Discourse Community Analysis - Assignment Example

I decided to watch my community at Wal Mart. The reason I chose this location is due to anonymity. I sat on a bench inside watching and taking s on a small note pad watching the customers. My position was by the shoes and baby things. My community is very diverse. White, black, and many other cultures live in my community. Each has a different way to communicate within their group and with each other. The first couple I watched was a mother and daughter (I assume). The older woman looked like a tired middle class woman. She had obviously come from work wearing a skirt/suit. The daughter was around 12 (Although today you cannot tell, since this girl had on enough make to make a clown blush). The woman was pushing the basket talking over her shoulder to her daughter. The conversation went like this: “What do you want for supper?” “Huh?” “What do you want for supper?” The woman was walking slightly ahead, not noticing her daughter was texting and ignoring her. They then walked away from my position. These two individuals exclude each other from their worlds. Teens text continuously excluding their parents. Texting has become the way to communicate among teens. I have even seen teens texting each other in the same room. On the other hand, parents are hurrying through the store trying to find a last minute dinner option. The woman in the above conversation had probably worked all day. This conversation was likely the only quality time she spent with her daughter during the day. This type of discourse excludes both child and parent. Another conversation that I observed was two black women shoe shopping in front of my bench. They had hand, head, and shoulder movements that were very animated. Their conversation went like this: 1st woman “That broke “N” (I will not repeat the help) actually came to my house and was asking me for money!” “Hope you ran his a** off.” “Sho did.” This conversation was not unique. The word “N” was used a few times that day, but only by black people. Black people exclude white people by using the “N” word. It is not acceptable for white people to say this word. In fact, many black people would react negatively to this term from a white person, even if the tone was friendly. Black people can use the term in a positive or negative light and not be looked upon badly. This is important to understand that using the “N” word in a discourse; black people have made this word theirs, right or wrong. Another conversation that stuck out was between a white man in a camouflage shirt and blue jeans. He yelled at his 6 year old to “get his a** over here!” The boy glared for a moment before flitting up to his dad, before running away. The child was obviously abused, if not physically, then mentally. The father’s tone of voice and body language in the above conversation alienated the boy. From the boy’s look and actions he loathed his dad. The dad does not want to be included in his son’s world. His son is a burden. This alienation of his son through the example discourse will make this man regret it one day. Sons grow up and tend to leave abusive fathers. When this man grows old, his son will leave him to his own devices. The son will then alienate the father through actions and discourse since the father would now be the burden. I do not know if it is the community Wal Mart, but vulgar language was used frequently. I normally do not pay attention to this type of language. I use the occasional swear word at home, but find it very rude in public. My fear is the first time I utter a profanity in public, one of my elderly relatives will be there to tell my parents. The people that used the vulgar language created a barrier with people that thought vulgarities were rude. Only one man confronted an individual cursing. The discourse was: “S**t. That is expensive,” a white man with a nose ring said. “There is no need for that type of language young man,” an elderly gentleman said. “Sorry,” the man muttered. The vulgarity made discourse between the two different groups difficult. I never realize that language could be a barrier, instead of an open discourse. I also noticed while shopping, individuals tend to use more body movements to communicate with each other. One young mother was dragging her six year old down the aisle as the girl kicked and screamed. Another example was two young people that were obviously a couple. They would hold hands, slap each other playfully, and kiss. You could tell that the two were in love. These body movements conveyed more than the words sometimes. For example, a man held up an ugly baby outfit for a pregnant woman. The look on her face communicated the “no” she yelled. Body language communicated just as much as the spoken word that day. I also was aware of two non-English languages spoken. The first was Spanish. The man looked like a Wal Mart employee that manages more than one Wal Mart. He wore a badge and a suit. The regular Wal Mart employee was listening to him, but she could not keep up. Her replies were nods and shakes of the head. She was nervous, because she kept tugging at her clothes and laughing this fake laugh. Her discomfort with Spanish was clear. This woman might have been one of those Americans that are uncomfortable with Spanish. The second non-English language was Arabic. Two women with head coverings spoke in Arabic. Although I could not tell what the Arabic was¸ it was obvious the daughter was reading labels and telling her mother what was in the product. The two women did not move their hands or heads, but talked subdued to each other in a low voice. All of these groups were under the same roof, but not everyone communicate with each other. In fact, what was not communicated created a discourse of its own. For example, the individuals using profanity were avoided by mothers with children and older individuals. Business people stayed away from the pierced and tattooed. Everyone tried to avoid the Arabic women. These avoidances communicated preferences, biases, and prejudices. Diverse groups excluded each other. A pierced and tattooed girl would not feel comfortable walking up and starting a conversation with a business man or vice versa. Preconceived ideas excluded different groups from discourse with each other. Since my Wal Mart has a variety of people, I would not characterize everyone with the same discourse techniques, but everyone came together shopped together. The interaction between different groups was uniquely my community. Individuals in my community are members of the community, but fall under all different groups. These different groups have their own unique discourses. Read More