Occupational Language

1. The maxim of quantity, where one tries to be as informative as one possibly can, and gives as much information as is needed, and no more.
2. The maxim of quality, where one tries to be truthful, and does not give information that is false or that is not supported by evidence.
3. The maxim of relation, where one tries to be relevant, and says things that are pertinent to the discussion.
4. The maxim of manner, when one tries to be as clear, as brief, and as orderly as one can in what one says, and where one avoids obscurity and ambiguity.

• Not all aspects of occupational discourse are to do with power.
• Not all aspects of work talk are transactional or task-orientated.
• Koester argues that phatic talk is important in getting the job done.
• Workers need to use talk/communication to establish inter-personal relationships and have communication which is not ‘just about’ work related procedures.
• However, some employers actively discourage non-work related talk.
• Koester argues that solidarity – connecting with your workmates – is as important as power.

Most occupations use texts that have predictable patterns – discourse features in language study.

For example, prescriptions from a doctor; a marriage certificate; a wage slip; a police report. These texts are what Swales refers to as genres and most occupations have one or more genres that they use. They also have spoken genres/spoken discourse with their own familiar and predictable patterns.

Knowing how to write or speak the occupational genres is what gives someone membership of a discourse community.

1. A discourse community has broadly agreed set of common public goals.

2. A discourse community gas mechanisms of intercommunication among its members.

3. A discourse community uses its participatory mechanisms primarily to provide information and feedback.

4. A discourse community utilises and hence possesses one or more genres in the communicative furtherance of its aims. 

5. In addition, to owning genres, a discourse community has acquired some specific lexis.

6. A discourse community has a threshold level of members with a suitable degree of relevant content and discoursal expertise.

Suggest members of a discourse community share inferential frameworks. Have implied ways of communicating etc.

Strong business power hierarchies with asymmetrical relationships marked by language use.