Philippe Meister Genre Exam Dr.

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Meister - 1

Genre is something that is becoming more complex as publishing becomes more fluid and is able to create more and more texts in varying forms. Genre, commonly, is a term to describe differing types of literary writing. Today, in a digital age, genre has a much broader definition. Genre according to Charles Bazerman is created wherever there is a need to communicate through language on a reoccurring basis. He says, The crux of the new genre theories is this: a genre is a socially standard strategy, embodied in a typical form of discourse, that has evolved for responding to recurring type of rhetorical situation (137). Genre in the more traditional literary sense is a categorization that seems to be nearly undefined. What genres are we analyzing? Text is used in so many ways today that the genres change with the use of text. Are the genres of online novels the same as print novels? They are not read in exactly the same way, they are not perceived in exactly the same way. The organization, writing, ideas, and etc may be exactly the same, but the perception of online novels and print novels differ. Since the perceptions differ, that means the writing process must include some alterations. But why wouldnt they be the same genre since they have the same structure? Genre defined by Bazerman specifically addresses the traditional definition of the term, he says, although genres are still usually identified initially by structural/textual regularities, genre is now understood rather as the functional relationship between that structure and the situation (137). Genre is able to account for the flexible use of language and differences in language functions. The varying genres we see in public communications today influence, what is being read and how it is read. The formation of a genre does not only create an understandable medium for messages, but also gives power to those messages. Genres empower messages by creating normative situations for certain people to send messages to other people. Genres are the categorization of certain communications we find acceptable enough to acknowledge. STOP one can imagine a situation in which they would see that word. Most likely it will be posted on a red octagonal sign. Pubic signage, if not multiple genres, is a genre of its own

Meister - 2 which exemplifies and supports Bazermans point. It would be hard to group each individual type of sign a municipality creates because the form is not consistent. Parking signs and stop signs dont have similar form, they dont have similar purpose, and they dont have similar uses. One thing they do have, however, is their ability to enforce a power structure people are expected to abide by. In the genre of municipal signage, the governing power structures are the functional relationship between the structure and the situation, Bazermans description of genre holds true. Bazerman (137) also says, Any complete description of genre includes at least three aspects: 1. The standard form of the discourse, 2. 2 the type of recurring situation that evokes it, 3. 3. The functional relation, namely, (1) understood as a strategy for responding to (2). Municipal signs are one of the more loosely defined genres, but they Bazermans criteria. Municipal signs send strong messages; signs are a way to assert power and authority. The sign itself has no power to make people stop. The authority supporting the sign allows the sign to function in a way that people will follow its message. Signs are only able to be used by people with authority. For instance a No Trespassing sign can be put on somebodys lawn, but nobody would respect that sign if we didnt believe in the possession of land. Some people choose not to respect the message of No Trespassing signs. Most signs, especially, municipal signs are respected because we agree that they were created by the interest of the people. In the instance of signs, the genre empowers the central governing authorities. As people respect the messages of the signs they reinforce the belief in the central government to govern. A property owner cannot make a No Parking sign for the street space in front of their own house because the genre does not empower the individual actor. Without a perceived power behind the authority wishing to communicate the message, signs do not carry strong messages. The ability of the government to post signage and power of law enforcement to enforce the signs enforces the idea that it is in peoples best interest to obey the authority that has power to enforce it. Signs

Meister - 3 can only be used by institutions with power, so the use of signs empowers those institutions that have power to enforce their authority, and therefore, are the only institutions that can effectively use signs. The genre of signs empowers authoritative groups because signs function with power behind them. The Article Municipal Control of Signs, discusses the control municipalities enforce on signs created by the public Municipalities often attempt to balance the community interest in restricting signs with free speech rights by selectively exempting from the sign regulation those messages the municipality values. This approach can lead to an unconstitutional content-based regulation (Cuomo, Perales, 2006). This is an explicit example of the control of signage that can be enforcing by municipalities. Groups that are empowered by signs are the ones who are able to produce and place their signs. Groups become empowered through signs because the issues favored by the group are publicized, the viewpoints of the group are publicized, the group itself is publicized and the group is given the authority to place the signs. Not only are the publics signs less imposing because they dont communicate laws, but the publics signs are subject to censorship since they affect the public. Municipal signs are hung where they need to be, public signs arent allowed to exist in some instances. Both implicitly and explicitly, signs are a vehicle to further an agenda. This genre enforces the agenda of the authoritative because of the power of the legislation the signs reference (ie. Enforcing laws).

Meister - 4 References Coe, R. M., and Freedman, A. (1998). Genre theory: Australian and North American approaches. In M. L. Kennedy (Ed.) Theorizing composition: A critical sourcebook of theory and scholarship in contemporary composition studies (pp. 136-147). Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. Cuomo, A., and Perales, C. (2006). Municipal Control of Signs: James A Cool Local Government Technical Series. Retrieved from http://www.dos.ny.gov/lg/publications/Municipal_Control_of_Signs.pdf