Quote 1:
“The basic idea of a rhetorical discourse community arose in contrast to the longer-standing sociolinguistic concept of speech community. The latter was premised on a homogeneous assemblage of people who share place, background, language variety and who largely share social, religious, and cultural values…However, it is unclear whether, in this era of cell-phones, family dispersion, a fluid and uncertain job market for the young, the rise of international trade, and the decline of local crafts and industries, traditional speech communities continue to exist in meaningful numbers” (Swales 8-9)
Connection: Swales states that the foundation of a discourse community became a fuzzy thing within the sociolinguistic community since many people of different backgrounds will of course differ from opinions and experiences to define what a discourse community is to them. From different groups people can be in and amend, these people who share similar backgrounds such as languages, culture, work place, and interests are more likely to share a more large variety of values and be a part of the same discourse community without being aware of it. Additionally, when Swales states that it may be uncertain in the era of cell phones and family dispersion, the writer presented burdens that could obliterate the idea of a ‘discourse community’. For example, everyone today unfortunately is too addicted to their cellphones, especially for younger generations who are so accustomed to it that we practically make our whole life on medias which can present a disconnection from real life. As I am a part of the younger generations that are growing older, it’s harder for us to get into the job market or are becoming distant from their families and numerous other issues that could be presented, although these communities could become stronger through social media means or other traditional means, its foundation could be lost.
Quote 2:
“A DC develops horizons of expectation, defined rhythms of activity, a sense of its history, and value systems for what is good and less good work. Consider again the concept of the university clocks moving at different speeds…One of the many things that I did learn in the investigative process was that university clocks move at different speeds in different parts of a university. The clock goes very slowly in the Herbarium” (Swales 31, 2).
Connection: The writer makes an allusion with ‘clocks’ , that could possibly be referring to how time moves accordingly to the type of discourse community. For example, Swales states that time goes very slow at the herbarium. That could be compared to a community such as a music or art community where time could be going fast because they are so invested in the activity. However, in which ever way time may move/feel like to an individual, a discourse community is like a party where there are waves of emotion and similar sacred values that these people may share. I agree with the author because being a part of different communities or even one discourse community can define who you are and if you are lost within the community, it’s because you are fond or have interest which defines who you are.

Discourse Communities I Am In
1)  One discourse community that would be considered a community is on media, specifically Twitter. On Twitter, I have a fan account for BTS which is used to support my favorite band. Not many are aware of it but I am a part of something called ‘K-Pop Twitter’ whereas we generally speak with other fans and have a welcoming community for our favorite artists. For some reason, many locals, which is just a name we give to individuals who aren’t into K-Pop (Korean Pop Music), don’t like us at all because we are always trending anything related to our favorite artists or they may find us annoying. However, I have made many new friends on Kpop Twitter where I have met them in real person and we were able to go to concerts together and it has honestly helped me socially. Although we don’t know what we look like to each other because our profile pictures and cover photos are members of the bands, most of us feel safe to speak with each other and because we share the same interest, we feel comforted. I am active on Twitter almost everyday, we even have a name, BTS fans are called ‘ARMY’, so that’s what people would refer to us as and each and every one of us have a tiny “7” font in our name to identify that we support BTS, a South Korean band. It may sound confusing but it’s a great community. 

2) A second discourse community I am in is when I worked at the aquarium, I wasn’t only their to clock in shifts but I was there to advocate for the cleanliness of our oceans. Before the pandemic arrived, when everything was open, I would constantly go see the director of the aquarium and met my boss to speak to them about plans to help let people know that we need to take action fast. So anyone who would enter the aquarium, they would get a brief vague sense of what is happening with global warming and the infestation of plastic in our oceans and it could possibly change their everyday actions. I was always a part of walks to spread awareness and felt passionate about taking care of our animals in our oceans. I personally went to go clean up parks and beaches and knowing that there are millions of individuals like me who are advocating to make a change and to let others change their habits says that we are a global community.

3) Being a college student is a discourse community in itself because we are all adults who are studying and working towards a goal. Whether these students know what exactly they want to be or some are still figuring it out, we all share the same values of wanting to graduate and to maintain great grades. We are able to communicate with each other and with professors and become friends with people near and far. Students are able to make friends with people from the same department and grow a connection with their local community. It also gives people the opportunity to study abroad and to connect with people internationally. Essentially, in university, everyone is trying to find themselves and tries hard to make their goals reality. We are all gathered in the same place to become prepared to live life, work, and do whatever it is that makes each and every student happy.