Discourse communities generally are a group of people with the same goal in a subtle way. These groups have a help system for people that are just starting or just generally need particular help to achieve this goal in a particular way. Discourse communities are everywhere and can be for anything. They can kind of be generally found in a workplace, in schools, etc, which makes them fairly significant. These discourse communities do not have to, for the most part, be for work though. They can even be for people looking to get better at a hobby. Everyone for the most part has an inside saying or other when conversing with cohorts/discourse communities that others would question the meaning or story behind. These words particularly are almost symbolic, demonstrating how these discourse communities can be almost like a secret club. The particular reason for this statement is that a word or phrase can be used in order to show who you actually are associated with and sometimes even how long you knew them. This term can be a common term that takes on a new meaning when with this group almost like a story or inside joke. A term me and my discourse community often use is the phrase “capping” or “no cap”. We use this word as a way to show we are being truthful or trying to specifically call someone out for lying. The term cap for the most has definitely taken on many meanings from bullets to lies. The term being used as a lie can be specifically found in the early 90s in the phrase “high cap” or “high capping”, which particularly is fairly significant in terms of how old this phrase has been used.
My discourse community formed in highschool around technology. Most of the members are pursuing careers in that field while others look at technology as a hobby. So the question remains, how did the word “cap” kind of become a word frequently used in our community when it particularly has nothing to do with technology. Well, the use of the term started fairly early in the sophomore year of high school when one person used it on someone who said something we specifically believed to be outlandish. This first introduced the word into our group where we would, for the most part, eventually add it to our vocabulary as a common saying. Eventually, in college, I joined another discourse community, demonstrating how these discourse communities are almost essential in everyday life. This one was a group that we would try to help one another in the constant math classes we were struggling with doing, as well as play video games and get better at them the different skill levels each member possessed, demonstrating how discourse communities do not always have to just be work-related. This went on till about the start of the third semester due to the fact I switched majors and have not had time to essentially play with them. This discourse community never really had a phrase or inside term or at least not to my knowledge. I have though met up with the high school discourse community more recently. They all still use the phrase “cap” which shows that this first introduced word into our group where we would for all intents and purposes add it to our vocabulary, which is fairly significant since I try to speak very formally. I only really met up with this discourse community sort of due to the fact they are significantly closer to me in terms of distance and how long we knew each other. Most of the members are pursuing careers in the field of technology while others virtually look at technology as a hobby. The term “cap” and “no cap” for all intents and purposes is still going fairly strong to this day it seems, with it being used in the same way it has since high school. That word really had essentially become an essential word to that discourse community sort of due to the fact it could be used for almost any situation. I kind of realized that this word has also joined my vocabulary because of this reason. Though, I for all intents and purposes do tend to use it in a generally more casual or informal environment since the word is still slang and can not be used in an important discussion. This word definitely is a word that is used most by most if not all people so they should already understand the meaning. This word also mainly makes it so there is essentially no real exclusion since anyone can in fact use the word particularly due to the fact it being a popular phrase used in songs.
Discourse communities are generally special and the one I am apart of in no way can sum up all the different, generally unique, discourse communities generally that are out there, contrary to popular belief. There is an undeniable truth when it essentially comes to the theme of these discourse communities based on the two I specifically was apart of. They were to help one another and to look out for each other. These came in handy so someone can stop you from messing up before you actually messed up. These rules came up and helped me a lot in the second discourse community I was apart of since in electrical engineering, they made you work with a soldering iron and, there wasn’t a lot of room for error. With them, I had zero burns but, when I was working by myself I kept burning my hand since I would forget that I was working with a hot piece of metal.
Category: Unit 1 Final Paper (Page 4 of 10)
Discourse communities are everywhere, and you might not even know it. A discourse community is a group of people who share a set of goals, understood as basic values and assumptions, and ways of communicating about those goals. Discourse plays a very important role in how we live our lives and communicate effectively. Â When asked about a community I reside in, I immediately think of the group shared by my friends and me. My discourse community has three members. It’s me and my two other friends and their name is Abu and Raihan. My discourse community was made when I was in my second year of high school. When I met my friends, we never thought we will be friends. Because we were always against each other.
All that changed when we went to a high school trip. In that trip we had to do assignment together and all three of us were in the same group. that was the first time we had to work together. When we started to work together, we realized we’re not that different. Our interests and goals were the same. We all wanted to graduate high school and go to college. All three of us wanted to do good in high school. After coming back from the trip, we became friends. we started to do our homework together. We would help each other with our homework are any other problems we had.
The most important word in my discourse community it’s simple it’s just help. Whenever we need help, we just ask each other and if we didn’t know the answer, we would just find it together. I graduated my high school mostly because of them. When I was in high school, I was really lazy. Mostly I didn’t do my homework or any of my assignments. But when they became my friends, they helped me through it. They always pushed me to do my homework and they always helped me whenever I needed it. we used to say that if we graduate, we would graduate together, if we went to college we would go to college together, And we will help each other to achieve our goals.
Once we were attending summer college. it was a program for high school students. it helped them to get college credits. In that program we had swimming every day. And I love swimming and I basically joined the summer class because of that and also because of the trips. One day when we were learning how to swim I kind of when to the deep side of the swimming pool by mistake because I was way too excited and I kind of underestimated swimming. I thought it was easy Bart I was wrong, and I realized it when I went to the deep part of the swimming pool. I was about to drown, and I thought my life was over, but my friend Raihan came and saved me.
