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As part of daily life, we communicate and connect ourselves with certain communities.
School, jobs, families, sports, extracurricular activities, and many other communities are just a
few we come into contact with. Although these may seem to appear the same, there are specific
types of communities such as a discourse community. A discourse community is a group of
people involved in and communicating about a particular topic, issue, or in a particular field
(Webcourses, n.d, Website) that has a share a common set of goals and attempt to achieve these
goals (Swales, 1990). According to researcher and educator, John Swales, there are six
characteristics that define whether or not a community is considered a discourse community.
Following the criteria Swales states is necessary to be a discourse community, I did an in depth
research on the American Sign Language community. Through my study, I was able to meet all
six characteristics.
Literature Review
According to Swales, there are two types of communities: speech and discourse. Swales
defines a speech community as a group that shares similar linguistic goals, similar language, or
both as a community sharing knowledge of the rules for the conduct and interpretation of
speech (Swales, 1990). Swales also identifies that speech communities inherit their members,
unlike the discourse community that recruits its members (Swales, 1990). Although these two
communities may appear to be the same, to be considered a discourse community, there are six
distinct characteristics that must be met.
In order to be able to decide whether American Sign Language (ASL) groups are a
discourse community I had to research about the ASL community. I found many websites that
contained lots of information about ASL. I obtained this information as evidence to support my
idea that ASL groups are a discourse community.
Discussion
Through Swales six characteristics, I was able to determine that the ASL community is
in fact a discourse community.
The common goal of ASL is to communicate with others who cannot communicate
verbally. Learning ASL is also very beneficial. It helps many hearing parents learn to
communicate with their Deaf children and vise-versa. It can help people get jobs because it is the
third most common language used in the United States behind English and Spanish (Dr. David
Stewart, n.d).
Sign language is the communication through bodily movements mostly using hands and
arms combined with facial expressions and postures of the body. People who are d/Deaf can rely
on sign language to communicate within their group. The alphabet is an important series of signs.
Some hand signs for letters resemble the written form of the respective letter. When you use the
Lexis is terminology that can be understood to those within the group. Although it is the
same word, deaf (with a lowercase d) and Deaf (with a capital D) mean two different things.
Lowercase deaf means lacking the power of hearing or having impaired hearing to which one
cannot understand speech for everyday communication. Capital Deaf, on the other hand, refers to
someone who is part of the Deaf Community and embraces the beliefs, cultural norms, and
values of the community. Furthermore, Deafhood is word that refers to a d/Deaf persons life
experience and acknowledges that all d/Deaf people go through their own special journey.
(Lifeprint, n.d). The term was created by Dr. Paddy Ladd, a Deaf Scholar at the University of
Bristol in England (Deafhood Foundation, n.d, Website).
The last characteristic that indicates a discourse community is that members must have
varying degrees of expertise in their given field. Babies are part of this community as they can
learn to sign before they can learn to speak (Lifeprint, n.d). Many people learn ASL because they
are deaf or know someone who is (Flodin, 1991, p. 6). Newcomers have to understand the sign
language alphabet in order to become part of the discourse community. Many of those who teach
Conclusion
Through examination and research, I will able to satisfy all six characteristics that John
Swales sets for being a discourse community.
Swales, J. (1990). The concept of discourse community. In Downs and Wardle (Eds.), Writing
about writing (p. 215-229). Boston, MA: Bedford-St. Martins.
J. S. (2007, June 4). How Sing Language Works. Retrieved September 8, 2016, from
http://people.howstuffworks.com/sign-language2.htm
M. F. (1991). Signing For Kids. New York, New York: The Berkley Publishing Group.