Occupation and Power - Theory

Question 1

Swales’ Discourse Community Theory

Answer 1

-Believed that language used in a group is a form of social behaviour, and the discourse is a means of maintaining/expanding the groups knowledge.
-Also used to affirm new members into a social group.
-Believed groups tend to share goals or aims.

Question 2

Swales’ Characteristics of a Discourse Community

Answer 2

-Participation.
-Intercommunication.
-Goals.
-Genre.
-Lexis.
-Expertise.

Question 3

Swales’ Discourse Community - Goals

Answer 3

-Believed a discourse community has a broadly agreed upon set of common public goals.
-They wish to reach the same outcomes from their goals.

Question 4

Swales’ Discourse Communities - Participation

Answer 4

-Believed members are measured in relation to their knowledge or experience within a particular community.
-More knowledge = More central to community.
-A set amount of knowledge needed to be considered to be a member of the group.
-Can lead to new members feeling excluded.

Question 5

Swales’ Discourse Communication - Intercommunication.

Answer 5

-The ways in which people communicate.
-The communication is regular, but the method can vary.

Question 6

Swales’ Discourse Communication - Genre

Answer 6

-Types of communication used within a group (meetings, emails, texts).

Question 7

Swales Discourse Communities - Lexis

Answer 7

-Specialised terminology, community-specific abbreviations, specific acronyms or initialism.

Question 8

Swales’ Discourse Community - Expertise.

Answer 8

-Some members of the discourse community have the expertise to educate others.

Question 9

Drew and Heritage Institutional Talk Theory

Answer 9

-Believed workplace or professional talk is different to normal talk.
-Believed that professional talk is goal orientated and participants are usually focused on specific tasks.

Question 10

Drew and Heritage - Restriction

Answer 10

-In some contexts there are restrictions on when you can talk.
-These rules may be unwritten rules on who speaks when.

Question 11

Drew and Heritage - Allowable Contributions

Answer 11

-There may be restrictions on what kinds of contributions are acceptable.

Question 12

Drew and Heritage - Professional Lexis

Answer 12

-Context may be reflected in lexis choice.

Question 13

Drew and Heritage - Structure

Answer 13

-Workplace interactions may be structured in specific ways.

Question 14

Drew and Heritage - Asymmetry

Answer 14

-Professional interactions are often asymmetrical and the speaker often has more power or knowledge than others, (boss and employees).

Question 15

Almut Koester 2004 Phatic Talk Theory

Answer 15

-Stressed the importance of phatic talk within a discourse community.
-Believed workers need to establish interpersonal relationships in order to to be happy and do their job well.