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Genre Analysis
Amy Devitt, a professor of English and author of Standardizing Written English: Diffusion in
the case of Scotland 1520-1659 (Materiality and Genre in the study of Discourse Communities,
541) states that In sum, genre is a dynamic response to and construction of recurring situation,
one that changes historically and different social groups, that adapts and grows the social context
changes. (Devitt 580) Basically, genre is a multifaceted system in which the context and lexis
change according to its subject. The genre that I have a growing interest and curiosity about is
Human Trafficking. Human trafficking is a prevalent and dominating industry throughout the
world. This genre has sparked my interest because I seek justice for those who have been
wrongly dispossessed of their basic human rights. Within the discourse community of Human
Rights, more specifically, human trafficking many of the reputable sources are found through
websites, books, and online journals. The recurring topics within this community are what is
human slavery, ways in which to decrease this growing industry, and ways in which to raise
awareness about this social issue.
Lexis:

All three of these articles that I chose to analyze are similar in the lexis in which they use my
second article is the website global slavery index which gives a similar definition for human
trafficking. Human trafficking in their terms is

The modern-day slave trade--the process of enslaving a person. It


happens when someone is tricked or kidnapped or coerced, and then
taken into slavery. If moving a person from one place to another does not
result in slavery, then it is not human trafficking. The term human
trafficking often has a specific legal definition based on the laws of
countries or states or the conventions of international organizations, and
those official definitions differ slightly from place to place. For example,
under US law, anyone under 18 who is in prostitution is considered a
trafficking victim.

As you can see there are many similarities in the two definitions provided, both are made
simple to allow any literate person understand and analyze the term Human Trafficking.
However, if one was confused or wanted more clarity about the definition they could easily make
their own conclusion by researching various definitions of human trafficking. Free the slaves, a
non-profit organization that works on ending slavery within our lifetime defines human
trafficking is There are tens of millions of people in slavery today. Estimates say 21 to 36
million people are enslaved worldwide. They are forced to work without pay, under threat of
violence, and theyre unable to walk away. You can find them in brothels, factories, mines, farm
fields, restaurants, construction sites and private homes. Many slaves have been tricked by
traffickers who lure vulnerable people with false promises of good jobs or education. Some
slaves are marched to work at gunpoint. Others are trapped by phony debts from unscrupulous
moneylenders. Slavery is illegal everywhere, but it happens nearly everywhere. There is a clear
and distinct use of language used throughout this discourse community that allows its members
to easily communicate and share ideas and thoughts.

Different countries use different terminology to describe modern forms of


slavery, including the term slavery itself, but also other concepts such as
human trafficking, forced labour, debt bondage, forced or servile marriage,
and the sale and exploitation of children. See the Underlying Concepts
section below for a full list of meanings of these terms, reflecting their
origins in international law.
All of these crimes share some common features. For the purpose of the
Index, modern slavery involves one person possessing or controlling another
person in such as a way as to significantly deprive that person of their
individual liberty, with the intention of exploiting that person through their
use, management, profit, transfer or disposal.

Members
John Swales, author of The Concept of Discourse Community Discusses that a "Discourse
community has threshold level of members with a suitable degree of relevant content and
discoursal expertise. (Swales, 222) In other words, members of a discourse are usually experts
in the genre of the community. This isnt necessary to be a part of the community, however, the
more educated one is, and the more one can participate and gain more credibility when sharing
their thoughts within the community. Those who participate within this community are nongovernmental and governmental organizations as well as practitioners, politicians, advocates,
sociologists and students interested in preventing or reducing the number of people enslaved
today. As you can see the members of this discourse community ranges widely which is why
such an adaptable lexis in order for everyone to understand whats going on. There are specific
organizations known for their active participation within the discourse community of Human
Trafficking. The SSSP Society for the study of Social Problems is an organization whose mission
is to promote and protect sociological research and teaching on significant problems of social
life and, particularly, to encourage the work of young sociologists; to stimulate the application of
scientific method and theory to the study of vital social problems; to encourage problem-centered
social research; to foster cooperative relations among persons and organizations engaged in the
application of scientific sociological findings to the formulation of social policies; to foster
higher quality of life, social welfare, and positive social relations in society and the global
community and to undertake any activity related thereto or necessary or desirable for the
accomplishment of the foregoing purposes. This discourse community uses a Mission statement
to explain to those unfamiliar with their organization what exactly the organization does. The
other website in which I chose to analyze also provides a mission statement explaining that Free

