Journal of Business and Technical Communication Jan 1992

Categorizing Professional Discourse: Engineering, Administrative, and Technical/Professional Writing

BARBARA COUTURE

Abstract

Rhetorical categories can and should be developed by scholars of professional writing to identify how values held within professions constrain the ways discourse is interpreted in organizational settings. Empirical research (conducted by the author and others), discourse theory, and pedagogical practice in professional writing strongly suggest that at least three categories of professional writing exist: engineering, administrative, and technical/professional writing. The author demonstrates this claim and distinguishes the characteristics of these three categories. Engineering writing is shown to respond to professional values of scientific objectivity and professional judgment as well as to corporate interests. Administrative writing reflects the locus of decision-making authority and promotes institutional identity. Technical/professional writing aims to accommodate audience needs through complying with professional readability standards. Future research should focus on defining the characteristics of these varieties more precisely. Articulated definitions of these three varieties of professional writing can help scholars and practitioners better understand how discourse is framed and interpreted in organizational settings.

Journal
Journal of Business and Technical Communication
Published
1992-01-01
DOI
10.1177/1050651992006001001
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Topics
rhetorical criticism discourse analysis writing pedagogy professional writing empirical research
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Citation Context

Cited by in this index (6)

  1. DeJeu (2024)
    A Rhetorical Approach for Reimagining Business Writing Instruction in the AI Age
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
  2. Conrad (2018)
    The Use of Passives and Impersonal Style in Civil Engineering Writing
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  3. Wolfe (2009)
    How Technical Communication Textbooks Fail Engineering Students
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  4. Angouri et al. (2008)
    This Is Too Formal for Us...: A Case Study of Variation in the Written Products…
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  5. Groot et al. (2006)
    A Corpus Analysis of Text Themes and Photographic Themes in Managerial Foreword…
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
Show all 6 →
  1. Spigelman et al. (2006)
    Why We Chose Rhetoric: Necessity, Ethics, and the (Re)Making of a Professional …
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication

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CrossRef global citation count: 22 View in citation network → Build reading path →

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