Table of Contents
My ROTC discourse community uses a form of lexis that will make it a discourse community. For, example the army itself has customs of the service. In the customs of service any soldier is expected to use correct titles when they are having conversations between other service members. Some people title when used by others coexist with the rest of his or her name. The different titles are determined by each rank in the military. When, someone is a part of a ROTC program as the cadre and cadets they have to address the senior rank as their titles insist which may consist of “Sergeant Graham” or “Captain Ziegler”.
Once, apart from this discourse community you will acknowledge the fact that the “military common courtesy policy will work both ways in which cadets or cadre will be used in front of your last name when you are conversing with anyone commissioned or of higher rank.” You will also hear cadets saying acronyms that only they understand like “ORP” (objective rally point). They only understand this because it determines location.
Information/ Feedback
This program utilizes feedback and information in order to improve performance in certain areas. Kevin Cruse states in his article that “performance feedback is very important when creating the kind of team needed to achieve goals.” This relates back to my interview in which Captain Z said that “subordinates receive information and feedback through the process of mentorship.” He also told me that “cadets are expected to mentor each other and the same will go in the officer community.” They call it “officer professional development.” From Kevin Cruse article I learned that with cadets there is leadership all over. This relates to captain Z point of cadets having a peer to peer relationship in which they hold each other accountable.” This is truly the best way for subordinates to improve in all areas once they have received that feedback.
Hierarchy
Captain Z, stated in the interview that “the army is a hierarchy and everything goes up and down a chain of command in a straightforward fashion.” For example between Captain Z, and the pms, he tells them everything he does as the executive officer and pms will either confirm what he done or ask for changes of what he has done. He said that “the different level of expertise would be seen more on the active duty side based off an individual’s branch.” A piece of every branch in the army has to come together with their knowledge for operation settings. The number one thing that makes the program unique is that we are all chosen to serve our country and that service could cost lives.
Conclusion
The University of Memphis’ Rotc program encompasses all the requirements for discourse communities. John Swale listed that a discourse community should include common public goals, intercommunication, lexis, provide information and feedback, and holds a hierarchy structure. The common goal of the Rotc is to produce healthy, well trained cadets. There exists a plethora of diverse lexis including acronyms and military phrases. Some are common such as MRE or Meals Ready to Eat, and others are more rooted in completing tasks such as ORP; Objective Rally Point. Because the Rotc is a training program there exists an intricate system of feedback and communication within its hierarchy.
During our 6A.M training, the Platoon leader organises and orchestrates the exercises we are to complete for the day. If a cadet is not performing aptly, responsibility falls on the peers to motivate and help the struggling cadet catch up. If performance still does not improve, there exists a remedial training session to help make up lost credit. These characteristics are why the Rotc program is an excellent example of a discourse community.