it is the 4th feature of the discourse community as described by John Swales in his book.
5. Has A Specific Lexis
In addition to owning more than one genre, the academic discourse community has specific lexis. Different fields use different lexis. Normally, this feature is referred to the use of jargon in communicating ideas in a written form. To do this, you have to be specific in lexis. For example, if you are an artist, you might have specific lexis to use in your discourse community. You may use specific lexis to explain the tools, techniques, and mediums you use to make an art piece and communicate it to the community.
6. Has Threshold Level Of Knowledge To Be A Member
You just cannot join an academic discourse community by filling out its membership form. To be a member of a discourse community, you must have a minimum level of knowledge of the field whose discourse community you want to join. For example, you want to join an architect discourse community. To join it, you must know the use of tools, techniques, and mediums used in the architecture field.
Conclusion
An academic discourse community is a group of people who communicate ideas and concepts about a topic. This communication is important because it helps the members to solve critical problems and increase their knowledge about the field. However, to join such a discourse community, you must have a minimum amount of knowledge about the field. So, read the features of this community above and join it if they suit you.
Also read: Is the Idea of Hiring Best Academic Writers of UK a Boon or a Bane?