The Slaves is an organization that frees slaves and works on breaking down the very institutions
that allow slavery to occur. The Global Slavery Index is another prominent global organisation
with a mission to end modern slavery in our generation by mobilising a global activist
movement, generating the highest quality research, enlisting business and raising unprecedented
levels of capital to drive change in those countries and industries bearing the greatest
responsibility for modern slavery today. There is a distinct pattern and format being followed
here by all three organizations within this discourse community. Genre allows us to follow and
interpret these members as people with a distinct goal who work together and share information
and findings to help to achieve their overall goal. Although many communities have one goal,
there may be sub goals that coincide with and allow them to obtain the main one. Other members
of this specific community would also be members of the government who are experts in human
rights or students like me who may plan on getting a degree affiliated with human rights or who
just have a general interest in the overall rights of humans globally. In order for me to truly be a
part of this discourse community is to join an organization whether it be governmental or nongovernmental where I may possible have to pay a due. These dues are in place in order to send
copies of articles and petitions being discussed currently within the field as well as secure a spot
if the amount of members is a limited factor. It also allows you to run for positions within the
discourse community.
Structure
The structure and formatting of these sources are for the most part full of pictures, graphs, and
statistics. This helps to make the lexis easier to digest as well as the information to be more clear
and distinct when graphs and maps are included. All genres may have recurring ideas and
thoughts but may be conveyed to its audience in a different way. The three sources that are

analyzed within the discourse community of Human Trafficking are websites and social
organizations whose goal are to invite more likeminded individuals seeking social justice. This
field grows and progresses based off the number of active participants within the field, so they
design their websites in such a way that its accessible and easy to interpret by most. The
websites use colored maps to show you exactly where slavery is going on within the world. This
allows for an interactive and clear explanation of whats going on within the world in regards to
human slavery. I like that the Global Slavery Index works with the government in finding
solutions for the reduction of and eventually, the overall banishment of this old and outdated
system. The global slavery index includes a report that displays the statistics and countries most
dominant in human trafficking today as well as the government response to this particular issue.
This helps to strengthen the overall credibility of the website because it has government
approved information as well as research and statistics found by experts in the field. The three
websites are very similar in their structure as well as content. The content included in all three
websites clearly defines what human trafficking is, backs up their claims with evidence, shows
ways in which to get involved in the prevention of human slavery, as well as the goals in which
the organization plans on reaching. Free the slaves, the Global Slave Index, and the Society for
the study of Social Problems all have designed their websites to be easily accessed by anyone
with an Internet connection.
Conclusion
Essentially, Genre is the most fundamental aspect when analyzing or even developing a
discourse community. Genre allows us to apply a specific rubric so to speak to a specific
discourse community in order to interpret and fully understand the lexis and content being
discussed within the community. Through the recurrence of social situations as well as rhetorical,

genre is developed. In order for a genre to be sufficiently used and recognized as a discourse
community, there must be reputable and credible members and experts as well as lexical terms
understood by its members. Due to the changing factors of this discourse community as well as
most, the content must be constantly updated. Conclusively, Genres help for further analysis and
understanding of rhetorical situations within a discourse community.

Works Cited
"2014 Global Slavery Index - Walk Free Foundation - Global Slavery Index 2014." Walk Free
Foundation Global Slavery Index 2014. 1 Jan. 2014. Web. 19 Feb. 2015.
<http://www.globalslaveryindex.org/>.
Devitt, A., Bawarshi, A., & Reiff, M. (2003). Materiality and Genre in the Study of Discourse
Communities. College English, 65(5), 541-558. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
Kristine, Lisa. "Free the Slaves." Free the Slaves. Terry Fitzpatrick, 17 Aug. 2007. Web. 18 Feb.
2015.

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