Discourse Community Research Paper

The Community Within the Gym What is a discourse community? Most will say that it is defined as a group of people with common interests who communicate through particular terms and genres. Reading the article, “The Concept of Discourse Community”, I have found that there is a more complex definition, which include six characteristics that make a group a discourse community, as linguist John Swales states. The characteristics that follow are:

A discourse community has a broadly agreed set of common public goals. A discourse community has mechanisms of intercommunication among its members. A discourse community uses its participatory mechanisms primarily to provide information and feedback. A discourse community utilizes and hence possess on

This week, I attended a workout group called “The gym on the 5th”, since I’m interested in becoming a member to pursue my own personal health and fitness goals. I wasn’t involved, but I did observe and explore the environment around me. I found it to be a magical experience. To start with, I was pleasantly surprised when I came to the realization that the gym is a place that utilizes sorts of communication between several members. They all share the same goal, striving to be fit and healthy overall. Members of all ages and levels of expertise use intercommunication very adequately through social media, blogs, and even their outside friends. This is part of discussing their progress and results with one another using the participatory mechanisms. While the gym has some of its own genres, such as workout programs, blogs and forums, professional trainers, and content through social media, it does provide its own lexis that a member should understand. Members of the workout groups as well as the trainers use certain terminology or fitness terms for each workout. For example, I acknowledged the trainer of the group “The gym on the 5th”, using the term “circuit training” in this particular

Finally, there’s usually some type of certified trainer participating in these workout groups to help and support you through your journey.

After attending this workout group, I took it upon myself to approach 8 people walking out of the gym door that cold morning, to ask a series of questions. Personal experiences are go-to for me. I will share some of the answers that had an inspirational effect on myself:

What are your goals and how do you plan to achieve them?

“My goals have recently changed since joining this workout group. I had an original goal of reaching what I thought was an ideal weight for me. I am now focusing on strength and losing inches instead, to become a slenderer, but toned look. I also want to be able to achieve at least 10 full bar pull ups and 25 pushups without having assistance or the need to modify.”

Do you feel like the gym is a good place to create friendships? Why?

“Absolutely. Everyone is in it for the same mindset to either get fit, gain strength, or simply maintain their bodies.”

How do you feel before you attend the gym vs.