Briana Martinez Professor Frazier English 1311 09 September 2013 Discourse Communities

Martinez 1

Everyone is a part of many discourse communities and are probably not aware of it. Discourse communities are at work, home, school, sports teams, and the Internet. There can be as little as only a few members up to millions of members. But what makes any group of people a discourse community? Because of the values of these groups of people, particular texts, values, and a language are created. Discourse communities can be educational, for enjoyment, formal, or informal. Personally, I am in many discourse communities in many spectrums of my life, for example, my family, friendships, and classes, specifically my University 1301 class. All of these groups differ in purpose, the members, the type of language we use when we communicate, and the values and opinions that are shared in each community. Every discourse community that I am in is unique in its own way but is brought together by the same elements. Although my discourse communities approaches are all different, there is one main foundation, support for success. My family community is there to provide me with support, unconditional love, and to teach each other values by which we should live by, especially when we are still young. Aside from emotional support, my family has always given me financial support especially since I am still in school. They have given me a place to grow up, food, and shelter. This is something that most families provide compared to other communities such as friends. My

Briana Martinez Professor Frazier English 1311 09 September 2013

Martinez 2

friendship community is also there for emotional support and to have someone to care for me and to have as companions. The purpose of my friends is to always be loyal and to have a place to go when I need someone to talk to and lean on. They are the people who I choose in my life to have a little enjoyment in my life. On the other hand, although the University 1301 class is a requirement to graduate, its purpose is to have an easy transition from high school to university. They are there for support and to answer any doubts and questions we might have about any aspect of university life, such as what services the university provides for us students like the University Writing Center or the Technology Support Center. Along with this, one of the purposes of this class is to learn about students at Victoria University in Australia and understand the impact of globalization. All three of these discourse communities are shaping who I am as a person and teaching me different things not only about myself but also about the people and things around me. The main reason these groups are created is because we all have the same purpose based on the values and opinions we share within the group. In my family, most of the time, we all share the same upbringings and values whether it is politics, religion, or simply just life values. We are, for the most part, raised in a very similar manner. We are all united, although we are all individuals and we all have our own points of view. We have the same foundation based on our values because it all goes back to the way our parents raised us, and how our parents parents raised them,

Briana Martinez Professor Frazier English 1311 09 September 2013

Martinez 3

and so on. Some things change with time but we all have the same basis. We are all different and unique but we have the same morals. This is different with my group of friends: they say that friends are the family that one can choose. This means that usually a group of friends is tied together because of similar interest whether it is in music, art, culture, television, movies etc. We are usually attracted to people who like the same things or complement each other. If interests change, sometimes friendships change or sometimes friends join in that new interest, or simply just respect it; it all depends on who and how ones friends are. In the Global Learning Community we all have the same interest, which is learning about the other country and learning how important globalization is. We are all mostly speaking about the same topics and have our own opinions so that we can view the world in another point of view. In all of the groups, each individual forms their own opinion and it should be respected by one another. Everyone sees the world in a different set of eyes and sometimes not everyone agrees but that does not mean that the person is wrong. Everyones opinion is right as long as it is justifiable. Every discourse community comes together because of these certain interests. The members in any discourse community can range in type and number of people. In order to become a part of my family discourse community you have to be born or married into the family. Therefore, the members of my family discourse community are my grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles, cousins, siblings, and

Briana Martinez Professor Frazier English 1311 09 September 2013

Martinez 4

nieces and nephews. It is an exclusive discourse community where not everyone can be a part. We come from the same background so we share many traditions from our culture and religion, such as posadas for Christmas or baptisms and holy communions. When it comes to friends, not all of us are from the same background but the community is open to anyone who I consider a friend; compatibility coming from personalities that are appealing to me, shared interests and senses of humor. This group can change now that I am away for college but the purpose of the community will still be the same. Members for this community are chosen mostly based on common interest like similar taste in music, movies, and activities we partake in. It is an informal relationship where we can explicitly express ourselves without have to worry about getting scolded at for feeling or expressing ourselves in a certain way. Finally, the members of my University 1301 class are the students from UTEP and Victoria University, the professors of both universities, peer leaders, and any other assistants for the main Global Learning Community webpage. The students must apply and be accepted into the university and register into the class. The professors must also apply for the position and be accepted to teach that class. The peer leaders must meet the requirements and apply, and then accepted under the guidance of the instructors. Applications are necessary to filter out people who would not be helpful and reliable to the community and have those that are as peer leaders. All three of these discourse communities have a smaller amount of

