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DevittGeneralizingaboutGenreByMe Ifoundthisreadingtobemuchmorecomplexthantheother.IdoagreewithDevittthatareconceptionof genrethatshowshowtounifyformandcontent,placetextwithincontent,balanceprocessandproduct, andacknowledgetheroleofbothsocialandindividualwillallowustostrivetoamoreunifiedtheoryabout writing.Ourconventionalconceptionofgenreisthatgenreisdividingliteratureintogroupsbasedoncontent. Thisformofclassificationisusefulinsupportingtheinterpretationofliterature,however,genreinthewaywe arenowlearningistounderstandarhetoricalsituationandsocialcontext. Recentgenretheoryalsoincludespurposes,participants,andthemes.Genresaredescribedbydevitt asactionsbecausetheyconstructandrespondtoasituation.Theycanalsobeeitherstaticordynamic. DynamicgenresarefluidandStaticaremorerigid.Lookingatgenreratherthanmembershipcanbetter describethenatureofadiscoursecommunity.Soratherthanlookingatthetypesofpeoplethatare membersorhowmanymembersacommunityhas,youwouldlookatthedifferentgenrestodeterminethe purposeandgoalsofacommunity. Genrewasamainpartofallofthewritingswedidthissemesterandifeltthatthisreadingwas oneofthemostimportantbecauseofitscomplexityandbecauseittiedgenreanddiscourse communitiestogether.
DevittBawarshiandReiffByMe AccordingtothearticleGenreislessaboutclassifyingtextsintogroupsandaremoreaboutwhere languagecanbeunderstood.Itookthisasgenrebeingthewayweperceivetheliteratureandlanguagesof thedifferentdiscoursecommunitiesweareapartof.Whenwethinkofgenrewemaybelievethatitonly givesusaccesstothediscoursecommunitiesbutinsomecausesliketheexampleofajurythegenreof theliteraturemaybetokeepothersoutofthespecificdiscoursecommunity.Genreswhichinmostcases arematerialitems,allowustounderstandthegoalsandtherulesofthediscoursecommunities.Mostgenre analysisisofactualtextualinformationhowever,wecananalyzelanguageforunderlyingmeanings.A discoursecommunityisrepresentedbyitsgenrebecausethegenreallowsthebeliefsofthecommunityto beknowntoothers. Manyformsofgenrecreatedbyonecommunityaredesignedtobeusedforothercommunities,i.e.tax formsandballots.Themeaningsofcertainwordsaredifferentindifferentdiscoursecommunities.Oneofthe maindifficultiesindiscoursecommunitiesthatinteractistheuseoftechnicallanguage.Muchofthe complexlanguageusedinspecializedcommunities,suchasthelegalcommunities,maybedifficultforan outsidertounderstandincontextbecausetheusageanddefinitionofeverydaywordsaredifferentthanthat ofwhichwewouldnormallyuse. Thisnewdefinitionofgenremakesmethinkaboutmyfuturecareerpath.WheniworkasaSocial workermanywordsibelievewillhavedifferentcontextualmeaningsthanthoseweusenow.Iamnotsureof anyyet,butseeingassocialworkinvolvesagooddealofawsinvolvingthesafetyofchildren,ibelievethe lawdiscoursecommunitywillhaveaneffectonmyowncommunity. Ifeltthatthisdiscussionwasimportantbecausetheexamplesinthereadinghelpedmetotruly understandthemeaningbehindgenreanddiscoursecommunity.
SwalesByMelissaRacher ThroughoutthereadingTheConceptofDiscourseCommunity,JohnSwalestriestodeterminethe definitionofdiscoursecommunity.Swalescomesupwithsixcharacteristicstohelpexplaintheterm discoursecommunityandaguidetodetermineifagroupofpeopleareconsideredtobeone.Healso mentionsspeechcommunitywhichiscomposedofthosewhosharesimilarlinguisticrules.(Swales23) Swalesexplainsthatliteracymakesdiscoursecommunitiesfunctional.Thisreallyshowsthatliteratureis theroottoeverything.Thisbringsinspeechcommunitybecauseitismoreofreadingandwritingwhile discoursecommunityinvolvesinterpretationandcommunicationwithothers. ThroughoutthisarticleIlearnedthatadiscoursecommunityismainlyagroupofpeoplewhoshareinterests witheachotherandhavegoodcommunication.AsIwasreadingSwalessixcharacteristicstoadiscourse community,IstartedtothinkofallthegroupsororganizationsIwasinvolvedinandifanyofthemfulfilledall sixcharacteristics.Oneexamplethatseemedtofittherequirementswouldbeallofusincollege.More specificallywouldbeamajorhereatschool.Everyoneinthesamemajorsharessimilarinterestsandhave thesamekindofideaastowhattheywanttodointhefuture.Eveniftheyalldonothavethesamecareer inmind,theyallhavethesamegoaltogetadegreeandgraduate.Weareallheretryingtogetan
IincludedMelissasdiscussionbecauseshereallyunderstoodtheconceptsandherunderstanding helpedtoclarifythingsforme.