Journal of Business and Technical Communication Apr 1996

A Legal Discourse Community

KAREN GRIGGS

Abstract

This article reviews recent studies of legal discourse and nonacademic writing and presents the results of a historical case study of an environmental public policy. The author examined the rhetoric of public sector communication to show how an Indiana water quality standards administrative law was socially constructed as it was written collaboratively in two cycles by members of a text-centered legal discourse community. Key findings describe a dynamic discourse community with changing writing roles among government employees, lay members of the audience, and water pollution control board members. The social and political context surrounding this collaborative effort delayed formal adoption of the water quality standards in the public sector. Controversial provisions of the law stimulated social and political actions, including legislation, and in the process delayed rulemaking.

Journal
Journal of Business and Technical Communication
Published
1996-04-01
DOI
10.1177/1050651996010002008
Open Access
Closed
Topics
discourse analysis qualitative research

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (2)

  1. Hannah (2010)
    Legal Literacy: Coproducing the Law in Technical Communication
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  2. Griggs (2007)
    Non-Rule Environmental Policy: A Case Study of a Foundry Sand Land Disposal NPD
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication

Cites in this index (4)

  1. Cross (1990)
    A Bakhtinian Exploration of Factors Affecting the Collaborative Writing of an E…
    Research in the Teaching of English
  2. ANSON et al. (1990)
    Moving Beyond the Academic Community
    Written Communication
  3. Winsor (1990)
    Engineering Writing/Writing Engineering
    College Composition and Communication
  4. Porter (1986)
    Intertextuality and the discourse community
    Rhetoric Review
Also cites 5 works outside this index ↓
  1. 10.2307/376723
     ↗
  2. 10.1109/TPC.1987.6449073
     ↗
  3. 10.1109/47.108672
     ↗
  4. 10.2307/357405
     ↗
  5. 10.3102/00346543060002153
     ↗
CrossRef global citation count: 2 View in citation network →

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