Issues in Discourse Community - Essay Example

Dis Community Introduction Dis community refers to a group of people who possess a common language, social norms,characteristics, basic values, patterns, or practices because of their ongoing communications and identification with each other (Bazerman 1). A discourse community has common goals or interests and uses unique communication to achieve these goals. Ideally, a discourse community has unique and unwritten rules that define the mode of communication and operations in given field. The defined communication and operations in a discourse community refer to discursive practices, which include knowledge on specific terminologies as well as genres like academic papers and debates. All members in a discourse community have the required level of expertise in the common goal (“DePaul University” 1). A discourse community has an overlapping boundary, which allows most people to participate within and between various discourse communities (“DePaul University” 1). Various academic discourse communities exist in our schools that include mathematicians, engineers, and sportsmen, among other groups. Engineering Course Engineering is a defined discourse community where members have the required level of expertise in engineering to communicate and agree on certain goals and interests in the engineering field. Engineers have a unique language and genre, which helps them to communicate their common goals and unify their group. Moreover, engineers in the engineering discourse community have a common band that reinforces their relationships thus enhancing agreements on common goals and interests. The common band in engineering defines the difference between engineering and other discourse communities. Additionally, engineers share norms of "good writing" as a common goal in this discourse community. Notably, engineers use metaphors to unify and define this group. At the same time, the engineering discourse community uses specialized vocabulary in terms of jargons and terminologies to define this group and communicate the common goals in engineering. Only engineers can understand the vocabularies in this discourse community. The engineering discourse community also uses a specialized genre “verbal and non-verbal” to define this group, communicate the common goals and interests of this group, and unify the engineering discourse community. Specifically, metaphors and reports are the dominant genres and tools used in engineering discourse community to enhance communication among the members in this group. Indeed, the conduit metaphor is dominant among engineers where it basis communication on codes that allowing sharing of engineering information. The specialized genres in this discourse community are very important to engineers as they help them to communicate and present their ideas as well as organizing the data collected in this field. This helps engineers to pass engineering knowledge to future engineers. Engineers must follow certain guidelines in writing an engineering report. Notably, the norms of "good writing, vocabularies, and specialized genres help in bringing engineers together in this discourse community. Supervisor in Electronic Company An electronic company deals in the production and supply of electronic products like bulbs, circuits, vacuum tubes, and diodes. A supervisor in an electronic company will play the role of overseeing the operations in the company where electricians are the main members in the electrical discourse community. Members in the electrical discourse community have the required level of knowledge in electronics that allows them to communicate and agree on certain goals and interests in this field. The electricians adopt a common language, writing skill, and genres, which defines and unifies this group. This discourse community has a common band that defines this group and allows electricians to communicate their common goals. The band strengthens the relationships within the electronic company and allows electricians to agree on common goals and interests. Additionally, electricians in the electronic company share norms of "good writing" as a common goal in this discourse community. In addition, electronic discourse community uses a specialized language with certain jargons and terminologies, which enhance communication of the common goals in the company. Ideally, the electricians in the electronic company understand the language used in this discourse community. More so, the electronic discourse community uses a specialized genre “verbal and non-verbal” to define this group, communicate the common goals and interests of this group, and unify the electronic discourse community. The electricians in the electronic company write reports to show their progress in the company. The reports enhance communication among the members in the electronic discourse community. Indeed, the reports allow the employees in the electronic company to share information, present their ideas, and organize the data collected in this company for use by future employees. Moreover, electricians in the electronic company use an electrical code that sets the rules for operation and communicating within this group. The vocabularies, genres, common band, and writing norms define this discourse community. Volleyball as a Discourse Community Volleyball is one of the popular and distinct sports in the world and the players in this sport form a unique discourse community. Members in this community have basic knowledge on how to play volleyball and the rules that govern this sport. Indeed, they know the same skills and know their playing positions. Volleyball players share specialized vocabularies, goals, and rules that govern the sport. They also consider their audience that includes fans, opponents, teammates, coaches, their families, and referees. The stakeholders in this sport form the volleyball discourse community, which has a common band that defines this group, allows the player to communicate their common goals, and strengthen the relationships within the volleyball field. Indeed, the common band allows the players to agree on common goals like teamwork, winning, communicating, and trusting teammates. The members value intercommunications in the court where the coach provides information and feedback. Members in this community use specialized vocabularies in form of terminologies like “spike,” “block,” “kill,” and “set.” Only members of the volleyball discourse community understand the meaning of these vocabularies. The volleyball players share norms of "good writing" where they mostly use verbs. Additionally, the volleyball discourse community uses a specialized genre “verbal and non-verbal” to define this group, unify the members, and communicate the common goals of this group. Conclusion I find that discourse community is a very important concept that refers to a group of people who possess a common language, social norms, characteristics, basic values, patterns, or practices for purposes of communicating among individual members of the community. Notably, a discourse community has common goals or interests and follows specific unwritten rules. All members in a discourse community have the required level of expertise in the common goal. Furthermore, various discourse communities include engineers, sportsmen, and other professionals. Individuals can move from one discourse community to another due to the overlapping boundary between various discourse communities. Works Cited “DePaul University.” What is a discourse community? 2013. Web. 5 December 2013. Bazerman, Charles. Issue Brief: Discourse Communities. 2013. Web. 5 December 2013. < http://www.ncte.org/college/briefs/dc> Read More