James Kinneavy’s Aims of Discourse Summary

James Kinneavy's Aims of Discourse is a chart that interprets the relationship between the reader, writer, and context. Kinneavy's chart consists of a triangle. The three corners are composed of the encoder, the writer; the decoder, the reader; and reality, the context. In the middle of the triangle is the word "style". Branching from each of these four main points are lists of different forms of written communication. These lists demonstrate the relationship between the writer, or the encoder, and the three other subjects. For example, if the writer is focused on pleasing itself, then the writing will come out in the form of a diary, journal, conversation, or manifesto. This is classified as expressive writing. Whenever the writer is concerned with the reader, their writing may take the form of advertisements, sermons, or editorials. These are considered persuasive forms of writing. Referential writing is produced when the writer is concerned with reality. Some examples include dialogues, seminars, reports, textbooks, and scientific articles. Finally, when the writer writes with concerns for style, he produces what is referred to as literary forms of writing. Examples would be short stories, novels, movies, lyrics, or dramas.