I remember when I was a high school senior, I started coming late to school every single day. I had missed 2/3 classes every single day. And because of that my grades were going down, and I missed most of my assignments and my teachers told me that if I keep going like that, I had not graduated that year. But my friends they were going to graduate and when they learned that I’m not going to graduate they pushed me to come to school on time and they also help me to finish my assignments. And at the end just because of them I was about to graduate.
Now we graduated high school we’re in the same college and we did it by helping each other. It’s been six years of our friendship and the biggest reason we were in this friendship because we all needed help. Now we still depend on each other and to me they were my biggest help for my high school and my college and even problems outside of high school and college.
I think everyone a know the world help. But now days most of us don’t really help each other. And sometimes instead of helping each other we of us do harm to each other. Â But if we all come together and truly help each other the world would be a much better place. We could help countries who doesn’t have water. we can help people who doesn’t have food. help is a universal word everyone knows the meaning of it, and I think all of us should do it as much as we can.
If I could publish this essay I don’t really know where I would actually publish it. because it’s just about me and my friends helping each other. But if I had to publish it are you published in Newsela. Because I read many stories there when I was in high school. And I think high schoolers could learn the value a friendship and help. and true friendship will stay with them for rest of their life and it will help them every single time they are in trouble.
I still recall the day that phrase was first uttered out of my friend’s mouth that night. We were playing Monopoly and I happened to have landed on jail on the board. My best friend, Dajour, landed on jail visiting me and in a sly remark he said “Haha poor!”, an expression that would permanently solidify itself in our world. I had recently asked him where it came from and as he chuckled I was able to unearth the history behind it. As a kid, he wasn’t dealt the best hand, money-wise. With back-to-school money expenses and going into a charter school with uniforms and books, he was often forced to scrounge together what little supplies were left over from the years before. From 1st grade to the end of his middle school he had the same worn bag. The shoes he had, have worn-out bottoms with rocks wedged into the air pockets of the shabby soles. Not to mention he loved to play hard so by the middle of the year his school pants all had worn-out knees. And while his peers had an allowance, he ate the school food because it was a necessity. So- as he puts it- he was rightfully bullied for his status. He was called names such as, but not limited to, trash man, rags boy, no sole, and Slim Jim. But it was one mock that rang in his ears for years to come. A lower grader came up to him one day pushing him and laughing calling him poor. And it was that day he finally broke and had an eruption of anger. Suspended for 2 days, he came back with newfound bravery and confidence, happily owning what he was.
   The phrase is one capable of being used by anyone if the room is read correctly. I wouldn’t recommend using it in front of someone who can easily be affected by such a thing. Context is of utmost importance for the usage. Exclaiming “haha poor” to a homeless person would be not just rude but also disappointing. But if one uses it, however, to mock someone for a slight inconvenience to lighten the mood then it’s deemed okay. Just like how while playing Monopoly we were able to flip the meaning of it on its head. “Haha poor” is an all-inclusive phrase that is welcome to be used by anyone willing to joke about the minor inconveniences that life has to throw at us. I think everyone that has been feeling really down at a point and needs a beacon of hope should know this phrase so they can feel strengthened by a simple taunt that’s meant to bring others down. It is merely flipping the sneer on its head from one of endearment to one of hope and comedy. Â
There’s another phrase that often circulates within our friend group. And it all began in my middle school years: “Oh wow, that’s crazy.” In my younger years, I was very eccentric, some would say cringe. Consistently wearing plaid shirts with jeans, I barely cut my hair and my overall personal hygiene struggled. And as a child from a middle-wage West Indian household, because I grew sporadically the solution was to buy shoes and clothing a size or two bigger and cheaper than some name brand clothing my peers wore. I was often bullied for either having Skechers or undersized or oversized shoes. My way of dealing with the mockery instead of attacking the bully was to sarcastically wave off the verbal onslaught and then retort with a strike of my own. Thus “Oh wow, that’s crazy.” became a part of who I am as a person. Over the years, I’ve used it for more basic and mundane replies to simple anecdotes, making it one of my more known phrases. Because of this my friends meme me for the simplicity of my daily vernacular. More recently, however, the definition of it has changed for me. It becomes a way for me to shrug off menial information that doesn’t have my interest. As used in the group I’m currently in, Dajour tends to mock me and so it began as a thing for us. Its always a blast having a friend that you can connect with that just irritates you yet makes you overwhelmed with such joy at the same time. Nowadays, together we enhance our livelihood by the things we create and make that a lifestyle.
This is one phrase I’d recommend you use if you’re trying to portray yourself either in a sarcastic manner or if you are trying to kindly but comedically turn down a conversation. If you’re approached by some with ill intent trying to bring you down for how you present yourself saying the phrase is enough for you to empower yourself while also showing your assailant you are not backing down. On the other hand, using it on your friend when they’re talking about their favorite show, one you’ve said on multiple occasions you despise, should be enough to shut down that conversation- unless of course, they decide to ignore you and continue to blabber on. Just like with “Haha poor”, using this quip is a great way to flip its original meaning on its head and give it a new purpose. I’m welcoming of anyone wanting to use it as long as no malicious intent is behind the verbalization.Â
 From oversized Skechers to raggy old book bags, Dajour and I have turned traumatic and hurtful moments from our childhood and turned them into phrases of endearment, love, and pure joy. Hearing each other and especially others utter those words genuinely brings a smile to my face. Knowing that what was once used to hurt my friend and what I once used to turn away from conflict is now being used as terms of friendship and inclusiveness shows me that we accomplished our goal and I can only hope that others can feel as empowered as we feel today.Â
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