Running Head: Discourse Community Ethnography on The Bachelor in Paradise

Discourse Community Ethnography

Alitzel Neri
The University of Texas at El Paso
RWS 1301
Professor Hernandez
Discourse Community Ethnography on The Bachelor in Paradise 1

Introduction

John Swales(1990) is a professor of linguistics who wrote the book, Genre Analysis,

explaining the concept and his definition of a Discourse Community. Swales (1990) defined

discourse communities into having six different characteristics. In order for a group of people to

fall into the term of being in a discourse community, they must have all of these six

characteristics. There are several discourse communities that are in movies, television shows,

comics and even in books. The television show The Bachelor in Paradise can be interpreted to

being a part of a discourse community. This show is basically about different men and woman

brought together to live on an isolated beach in search of finding love. All of these people in, The

Bachelor in Paradise, form a discourse community because they form a part in all of these 6

characteristic explained by Swales(1990).

Characteristic 1

According to Swales(1990), the first characteristic that classifies a discourse community

is having a set of common public goals. Which means that every member in a particular

discourse community has the same goal they want to achieve. In, The Bachelor in Paradise, the

public goal is to find a partner to form a relationship with and essentially receive a rose from

their partner at the end of each week. Throughout this show, men and woman come in and out of

paradise. The characters are given each week to mingle with one another and form a couple or an

attraction for each other. Couples can be on and off, some form love triangles, and some men and

woman don't even have a partner. For example, in Season 4 Episode 7, Dean is stuck in a love

triangle between Kristina or De-lo. However, by the end of the week, either the men or woman

have the power to hand out a rose to their significant other. At the end of the so called rose
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ceremony the character(s) left without having received a rose are sent back home. Essentially

this discourse communities public goal is to find a partner and not be sent home at the end of the

week.

Characteristic 2

Discourse Community Ethnography on The Bachelor in ParadiseCommunication within

Discourse communities is a key component, and exactly how members within the discourse

community communicate is the second characteristic that makes up any discourse community.

Some examples of intercommunication within members is, meetings, newsletters, conversations,

mail, etc. In every discourse community the intercommunication is different and can vary

between the members. In The Bachelor in Paradise, there are many different forms of

communication within Paradise. The main way of communicating is obviously by conversation.

However conversations between the girls and between the guys are different. The girls talk to

each other and basically are very straight up and clear about who their partner or guy of interest

is. They also try and give each other advice and be there for each other with there guy drama. On

the other hand, the guys are more laid back and basically for the most part have an open mind

and don't talk about just one girl. They are guys, so as expected they don't usually open up to

each other about what they are really feeling. Also communication within the couples already

formed varies. Within the couples, the communication is more open. They tell each other what

they feel for each other; they talk about their lives to get to know each other better, and they

communicate when problems arise. With couples forming, love triangles forming and some

relationships being on and off, the biggest form of communication in The Bachelor in Paradise,

is rumors. All the drama within the men and woman form rumors of certain couples arguments,
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hook ups and such. Obviously being rumors makes the information being communicated unclear

of the truth, but it helps with the intercommunication of this discourse community.

Characteristic 3

The third characteristic needed to make up a discourse community is having a

participatory mechanism to provide information and feedback. In The Bachelor in Paradise, the

main way of portraying feedback is within the couples. They give feedback on how their

relationship is going, if its working out, if they see a future with each other. More specific

feedback is given in the individual interviews taken place within the drama of the episodes. In

these interviews the men and woman are more honest about what they feel and are more direct

about the main issues going on in paradise. For example in Season 4, Episode 5, Christen is the

new woman arrival and decides to take Jasmins man of interest on a date. Jasmin seems relaxed

about the situation, but when she is interviewed individually she is extremely upset and even

calls Christen a little bitch. Also, like stated earlier the rose ceremony at the end of each week

also provides a form of feedback and is the main form of feedback in The Bachelor in Paradise.

The ceremony is giving feedback on who's interested in who, in what couples are still going

strong, which couples are breaking apart and who's being sent home.

Characteristic 4

In The Bachelor in Paradise, one or more genres of communication are used. One

example is the separation of the men and woman. In the show the men and woman separate at

times and have conversations about their relationships, and about their feelings towards their

person of interest. The conversations between the groups of the men and woman will obviously

differ, but it is a helpful more direct way of communicating their thoughts. Also, being a reality
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tv show, with all the drama and fights between these men and woman some cliques begin to

form. These cliques are most formed with the women in The Bachelor in Paradise. Evidently the

communication in these cliques is more private. For example through Season 4, one of the main

cliques between the girls included; Raven, Alexis and Jasmine. They were basically the three

queens of paradise. They knew every detail about everyones relationships, good or bad. Within

their clique they gossiped about everyone and about each other as well.

Characteristic 5

A discourse community has to have a specific lexis that is used within its members. Lexis

is the vocabulary of a language. A form a lexis used in, The Bachelor in Paradise, is the different

ways the men talk amongst themselves a well as how the woman talk amongst themselves. As

mentioned before the woman are more open in how they communicate unlike the men that never

really say what they fully feel. In addition, the biggest way lexis is used in this discourse

community is with the nicknames given to some of the men and woman. For instance, some of

the women that have nicknames are; Alexis (Shark girl), Christen (Scallops), Haley and

Emily(the twins) and Danielle (De-Lo). Also, some of the men that have nicknames are;

Johnathan (Tickle monster), Kenneth (Diggy), Matt (Pinguin), and Nick (St. Nick). These

nicknames are given to these men and woman throughout this season of The Bachelor in

Paradise, or was given to them before but stuck to them. The lexis of nicknames in this

discourse community if the biggest way the members recognize each other and talk about each

other.

Characteristic 6
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The last characteristic in a discourse community includes having members with a degree

of content and discoursal relevance. In The Bachelor in Paradise season 4, all of these men and

woman were already part of a different season of The Bachelor in Paradise, meaning they

already knew how this discourse community worked and how to play their own role in it.

Members of this discourse community leave because they were not part of any relationship and

did not get a rose, or the person voluntarily chose to leave. As a result, when people leave this

discourse community others are brought into it. For example, in Season 4 Episode 8, Kristina is

frustrated with Dean for the way he treats her so she decided to leave. The next day Haley and

Emily are the newest members introduced into Paradise. So, members of this discourse

community come and go. Leaving with a good grasp of being part of this discourse community,

and those arriving are in the steps of being involved into the discourse community.

Conclusion

In Swales(1990) article he clearly states his views on what a group of people need to have

in order to be referred to as a discourse community. He broke it down into six different

characteristics. Each and every one of these characteristics were shown in The Bachelor in

Paradise. From having a common goal, to having members with a discoursal relevance. The

Bachelor in Paradise, is a discourse community with members who have different

communication levels, ways of providing feedback and even have their own lexis. Therefore,

The Bachelor in Paradise, is filled with unique members and maybe is not interpreted as a

discourse community at first. But connecting the show to Swales(1990) six characteristics it is

clear that, The Bachelor in Paradise, is a discourse community.

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Work Cited

Swales, John. ''The Concept of Discourse Community." Genre Analysis: English in Academic

and Research Settings. Boston: Cambridge UP, 1990.21-32. Print.

Hilton, M. & Gale, E. (Producers). (2014-2017). The Bachelor in Paradise [Television series].

Burbank, CA: Warner Bros. Television.