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Discourse Communities
Ivan Lopez
The University of Texas at El Paso
RWS 1301
Christine Endlich
















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Discourse
Community
Map
Community: UTEP Student
Joining: Submitting application,
paying tuition Purpose: to learn
and earn a degree
Genre: Blackboard, UTEP Email
Languages: Go Miners Picks
Up
Community: University Chorus
Joining: registered student, sign
up for class
Purpose: To create beautiful
music
Genre: Singing, reading music,
taking notes
Languages: Italian words
cresendo forte Piano
Community: Forever 21
Joining: Submitting application
and getting hired
Purpose: provie excellent
customer service and train team.
Genre: 5 min touch base, Walkie-
Talkies, email
Languages: UPT and ADS
Community: Friends
Joining: meeting people with
similar interests.
Purpose: To be there for one
another
Genre: Various social media
updates. Twitter, Facebook, ect.
Languages: Inside Jokes
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Discourse communities are all around us, and whether we realize it or not,
everyone is a part of at least one discourse community. Linguist John Swales best defined
discourse communities as groups that have goals or purposes, and use communication to
achieve these goals. The four discourse communities that I belong to are being a student
at UTEP, a member of the University Chorus, my job at Forever 21, and my group of
friends.
I am very proud to say that one of the discourse communities I belong to is being
a student at The University of Texas at El Paso or UTEP. It has been a very long journey
to get me to finally pursue high education and I couldnt be happier. In order to become
a part of this community, you must have a high school diploma, apply to the university,
get accepted, and pay tuition. The purpose of this community is to prepare and educate
students in their desired field of study and earn a degree. There are many different ways
that the faculty and staff communicate with the students. Most of the teachers
communicate through Blackboard where they can post assignments and any general
announcements they might have. The UTEP email is also another way the faculty and
staff are communicating with students. I get at least three emails a day with updates,
information for class, or invitation to school functions. Like any university, UTEP has a
specialized language all its own to show school spirit. Picks Up! and Go Miners can
be heard all around campus and at sporting events.
Another discourse community I belong to is the University Chorus here at UTEP.
In order to join the University Chorus, all you have to do is be a registered student at
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UTEP and sign up for the class. The purpose of this community is to create beautiful
music with those around you that you perform in concerts throughout the school year. As
composer Kinley Lange once said Making music with and for other people is the finest
community -- an intimacy that makes us more than we are individually, connects us to
each other in powerful ways and illuminates before us the path to feeling and passion.
The director and chorus member communicate of course by singing but also by reading
the sheet music and taking notes on what the director wants the piece to sound like. A lot
of the specialized language used in the University Chorus is actually in Italian. We use
words like crescendo which means to gradually get louder, forte which means loud,
and piano which means soft.
The third discourse community I belong to is my job working as an Assistant
Manager at Forever 21. In order to join this community, you must first submit an
application for the members of management to review, and get hired. The purpose of this
discourse community is to provide excellent customer service and effectively train the
staff on said customer service and well as company policies. At Forever 21, the
communication with the team begins as soon as you clock in for work. There is always a
five minute touch base prior to beginning your shift where management lets you know
how much money needs to be made that day, any special promotions that might be going
on, and what tasks you might need to complete before you leave. We are constantly
communicating numbers via our Walkie-Talkies, and communicating with our corporate
offices via email. While shopping around the store, you might hear to team members
talking about UPT and ADS. UPT stands for Units Per Transaction; the company has a
goal that they would like each customer to take at least three items, or units. ADS
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stands for Average Dollar Sale; the companys goal is that customer spends at least $30
during their visit.
When I moved from Houston to El Paso three years ago, I did not know anyone. I
began to work right away in an effort to save money for school and this is where I
became part of my fourth and most treasured discourse community, my group of friends.
Some of the best friendships Ive made have come from my job at Forever 21. In order to
join you must meet people with similar interests and values as yourself. The purpose of
this group is to always be there for one another. Through the break-ups, make-ups, and
everything in between these people are the family you choose for yourself. We
communicate through various different social media outlets. Whether it be Facebook,
Twitter, Instagram or Snapchat; we are constantly updating each other about our lives.
We get together for various holidays such as Easter, Thanksgiving, Halloween, and even
Christmas. At these functions you can hear our inside jokes, laughter and embarrassing
dance moves. Forever 21 started out as a part-time job but it turned into a full-time
family.
When you think about it, the discourse communities you are immersed in shape
the person you are. I know this is true for myself and I am proud to say that these four
communities have made me who I am today.