Genre: A Classification of Communicative Events - Swales' Perspective

Swales posits that genre is a classification of communicative events. The communicative events he refers to are those in which language and discourse play a crucial and indispensable role. Communicative events involve multiple factors, including the discourse itself and the individuals participating in the linguistic activity, the function and purpose of the discourse, as well as the environment in which the discourse is produced and received (including historical and cultural backgrounds). The main criterion for classifying communicative events is a set of recognized and commonly agreed upon communicative purposes, rather than simply the linguistic form or similarity of the discourse. The appropriateness and success of communicative behavior partly depend on the degree of mastery and proficiency in understanding and utilizing genre.