argumentation communities

A detailed Summary of argumentation communities

Arguments can be made anywhere we want them to be made. We can look at some of these arguments that we are making by examining the communities we use to make them in. Perceived in terms of context, argument is discussed in terms of the "audience" to whom it is addressed or in terms of the "community," "field" or "sphere" in which it takes place. (McKerrow, p.27) By looking at a professional sports event I will address the audience and the community to explain the argument that is taking place. More specifically, the sports event that I will choose to analyze is an NFL game.

To explain the idea of argument in communities, the community itself must be defined. "Communities are typified by the specific rules which govern argumentative behavior, by social practices which determine who may speak with what authority, and by their own "display" of these rules and social practices in response to challenges from within or outside the community."(McKerrow, p.28)

The first part of the community is defined by the specific rules that govern argumentative behavior. For a football game these rules refer to the fans in creating the community. As fans, if we want to be apart of the community, we realize there are rules that we need to

Another argument to look at in the community is the discourse we use. ..."One common feature which all communities share, and which serves to distinguish them, is the discourse in which they engage. Discourse-language aimed at members or at outsiders-constitutes the community by presenting it with those symbols which it defines itself."(McKerrow, p. 29) The discourse that is used in the community of a professional football game is very simple whether it is members or outsiders. For example, if your football team loses you may speak about the game in another community like work. The discourse that you use in your argumentation is straightforward which both parties understand. The other person may feel that your football team deserved to loose. You on the other hand argue for reasons why the team lost. Within this argument, you are using this discourse that you relate to the community of the sporting event. Why this may occur in your argument is because you may need to use words related to that community like offense or defense. This is how we can look at discourse, which may be aimed at members or outsiders in an argument.

By looking at a professional football game we can see how arguments can occur in any community. First by defining the community that argumentation occurs in specifically for a professional football game, we could then look at what the argument is within that community. We can also see what elements must occur for there to be argumentation at all in that community. Finally, not only was shown the community, which argumentation can happen in, but also the audience that is involved in the argumentation that happens in this community.

Some common words found in the essay are:
, football game, social practices, professional football, professional football game, apart community, Press Inc, community professional football, game community, occur community, football team, community professional, practices determine speak, determine speak authority, practices determine, rules govern, display rules social,

Approximate Word count = 1418
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Miscellaneous