Discourse communities are everywhere, and I never really gave it much thought until I read Diaz’s excerpt and Klass’ essay. I myself am part of multiple discourse communities: the art community, the corporate hospitality workplace, the online beauty community, and the crochet community. Working in corporate hospitality means learning a whole new host of words and phrases. Speaking formally but firmly is a learned skill and office politics take on a whole new meaning. Mentor figures within the office help tremendously in learning the professional language and behavior of clients. Writing emails becomes a sport and setting up meetings which were once daunting and scary become second nature. Working in a corporate office forces you to learn how to negotiate and converse with others in a way very different from home or school. “Code switching” is a common tactic used by not just me but many of my coworkers. Adapting the language and behavior of a professional lets us be taken more seriously and be seen as more reputable. There is a business casual dress code in my office and its imperative we keep up with those appearances too.
I also joined the crochet community when I started learning how to crochet over 2020’s quarantine. There is a special language used in crochet patterns that can be difficult to get accustomed to and memorizing all the hooks and fibers of yarn is an integral part of the community. Work in progress projects are abbreviated to “WIPs” and “single crochet” refers to a specific stitch where you go into the stich, “yarn over”, and “pull through”. These can be very confusing to get the hang of but there are social media groups associated with crochet filled with mentors ready to answer any question a beginner may have. There’s different podcasts and YouTube channels dedicated to spreading the art of crochet and giving advice on which fiber to use for which season. There’s even a subcommunity within the overarching discourse community of indie yarn dyers who are crocheters or knitters themselves and took their passion and love for yarn into the next level. I’ve noticed that once someone gets excited enough about crochet, the next step is to obsess over yarn. Its only the natural progression of things especially when they have so many pretty colors and tones!
Those would both make great things to write about. I myself am in the crochet community, although I haven’t had much chance to do anything lately. I kind of got obsessed with Tunisian crochet for a while, which was after the amagurumi phase. So I know a tiny bit about that one (yes, people do get obsessed over yarn!).
But honestly, either one would be good. You made me laugh when you said writing emails became a sport — that is so true!
Thats so great to hear! Lately I haven’t had much time for it either but I’ve been wanting to get into Tunisian crochet. The only amigurumi I made was a bee for my best friend’s birthday to fuel her stuffed animal obsession!