Student Model: Discourse Community Response

Mary Moreck
English 1311
Discourse Community Response
Everything grows and develops overtime, and fortunately for us, language and
communication have developed in such a way that we are able to share out thoughts and
ideas in countless ways !ne way which we are able to do this is through writing "riting
in itself has developed and been analy#ed overtime to the point where we have
recogni#ed different conventions and genres that we use everyday $hese conventions
and genres are commonly conveyed within discourse communities% groupings of people
based on certain differences of intended categori#ation
& personal discourse community is one that many people commonly share $his
typically includes the friends and family of the specific individual $o 'oin this discourse
community as family one can be born into or legally written into a family, or in my
opinion, even mutually deeply feel considered family with someone or a group of people
&s friends, one must simply consider certain people as friends based on their own
personal spectrum of relationships with others Conventions within this discourse
community are typically informal including nicknames, emotions, 'okes, and profanity,
with the e(ception of most elders, in which case people are usually inclined to
communicate formally )enres of this discourse community that carry out these
conventions can be anything from face*to*face communication to long distance e*mails,
te(t messages and postcards Common topics in this discourse community can be as
simple as discussions of daily life, schedules, and plans, or as serious as deep personal
life struggles and secrets
&nother common discourse community is academic, which basically 'ust means
being in a school $o 'oin this discourse community, one must meet the personal and
academic re+uirements of the desired college or university ,ince school is a place to
learn and higher one-s knowledge, the conventions used here are formal, academic, and
presentable )enres of communication here include formal papers, notes, e*mails, and
other handwritten or electronic documents and files .t is +uite a given that main topics
here would be assignments, grades, and other academic sub'ects that are discussed in
each specific classroom
$he following discourse community may not be so common, for it re+uires effort,
self motivation and will power !ne must truly want to 'oin this discourse community
because it is not the easiest one to become and stay a part of $his discourse community
is professional, basically meaning one of work for pay% a 'ob !ne e(ample of this is
being a scorekeeper of local sports games of all ages /eing recruited by the employer or
asking for an interview are two main ways one can 'oin this discourse community .n this
discourse community, members are e(tremely punctual and formal, for it is their
responsibility to do their assigned work correctly to get their returned promised pay &s
you can imagine scoreboards and score sheets are some of the most important
conventions for this discourse community, however many others such as te(t messages,
e*mails, and face*to*face communication are needed to make a member successful
Common topics would include current scores and final scores, game rules, upcoming
games, tournaments, and meetings, and employee pay
&lthough these first three types of discourse communities offer great ways to
e(press your ideas as well as learn new ones, to a certain e(tent you are essentially placed
into these communities since you are not always really able to choose who else is in those
same discourse communities with you $his could possibly tamper with the way you
would naturally communicate as an individual 0uckily, we create our own types of
discourse communities% one e(ample being civic
& musical band is a good e(ample of this & musical band can be 'oined by
playing a role, usually musical, in a collected group of other musicians by auditioning or
being recruited into the group by the e(isting members $his is a great way to ensure you
are surrounded by people who you can essentially 1act yourself2 around since members
are chosen by the members $his allows for these members to communicate musically
and informally with one another even though they collectively communicate
professionally when writing music or speaking to 1higher*ups2 such as show bookers or
other holders of opportunity $his communication is most often carried out in person,
through te(t messaging, biographies, contracts, and many lists, although genres of
communication of a musical band mostly depend on the level of skill and professionalism
of the specific band Common topics of discussion in a musical band are songwriting,
show bookings, upcoming events and meetings, and other band members and ideas
"hether they are forced or chosen discourse communities that you are a part of,
they allow your ideas to grow and be shared 3ot only that, but with the combined
worldwide discourse communities, the possibilities of writing and communicating
themselves are e(panded further to continue their long rein of progression .t is e(citing
to study our interaction with others and reali#e the endless possibilities yet to come