Discourse Community Activism

the community as well as how to coordinate events within the community. Members of the association also know the requirements that are necessary to maintain the community. In turn, newcomers in the community, the new property owners, would gain experience through meetings with other members of the association to discuss the guidelines of the association. Discourse communities also contain “participatory mechanisms which are mechanisms used to take the uptake of informational opportunities such as an annual subscription to a magazine that the discourse community releases” (Swales, 1990). Furthermore, “participatory mechanisms” used in this discourse community such as their article in the Padre Island Moon are used to further the goal of the

In turn, the activity system uses “tools” such as “physical objects or systems of symbols such as language to accomplish the activity” (Donna Kain, 2014). Then members of the activity systems “adhere to the rules while engaging in the activity” (Donna Kain, 2014). Members of the activity systems then use the “subject” to “ use a point of view to focus on the activity” (Donna Kain, 2014). The “motives” or “activities” of an activity system are then “ divided among the participants in the activity known as a division of labor” (Donna Kain, 2014). These characteristics play an important role in achieving the motives in an activity system.
Activity systems share similar characteristics with discourse communities and often discourse communities are activity systems as well for example, Padre Isles Property Association is a discourse community but it can also be considered an activity system since it has characteristics of an activity system. Activity systems share “common motives, have rules, use tools, have subjects, community, as well as a division of labor” (Donna Kain,

The interview questions were based on the “six characteristics of a discourse community according to John Swales” (Swales, 1990) as well as “the chacteristics of an activity system according to Elizabeth Wardle and Donna Kain” (Donna Kain, 2014). During, the interview many of the questions allowed for further discussion to take place about each individual characteristic of the community and how that characteristic benefits the community. Similiarily, in the interview other topics were discussed such as events that were going to take place in the community and how those events connected with the “ motives of the association” (Donna Kain, 2014). The interview was conducted like a conversation to easily receive information concerning the characteristics of an activity system or discourse community. The readings contributed to the interview as well by defining the characteristics to make it easier for the interviewee to understand the different concepts being discussed. The data collected from the interview was then recorded into a