The art of thinking · Language and meaning
Genre as social action
Also known as: Rhetorical genre, Rhetorical genre studies, Genre (rhetoric)
In rhetoric and writing studies, genre as social action is Carolyn R. Miller’s view that a genre is not defined by its form but by the typified action it performs in a recurring situation — a recall notice, a work order or an instruction manual is recognized by what it does.
- Thinking models
- Rhetoric
In one sentence
Carolyn Miller’s genre as social action: a genre is a typified response to a recurring situation, defined by what it does, not by its form.
Example
Two companies’ “release notes” look completely different but do the same thing: tell users what changed and what to do about it. Readers recognize the genre by that action and expect it to be performed.
How it applies
- Recurrence: Miller built on Bitzer’s rhetorical situation: when situations recur, responses become typified, and the typified response is the genre. Form and content follow from the action.
- Readers’ expectations: Recognizing a genre tells readers what kind of action to expect and how to read — a datasheet is scanned, a procedure followed, a safety notice heeded.
- Rhetorical genre studies: Her article founded a field (Bazerman, Devitt, Freadman and others) that studies genres in professions, including technical and workplace writing.
- Technical documentation: Documentation types — instructions for use, service manuals, release notes, safety data sheets — are genres in this sense. A new format for an old genre works when it still performs the action readers expect; changing the action needs to be made visible.
Genre as social action vs. document type definitions
A document type definition (a DTD or a DITA specialization) fixes a form; a genre is defined by the action the form serves. Structured authoring works best when its types are designed around genres, not around layouts.
How to read this pool
Entries, context cards and transitional topics
The art of thinking explains ways of thinking — where a method comes from, what it asks of you and how it was adapted later. You meet four kinds of content here, each with its own job:
- Glossary entry
- Defines one concept or method of thinking: its origin, an example and how it relates to neighboring ideas. “X vs. Y” sections set two methods side by side.
- Context card of the art of thinking
- A short, self-contained answer to one question about a way of thinking — its lineage, its steps, its limits. These cards are listed on The art of thinking only.
- Transitional topicBridges both pools
- A context card that bridges both pools: it shows how a way of thinking was adapted into documentation, analysis or quality practice. It sits with the reference context cards and is marked as transitional wherever it appears.
- Reference entry or context card
- Belongs to the Glossary & Norms Space on regulation, norms and engineering. Entries here link to one only where a method is also an established tool of documentation or quality work, such as the five whys or a user’s mental model.