Catherine Leeson

September 2016
ENGW3315
Dr. Walzer
Discourse Analysis
In this paper I will speak of mediums used to communicate in the academic and
professional discourse communities of mathematics. For academic, I chose research
papers, which display and explain original developments in the field. For
professional, I chose textbooks, which carefully detail the agreed upon facts in the
subject. Both the discourse communities and the chosen artifacts seem to be
similar, and I will discuss these similarities and differences below.
An important medium used in the academic discourse community of
mathematics are research papers. These are written by researchers to reveal
interesting and new achievements in their field. Oftentimes the researcher will
explain why the research is beneficial to other fields, such as Egon Schultes paper
about Polyhedra, complexes, nets and symmetry, which explains the relevance to
chemistry and crystallography. The writers of research papers will use simply
structured sentences with little fluff to get their point across concisely. Once a word
is defined rigorously, it is used with the expectation that the reader either knows
the exact definition or can reference it earlier in the text.
An important piece of a research paper in mathematics is to define terms. Here
we see words such as consist. For example, in the second section of Schultes
paper, he uses both consists of a sequence and consists of a set. Both a
sequence and a set are well defined and well known terms in mathematics. To
define the necessary terms for the paper without a lengthy introduction, it if often

assumed that the reader knows the general definition of these, as well as more
relevant terms to the precise field, such as vertex and edge in the case of
discrete geometry (Schulte, 2014). Language used to prove ideas in mathematics
include words and phrases such as hence, therefore, and this condition is []
satisfied (Schulte, 2014). These phrases help the reader follow the train of thought
of the proof. Papers will help the reader understand the ideas and relevance by
using phrases such as simple example easy example for example (Schulte,
2014). They might also include diagrams or pictures to help to paint a picture for
the reader. Papers will often cycle through methodically defining terms, proving
theorems, and providing examples to convey the information to the reader. Though
fields in mathematics are ever growing and expanding, this process stays relatively
constant.
I chose the professional discourse community that deals with teaching
mathematics. Though mathematics is involved in many professional settings, this is
the most relevant to me. Oftentimes, education of mathematics relies on textbooks,
for the grade school, undergraduate and graduate level. Writers use these as a
medium to communicate to other teachers and professors the best way to present
the material to their students. These textbooks offer a standardization of terms and
symbols. In Calculus, for example, the terms and symbols used in undergraduate
classes are generally standard across the board, and the textbooks for this subject
reflect that. For newer fields, textbooks can vary greatly, so it is important that
everyone in a course is using the same reference material. For people in this
professional discourse community, textbooks offer a reference of material that is
structured, organized, and accurate. Similar words are used as in research papers to
define, prove, and provide examples. In definitions, words and phrases such as

given, for all, and there exists appear to guide the reader (Massey, 2009).
However, the reader is assumed to have some prior knowledge of terms in
mathematics, though often not as much as in research papers. For example, in
Worldwide Integral Calculus, typically used as a reference for the Calculus II class at
Northeastern, the student is assumed to know function and interval (Massey,
2009). If a word is not defined in the current textbook, the writer may decide to
include additional sources for the reader, though this is less common in lower level
textbooks than research papers. Proofs follow a similar but more structured order in
textbooks as in research papers. Often you will see first, second, and
therefore, as well as references to previous theorems and definitions (Massey,
2009). Though, in many grade school and undergraduate textbooks, proofs are not
given nearly as much emphasis as examples.
Many graduate textbooks will use more sophisticated language. Some might
reference other sources as a way to brush up on necessary information, so that the
book does not get too lengthy. In this way, graduate level textbooks start to bridge
the gap between textbooks and research papers. Other ways of bridging this
gap include containing individual research or posing open questions in the field. This
encourages not just an interest in the tested material but an interest in the field as
a whole. Though, oftentimes these books mostly include agreed-upon information
instead of information new to the field. The students are generally expected to learn
and fully understand the information presented. The ultimate goal of a textbook is
to be a tool for teachers and professors that is be clear and defined as to be
understandable for the relevant level of student.
Professional academic discourse community uses language that is more
sophisticated and complex than that of the academic discourse community.

Whereas the academic discourse communitys primary aim is to make information

comprehensible to students and resourceful for other professionals, the goal of the
professional discourse community is to present findings to others in the field. Many
members of the academic and professional discourse community overlap. For
example, professors might be conducting their own research and publishing it in the
form of research papers, while also reading, suggesting, or even writing textbooks
for their students. As such, the values of both types are writing are similar. It is
looked down upon to present incorrect information or to cite controversial sources.
The writers goal in both cases is to teach, but the audience varies greatly between
the two. Research papers will often cover a lot of information in a shorter, busier
piece of work. The reader is expected to carefully read and interpret the exact
meaning. Textbooks are oftentimes written in way that the information is easier to
consume. Especially at the grade school or first year undergraduate level, the
reader might be spoon-fed the information, as the student is still learning to read
carefully and may have a very basic or nave knowledge of the subject thus far.

References
Massey, D. B. (2009). Worldwide Integral Calculus. Worldwide Center of Mathematics.
Schulte, E. (2014). Polyhedra, complexes, nets and symmetry. Crystallography Journals,
203-216.
Shreve, S. E. (2000). Stochastic Calculus for Finance I. New York: Springer.