What is a Genre?

Genres are categories of texts that share similar audiences, purposes, contexts, content, and
forms. While we refer to genres as “texts,” we use this term in the broadest sense. Texts, in this
case, might be best considered a kind of social practice that results in or is accompanied by a
textual artifact. Consider a thank you note, a common genre in many social groups. Thank you
notes have a recognizable form, but they are also a social practice. The conventions for this
genre include the form the note takes but also the practices of when to give a thank you note or
how to give a thank you note. Discuss the following questions as a class:

● Are thank you notes common in your family or other social group?
● What type of event or gift requires a thank you note, in your opinion?
● Why do you send a thank you note? What do you hope to accomplish by sending a
thank you note?
● Does your relationship with the “giver” affect whether you write a thank you note? For
example, are you more likely to write a thank you note to some people than to others?
Why?
● When is a thank you note optional?
● How soon after the gift (or event) should you send a thank you note?
● In what mode should a thank you be sent (e.g., phone call, text, email, e-card, print
card)? How do you decide which mode is appropriate?
● What values are reflected in the practice of giving thank you notes?

Most likely, when you discussed these questions with others, you found some variation in your
expectations for this genre. That is because genres are social practices (some people describe
genres as a kind of etiquette), and different social groups develop different expectations for
those practices. There is also always some individual variation in how people use genres. The
written text is often the most visible part of a genre, but as these questions show, it is just one
part of a genre. You might think of genres as somewhat like icebergs: we see one small trace of
the larger social practice.

When small social or professional groups of people use a genre, they often adapt it in their own
ways. These groups are sometimes called discourse communities: groups of people who
share a specific set of writing and speaking practices and often specialized vocabulary that is
understood by members of the group. Discourse communities may form around special
interests (e.g., hockey players and fans, opera lovers, rock climbers, foodies) or professional
work (e.g., lawyers, English teachers, hackers, political activists), and they develop and adapt
genres to carry out their work.

In some cases, genres are tied to very focused discourse communities, while other genres (like
thank you notes) are less specialized but are still shaped by a social group’s values and
practices.

© University of Arizona Writing Program

 Activity: Exploring the Social Practices of a Genre

Choose one of the following genres for this activity: a restaurant review on an online review
website, comments on an internet video, or comments on a photo that a friend posts on social
media. You may consider the genre in any language to answer the questions. Write out short
answers to the questions below:

● Is this genre common in your social group?

● When is this genre used? For what purposes?
● What might affect whether or not people decide to use this genre?
● What is the most appropriate timing for writing in this genre? For example, how soon
after eating at a restaurant should you post a review of it? How soon after a video or
social media photo is posted should you comment on it?
● What values are reflected in the use of this genre?

Compare your answers with another student in class. If you had different responses, discuss
why your responses might differ. How are your social groups (for this genre) similar or
different?

© University of Arizona Writing Program