A discourse community can be defined as a “group of people who share certain language-using practices.” There are six criteria a group must meet to be considered a discourse community: common goals, forum, provide feedback and information, shared discourse conventions, specialized language, and experts and novices. For example, a fundraising organization could be considered a discourse community. Their common goal is to raise money. Their forums – meeting places where ideas are exchanged – could be face to face, online, or in writing; assemblies, conferences, discussion boards, and Facebook groups are just a few examples of the forums the fundraising group could have. The group would need to provide feedback to each other, meaning the information would flow back and forth. If someone posed an idea, such as a new location for their fundraising headquarters, someone else would need to respond by agreeing with the idea or challenging it. Next, the group would have to have shared discourse conventions, which is another way of saying shared genres. The group might choose personal narratives as one of their genres; painting a detailed picture of why the group needs the money could convince people to donate. The group would use a specialized language that related to their fundraising efforts; maybe they would use terms, codes, and abbreviations that only members of the group could understand. Finally, the group would have experts and novices. The experts would be people who have been in the group longer; they know how to manage the operation and how to train newcomers. The novices, on the other hand, would be the newcomers to the group; the experts would have to show them the ropes.
In discourse communities, there are stylistic conventions and canonical knowledge. Stylistic conventions regulate social interactions within the group and with outsiders. Canonical knowledge regulates the worldviews of the members; the members must subscribe to the same beliefs before they are permitted to join the group. Each individual’s worldview is shaped by his/her personal experiences, opinions, beliefs, and identities, among other things. Worldviews have the power to shape discourse communities, but they can also cause clashes. For example, the fundraising group might be trying to raise money for a religious cause, yet some members of the group believe in pro-choice, which is typically seen as anti-religious; these two ideologies clash and could cause conflict among group members.
Many groups could be considered discourse communities; examples include people who all share the same college major, are a part of the same sports team, work for the same company, or live in the same apartment complex. It is normal for people to be members of many discourse communities at once. Every discourse community is unique and provides the opportunity for its members to share a special bond.
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