RUNNING HEAD: DISCOURSE COMMUNITIES

Discourse Communities As college students, we are involved in tons of activities, clubs, sports and a lot more. All of these groups have one thing in common, they are discourse communities. According to the First Year Guide to Composition, a discourse community is a social group that communicates in part, using written texts but also shares common goals, values, writing standards, specialized vocabulary and specialized genres. When it comes to identifying and analyzing discourse communities, it is important to focus on certain points such as the medias used to communicate, the conventions, the purpose of the community and its members. Such criteria will be used to compare and contrast my own discourse communities.
The most common and universal discourse community is family. This group could

include or exclude extended family. For the purpose of the discussion, extended family will be included. The rst important characteristic of a discourse community is its members. To become a member of the family community you must be part of the blood line or have been a close friend of the family for a long period of time, at least ten years. Other essential features would be the conventions, including rules, code of conduct and penalties. All members of my family discourse community are required to speak French in a grammatically correct manner. Common vocabulary is authorized but the use of slangs is prohibited. The main purpose of this group is to support each members and to present in their lives. An easy way to communicate between members is to exchange emails. Most of those messages are concise and used only to discuss daily news. Medias such as FaceTime or the phone are used for more in depth conversations. When it comes to special occasions, cards are required. For example, birthdays, anniversaries and graduations all necessitate a hand-written card or letter. Aside from special occasions, some of the familys favorite topics are school, work, plans for the future, vacations and love lives.

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The second most important discourse community in most people lives is their circle of

friends. Becoming a member of this group is easier than becoming a member of the family community since the members do not have to share the same blood. Joining is usually decided when the members rst meet. Sharing goals, values, hobbies and styles are not required to be a part of the community but it facilitates the inclusion of new members. After joining, there are some simple rules to follow. Respect for each other, their work and opinion is essential to maintain a good ambiance in the group. The purpose of this specic discourse community is to have meaningful friendships, to feel supported and to have fun. The use of writing is rare if we exclude texting. Texting is the main written type of communication, it is used as a way to set up a time and place to meet. It can also be used to entertained by sending pictures, texts and videos. Sometimes, a description of the picture or other media will be added but it is not required. Common topics discussed during meetings are family, school, plans and personal life. Even though these topics are preferred by the members, no topics are prohibited.
The third discourse community is the ski instructors group. This community is made up

of certied ski instructors or people who have worked at Ski Bromont during the past four years. Most of the members are ski instructors but some exceptions would be people who work in the dispatching and mechanic departments at the resort. These people are included because they share the same interests as the ski instructors, which is a passion for ski or snowboarding. The conventions are to attend all meetings held by the school director, to always meet after classes to complete the reports of the day together and to help each other when struggling with a student. The whole purpose of this discourse community is mainly to ensure the job is done right, meaning all the adequate paperwork is lled out so that the students and parents can read about their progress, the level they completed and what they need to practice. Although this is the most

DISCOURSE COMMUNITIES common way in which this discourse community communicates, members also use text

messaging when they are on the slopes to nd each others. Text messaging is less job related that the reports, they are used as a way of checking, nding each other or simply to set up a time and place to meet. When it comes to topics for this discourse community, everything is about ski or snowboarding. Since those two sports are the pillars of the group, they are discussed at every occasion. Members enjoy sharing tips, secrets spots, new resorts, favorite brand of ski apparel and new tricks. Those types of communication require the use of a specialized language. An example would be angulation, meaning the movement and the angle you want to create with your legs while skiing.
The last discourse community is the Hollister Co. employees. All employees of the

Hollister Co. at Sunland Park Mall are included in the community. The purpose of the group is to make working more enjoyable and to make the schedule more convenient for everybody. The conventions of the community are to always be polite when interacting with clients and other coworkers, and to go through with your commitments. The last one is the most important one because if a member does not show up to work when suppose to cover someones shift, the person who had his or hers shift covered will get in trouble. If something like that were to occur, the person who did not go to work would be excluded from the Hollister employees Facebook page. The Facebook page is the main way of communicating with other employees. Members like to post shifts that need to be switched or covered. Managers also use it to send messages about changing our availabilities for the summer or the back to school. Another thing managers like to inform us about are new AAA, which is a specialized term that represents the company new approved dress code. Aside from schedule changes or new company policies, there is no written communication between employees.

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At last, everybody is involved in numerous discourse communities even if they are not

aware of it. Every single community has its own way of functioning, dealing with conventions and purpose. Some are more formal than others, but the important thing is to be able to recognize them and adapt to any situation.

DISCOURSE COMMUNITIES Reference Brunk-Chavez, Beth. (2013). First Year Guide to Composition. El Paso:UTEP