A discourse community is a textual system with stated and unstated conventions, a vital history, mechanisms for wielding power, institutional hierarchies, vested interests, and so on.

• 一个语篇共同体就是一个文本系统，这个文本系统有着这样那样成文或不成文的规约，有特定的历史，有权利运作的机制，有制度层级，有既定的权利分布，等等。