Running head: Veteran Mentor Network, A Discourse Community 1

Veteran Mentor Network, A Discourse Community on Linked In

Brett T. Moravec

The University of Texas at El Paso

Veteran Mentor Network, A Discourse Community 2

Veteran Mentor Network,

A Discourse Community on Linked In

When Swales (1990) defined a discourse community in his article, The Concept of

Discourse Community, the first thing I thought of was the website LinkedIn. LinkedIn is a

professional networking site that connects friends, family, coworkers, experts and novices in an

effort to aid in professional development, hiring and job seeking. On this website, discourse

communities are known simply as groups. Groups are private or public and have many different

communities that they serve. Many of these groups can be characterized as discourse

communities but the one I will be discussing in this paper is specific to my professional goals

and abilities. The Veteran Mentor Network is a group on Linked in with the goal to aid, support

and inform veterans and their spouses in their transition from military life to the civilian work

force. This is a goal that is very important to me and many other veterans as transitioning out of

the military is a big step and can even be a bit scary. I first joined this community of veterans

helping other veterans in 2018 when I began my transition to civilian life after eight years in the

US Army and have been an active member ever since. Many of the personal assets I gained

from my service in the military that will continue to aid me in the civilian work force and in this

discourse community are my leadership abilities, my expertise as being a contributing part of a

team and a sense of confidence to get a job done and not to hesitate to provide input.

Literature Review

In preparation for writing this paper we read John Swales (1990) article about the concept

of discourse community as part of our Rhetoric and Composition I 1301 class. Within this

article Swales describes the concept of a discourse community, its difference from a speech
Veteran Mentor Network, A Discourse Community 3

community, and the six characteristics Swales defines as necessary to qualify as a discourse

community. Swales makes very clear in his article the importance of correctly defining words so

that any audience absorbing the information presented to them is interpreting it in the way it was

meant from its creator. He sets off to do this first by defining a speech community as strictly as

possible and then moving on to his strict definition and distinction of a discourse community. In

this Swales makes clear the importance of literacy as it takes away locality and parochiality, for

members [of a discourse community] are more likely to communicate with other members in

distant places, and are more likely to react and respond to writings rather than speech from the

past (1990). Swales then defines the six major characteristics of a discourse community as

1)Sharing a common goal agreed upon by members, 2)Having a mechanism of communication

utilized by the members, 3)The primary function of said communication is to provide

information and feedback to the members, 4)The group utilizes one or more genres in

communication of its goals, 5)The group has acquired and utilizes some specific lexis, 6)The

group has a threshold level of members with a suitable degree of expertise and relevance to the

goals.

My independent research into discourse communities brought me to an interesting article

written by Erik Borg where he discusses Swales original article and compares it to other

concepts of discourse communities. Within Borg’s 2003 article he identifies the need to classify

a network of individuals communicating across distances and discusses the importance of choice

as a distinction between a discourse community and other types of communication communities.

This article helped make clear some of the concepts Swales was discussing in his article as well

as identifying other authors that have also discussed and theorized about discourse communities.
Veteran Mentor Network, A Discourse Community 4

Methods and Discussion

In my experience within the Veteran Mentor Network (VMN) all of Swales criteria are

met along with some distinctions pointed out by Borg. The common goal of the VMN is stated

clearly in the group description listed on Linked In as “to support, inspire, and inform military

personnel, military spouses, and veterans, as they plan, establish, and strive to achieve life and

career goals, with the intent and hope that they will continue to lead fulfilling, satisfying, and

productive lives.” This is a clear goal that all members share and participate in as they discuss

transitioning to civilian life, aid in career field choice and even help make professional

networking connections. When I first was transitioning out, I posted in the community my

information and goals of initially joining the civilian work force in work place safety. It was not

long before I had several messages and comments from fellow veterans who had sought similar

work after exiting the service or new people who had and put me in direct communication with

them. The second criterial is quite simple to show as the website Linked In provides the

mechanism of communication in the form of their site and specific page designated for the

VMN. The third criteria is met by the VMN page containing a list of posts made by members

that others can search through, read and comment or message directly offering feedback or

information. The different genres of communication are met by the different ways information is

presented and members communicate in the group. There are some who post videos that offer

advise on interview edict or resume writing while others, like myself, post questions to the

community looking for guidance or advice. As for specific lexis, many of the terminology used

in the military is continued in its use in the VMN. Terms such as “civi’s” or “quick time” are

known to the community as presentable civilian attire and to quickly move towards a place or

goal. The last criteria provided by Swales is met by the continuing experience of veterans
Veteran Mentor Network, A Discourse Community 5

settling into civilian life and passing that knowledge and advice on to the next generation of

service members. The wonderful thing about the internet is that senior or more experienced

members of the VMN are able to communicate longer and with more novice members as the

information posted on the internet never really goes away.

Conclusion.

A discourse community is a wonderful tool to connect and educate people on many

topics. The VMN is one of those communities that I have myself joined in and experienced.

Swales was very particular in his definitions and I have shown in this paper how those specific

criteria have been met by my discourse community. I will continue to participate in and

hopefully one day offer advice within the VMN with the skills and experience I gained from

others.
Veteran Mentor Network, A Discourse Community 6

References

Swales, John (1990). The Concept of Discourse Community. Genre Analysis: English in

Academic and Research Setting. Pages 21-32

Erik Borg (2003). Discourse community, ELT Journal, Volume 57, Issue 4, Pages 398–

400