Discourse Communities

A discourse community is a group of people who share common goals and interests. They are usually brought together around this shared goal or interest and communicate in a way that pertains heavily to the goal or interest. Their shared language is often confusing to or requires additional explanation to the un-initiated. Most people belong to many discourse communities in one form or another. Some are professional through their work and some are personal in the form of their hobbies or personal interests. Even a family unit can be a discourse community.

I work for an engineering company that designs jet engines for military aircraft. Engineers have a language all their own with terms like “dynamic load” or “stress riser” and the military has unique language that often consist of using many acronyms and giving time in terms of the 24-hour clock (military time). These are two specific and different discourse communities. As a result of working for an engineering company who works closely with the military I find myself as a member of both communities. Sometimes I engage in each community separately and there are times where I engage both communities at the same time.