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Running Head: DISCOURSE COMMUNITY ETHNOGRAPHY

Discourse Community Ethnography

Nathan Duran

The University of Texas at El Paso

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DISCOURSE COMMUNITY ETHNOGRAPHY

Abstract

Although the true definition of a discourse community has yet to be determined due to the

conflicting variety of definitions of scholars, the most basic and universal description of a

discourse community is a group of individuals that communicate with each other to achieve a

common goal. To learn the characteristics of a discourse community with first-hand observation,

I have interviewed a Project Manager of PSRBB Commercial Group. The purpose of the

interview was also to determine if the architects office qualified as a discourse community based

on the characteristics listed by John Swales and James E. Porter.

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DISCOURSE COMMUNITY ETHNOGRAPHY

Introduction

Although the true definition of a discourse community has yet to be determined due to

the conflicting definitions of scholars, the most basic and universal description of a discourse

community is a group of individuals that communicate with each other to achieve a common

goal. To learn the characteristics of a discourse community with first-hand observation, I have

interviewed a Project Manager of PSRBB Commercial Group. The purpose of the interview was

also to determine if the architects office qualified as a discourse community based on the

characteristics listed by John Swales and James E. Porter. After the conducting research

consisting of the review of literature and the interview at the architects office, PSRBB

Commercial Group exhibits the characteristics and qualifies as a discourse community.

Literature Review

Methods

To get a better understanding of the concept of a discourse community I interviewed

Cesar Duran, the Project Manager at PSRBB Commercial Group. The interview was conducted

at noon on Tuesday April 4, 2017 in the conference room of the office of PSRBB Commercial

Group. To record the information discussed in the interview I wrote notes on a Word document

using my laptop. The questions I asked involved the common goal of the office, the methods,

types, and purpose of communication, and the hierarchy of the office. The media I was able to

observe was the floor plans of several completed and current projects.

Discussion
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DISCOURSE COMMUNITY ETHNOGRAPHY

Due to the slight differences between the descriptions of discourse communities between

Swales and Porter, the six characteristics described by Swales will be used for the sake of

consistency.

The first characteristic listed by Swales is a discourse community had a broadly agreed

set of common public goals. (Swales, 220) The common goal in the office of PSRBB

Commercial Group consists of a few things, but is actually very simple and can be quickly

observed after being in the office in a short amount of time. The common goal of the architects

office is, as described by Cesar Duran, to provide quality drawings for an efficient construction

project process for the client, and to meet the needs and qualifications of the clients project.

PSRBB Commercial Group produces drawings for clients desire projects such as university

renovations, new buildings, new schools, etc. The office then transfers the drawings to

electronic files on computer programs where the design of the project can be further improved

and adjusted as necessary. After all permits and capital is obtained, the office then works with

the client, engineers, construction companies, and any other party that is involved in the actual

construction of the project. This process is the goal of the office, and all members of the

community contribute to this goal.

The second characteristic listed by Swales is a discourse community has mechanisms of

intercommunication among its members. (Swales, 221) The methods of communication used by

PSRBB Commercial Group are e-mail messages, text messages, phone calls, video conferencing,

and in-person meetings that can involve the sharing of files, floor plans, material samples, and

any other exchange of information. The third characteristic listed by Swales is a discourse

community uses its participatory mechanisms primarily to provide information and feedback.

(Swales, 221) The mechanisms of communication used by PSRBB are essential to establish clear
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DISCOURSE COMMUNITY ETHNOGRAPHY

communication with the client and all parties involved in the project. The purpose of these

methods of communication is for the architects office to be organized, and prevent or be aware

of any issues involving the design and construction process, and to guide the client with

information through the construction process. These mechanisms are very important, because

strong and close communication is key to accurately completing a project with as little errors as

possible.

The fourth characteristic listed by Swales is a discourse community utilizes and hence

possesses one or more genres in the communicative furtherance of its aims. (Swales, 221) The

methods of communication that produce genre will involve the use of floor plans, memos,

addendum, meeting minutes and field reports. The floor plans are paper drawings of the project

that consist of many lines and numbers in pen, pencil, and ink. These drawings are the most

important genre in the office, because they are what guides the project with visual aid. Memos,

meeting minutes, and addendum are simple word messages on paper that record things that occur

during the process such as a meeting with a client, an update on materials, or more specific

requests from the client. A field report is a description of what was observed on the site of the

project on a given construction day. Observations can include the description of trenches,

plumbing, number of crew working, issues, weather, etc. These genres are very important to this

community because it is tangible information that can be easily copied and stored, and they are

used throughout the process of the project.

The fifth characteristic listed by Swales is in addition to owning genres, a discourse

community has acquired some specific lexis. (Swales, 222) Specialized terminology used in the

office were addendum, project close-out, pencils down, and mark-ups. Addenda, the plural

of addendum, are the changes or revisions to the project. An example could be a moved parking
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DISCOURSE COMMUNITY ETHNOGRAPHY

lot, added square footage, change in materials, or any change made to the project. The term

project close-out refers when the construction of the project is done, and the office guides the

client through a checklist of what was completed and the things that occurred during the process

of the project. The phrase pencils down is not a test-taking phrase that tells students to stop

writing, but is referred to when a design is down and there must be a stopping point. When

pencils are down, the drawing are transferred to computer programs and the drawing process is

finished. Mark-ups do not describe an increase in the price of products like in the retail

community, but instead are the reviews and corrections of drawings. An individual not part of

this community would likely not understand the specialized terms used in this office, and that is

why they qualify as lexis.

The sixth and final characteristic listed by Swales is a discourse community has a

threshold level of members with a suitable degree of relevant content and discoursal expertise.

(Swales, 222) The hierarchy of the office consists of only four positions. The descending order

of the positions are the Architect Principle in Charge, the Project Architect, the Project Manager,

and the Drafters. The Architect Principle in Charge is the highest position held at PSRBB

Commercial Group and has absolute authority over this office and gives projects to the Project

Architect. The Project Architect has the authority to sign drawings and assign projects to the

Project Manager. The Project manager has the heaviest workload in the office. This position

runs and coordinates multiple engineer drawings, meets with owners and engineers, and oversees

all processes to obtain a building permit. Below the Project Manager are the Drafters, who draw

plans from the direction given by the Project Manager. This hierarchy shows obvious levels of

the members and their amount of authority, responsibility, and involvement in the office.

Conclusion
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After the analysis of literature from James E. Porter and John Swales, the interview, and

brief observation, PSRBB Commercial Group indeed fits all characteristics of a discourse

community, and is a discourse community itself. In the office exists a community that shares a

common goal, has methods of communication that have purpose, has genre within those

methods, uses lexis, and has a clear level of membership and authority. These 6 characteristics

as listed by Swales define the discourse community, and can easily be found in the community of

PSRBB Commercial Group.