Discourse Community Analysis - Essay Example

A very good example of an exclusive language can be found in the military. Whereas the officers use “good English” for their commands and among themselves, the recruits and lower cadre officers at the “club house” use pidgin which has the potential of expression informality and high level of intimacy of role relations. (Alabi, T., n.d.) This is the usual set-up of communication in the military. The men in the military speak a different language at work than at home. If civilian men are difficult to understand by nature, military men are even more difficult to understand.

This is because the military has its own language. The men communicate with words and sometimes with their actions. Each branch of the military also has its own “lingo”. For example, the word “camouflage” uniform is called “cammies” for the Marines and the Navy but “fatigues” for the Army. Each division the military has its own nickname. A jarhead refers to a Marine. They say this is because the head of a marine looks like a jar. A squid is someone from the Navy. The connection is very obvious, I believe.

Top Gun refers to an Air Force member. Finally, those in the army are called dogs. By their terms, one can already see how exclusive and proud military men are with regards to their branch of service. Of course there are also some words used by all branches of the military like CO which means commanding officer. Brass refers to officers because of the many awards (made of metal) pinned on their uniforms. These pins distinguish them from the members in the lower ranks. AO means area of operation.

This is any place you’re supposed to work at. Bird doesn’t mean an animal that flies but a plane. Mess hall or chow hall is their word for dining room. Ultimately, a john wayne isn’t a person or an actor but a can opener. Indeed, language in the military is something an outsider has to be ready for. Otherwise, an outsider may act