Briana Martinez Professor Frazier English 1311 09 September 2013

Martinez 5

members because they are more exclusive communities. They are, for the most part, exclusive and safe communities. Because it is safe, it is easier to express oneself within the community. Communication is very important to everyone in these three communities. I have family in Mexico, Chicago, and El Paso; therefore we all try to stay in contact from wherever we are. We have created a Facebook group page in order for us to stay up to date with everyone. We send pictures, news, and any other happenings that we would like to share with each other. Along with Facebook, at least one person in each household has an iPad, iPod, or iPhone, so we are able to contact each other through iMessage, FaceTime, phone calls, or email. We also keep it old fashion and send letters, cards, and packages through the mail. This is good because we can show our support for one another in situations that each member is going through. With my friends we also contact each other though the same mediums, mostly through iMessage, FaceTime, Facebook, and Twitter. Some friends and I exchange letters through the mail, which is always such a nice sentiment. We talk about anything happening in our lives, post pictures and videos, tell each other jokes, or just to have someone to talk to. This is necessary for this community because we do want to have someone to listen to us when we are having a rough day or have exciting news to share. This helps keep everyone in communication to support each other, which is the purpose of this community. For my University

Briana Martinez Professor Frazier English 1311 09 September 2013

Martinez 6

1301 class, we stay in contact with each other through a special webpage called Global Learning Community through an online platform called Ning.com. On this website we are allowed to make our own profiles, comment on each others pages, start discussion boards and blogs, and any readings the professors have for us. This helps us not only to work together and get our assignments done but to get to know different people. Alongside this website we can also contact each other and the professors through email. Communication is vital in all of these communities so that everyone is on the same page and up to date with any upcoming events or news about everyones lives. With this communication a special language is created. I do not speak the same in the three communities. I have a formal way of speaking with my family, and address everyone respectfully. This is expected because we have to show respect to our families. Aside from the form in which we talk, the actual language we speak in is Spanish, or sometimes Spanglish. I dont use texting dialect and slang when I am talking to family mostly because they wont understand it, but also because it is improper and sometimes disrespectful. When I talk to my siblings or cousins, it is not inappropriate to use LMAO or WTF when we talk because we grew up in a different generation and we understand what we are saying. It would be inappropriate and disrespectful to speak this way to someone who is older than us. On the other hand, when I am talking to my friends it is an informal approach. We

Briana Martinez Professor Frazier English 1311 09 September 2013

Martinez 7

talk in slang, texting dialect, and emoticons. We are not too concerned with grammatical errors. We obviously are speaking English and forming sentences, but we are not being completely cautious of correct punctuation and paragraph formations. We speak in a more laid-back tone and are not too concerned with such details because we are not so hard each other when we are expressing ourselves. For example, when I want to rant to my friends about something with my friends, I can use slang and possibly swear and they would not take it in an offensive way. We are all growing up in the same era and are around the same age so it is not inappropriate. In the Global Community website we speak in a semiformal manner because most of us are students, generally around the same age, but we are still talking about special topics pertaining to school and the class. We write special blog posts and responses that need to be done in a grammatical manner. Mainly because it is for everyone to better understand each other. The teacher enforces this especially because it is part of the grading rubric. Whenever we email or contact a professor, it is done in the proper and formal manner, such as addressing professors in the correct manner and using proper sentences. Respect is something that is important because we are each others peers in the classroom, and like any other class we must respect one another. This is necessary to learn how to act around people in a classroom setting and ultimately throughout life in ones career. A

Briana Martinez Professor Frazier English 1311 09 September 2013

Martinez 8

language is formed within each community and it is kept constant throughout time to talk about our opinions, values, and interests. Discourse communities are everywhere with many different purposes. With the root of a written text, unique language, and shared purpose and values, these discourse communities come together. These communities can be very similar or drastically different. They are important to ones life because it makes one become social and be a part of something based on certain purposes. Sometimes one is born into these communities and other times its a choice. Whatever the case may be discourse communities are vital to the world.