Exploring the Chess Discourse Community - Essay Example

Exploring the Chess Dis Community Introduction A dis community is a group of people that share a common interest. Some of the attributes that identify a discourse community are a common principles, values, norms, and practices (Bazerman). A discourse community has a common goal that all members work to accomplish. Members of the discourse community have established intercommunication channels that are utilized by all members to exchange information and knowledge. Members of discourse communities have the necessary knowledge about the various subject matters or interests that are addressed by the community. Discourse communities are used to develop and nurture the interests of the members in a particular field (Bazerman). Discourse communities have a specific form of language and communication that is employed in communication between members. The paper will examine the customs, language, communication and impact of the chess discourse community. Attributes of the Chess Discourse Community The Chess discourse community is comprised of people who have an interest in the game of chess. Chess is a board game that is played by two players who apply different strategies and tactics to beat the opponent. Each player starts with 16 different pieces of knights, rooks, bishops, pawns, a queen, and a king with the main objective being to capture the opponent’s king. The main issues of concern for the chess discourse community are ways to play chess and the opportunity to help each other in developing chess-playing skills. Members in the chess community aim at winning many games and rising in rank within the community. The discourse community undertakes the objective of organizing and facilitating chess tournaments between members in the group and chess communities in other institutions. Knowledge in the group constitutes information about ways to play chess. Knowledge is the community is created experimentally and through discussion. Members can learn new strategies and tactics by experimenting during games against other members. Members can also gain new knowledge through discussions and conversations with other members. Language of the Chess Discourse Community The chess discourse community utilizes a complex language in interactions between members. During chess tournaments between members, the common words exchanged between the players are “Checkmate”, “Check” and “Adjust”. Checkmate is used to inform the opponent that their king has been captured and that the game has been completed (Heisman). Check is used to inform the opponent that the player has put the opponent’s king under attack. Adjust is used to inform the opponent that one intends to move a piece out of turn. Members have to learn terms for some special moves such as “en passant” and “castling” although they are rarely used in conversation. Members use terms such as “Benko Gambit”, “Ware Opening”, and “King’s Gambit” and the like (Heisman). All the members of the chess discourse community have to learn the chess notation, a language that helps players to understand tactics and strategies. To utilize chess notation, members have to learn the names of the different chess pieces and their notation. Examples are K for King, Q for Queen, R, for Rook, N for Knight and so forth. On the board, squares are labeled using letters on the horizontal side and numbers on the vertical side. Members have to learn the different symbols that are used in denoting the various chess pieces and their movements around the board (Heisman). The objectives of the chess discourse community are reflected in the language. By using the chess notation language, members are able to reflect on their game to view any errors committed and improve their style of play. Members also use the chess notation to learn the strategies and tactics of more knowledgeable members. The language used during chess games is obligatory for all members as a rule of the game. When I joined the chess community, I was obliged to learn and understand the chess notation by heart because it was used in every game. I also had to adjust my oral discourse because chess players rarely spoke during the game due to the need to concentrate and strategize (Heisman). It was also necessary to remain silent around people who were playing chess. My role in the chess community is as an active member. Chess has helped my university life by providing me with the drive to achieve excellence and discipline in all my undertakings. Communication in the Chess Discourse Community In the chess community, the main written documents exchanged between members are memos. The memos are posted on notice boards around the campus and lecture halls where members can read about upcoming chess tournaments, community meetings, or any other information. The memos are sent to members as text messages and as emails. The memos are also posted on the community’s Facebook page. The language used in the memos is formal to enable members to have a clear understanding of the intended message and to eliminate any ambiguities. Different discourse communities utilize other documents as journals, books, and newsletters to exchange information between members. They differ from the chess community in the sense that they use informal language in their documents. Different communities utilize various pictures, symbols, and graphs in their documents. Interactions with other Discourse Communities The chess community engages in regular contact with other intellectual and discourse community. The chess community is in regular contact with other communities for board game players especially the Scrabble, Stratego, and checkers communities. The conversations that take place surround the efforts of the communities to organize tournaments. The conversations also revolve around the community memberships and the support provided by the school administration and external sponsors. Whenever conflicts arise between the communities, the leaders of the groups meet to discuss the contentious issues. In case the leaders fail to resolve the conflicts an external arbitrator, usually a professor, is allowed to intervene and resolve the disagreements. All the groups have to discard their languages and use simple language when resolving conflict. Conclusion A discourse community is a group of people that shares common interests, norms, values, customs, and practices. A discourse community is identified by a shared language, genre, and goals. The chess discourse community is comprised of people with an interest in playing chess and increasing their knowledge on the game. The chess community utilizes a complex language in both oral and written communication. Intercommunication in the community is achieved through memos. Chess has helped my desire to achieve excellence and discipline in all my undertakings. Works Cited Bazerman, Charles. "Issue Brief: Discourse Communities." NCTE. 2009. Web. 27 Sep. 2015 . Heisman, Dan. "Keeping a Chess Score With Algebraic Notation." Danheisman. n.d. Web. 27 Sep. 2015 . Read More