Memo

To: Newcomers to the Community of Fitness Training Professionals

From: Hritvik Rao

Date: January 20th, 2024

RE: Exploring the Discourse Community of Fitness Trainers

Introduction

The purpose of this report is to assist new participants joining fitness trainer’s community. Information
from Swales, Birds Canada, the Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas Project, as well as other birding resources
are presented below to help provide a deeper understanding of this discourse community.

Background

The aim of the Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas (OBBA) project is “to map the distribution and relative
abundance of Ontario’s 300 species of breeding birds” (para. 2, Birds Canada, 2021). There are many
levels of organization with the OBBA, however OBBA technicians play a crucial role in achieving this goal.
An OBBA technicians’ primary responsibility is to collect field data and create reports on their findings
(Birds Canada, 2022). Communication with other members of the project, including regional coordinators
and public engagement with volunteers is equally important to ensure data is collected in an organized
and efficient manner (Birds Canada, 2021). The position can also be physically demanding. OBBA
technicians are expected to be comfortable spending long periods of time outdoors, and working in
remote locations where bushwhacking could be required (Birds Canada, 2022). Adverse weather, and
buggy conditions are also hazards of the role (Birds Canada, 2022).

While it isn’t necessary to have a formal education, those with or working towards a degree or diploma in
ecology will be at an advantage while working as an OBBA technician (Birds Canada, 2022). It is necessary
to have an in-depth knowledge of Ontario bird ecology, and to be able to identify them by their calls and
appearance (Birds Canada, 2022). Considering the remoteness of the role, OBBA technicians must be
able to accurately navigate using maps or GPS and have obtained their certification in standard first aid
as well (Birds Canada, 2022).

Research and Analysis

The OBBA project is a complex community, with many levels of organization, however the concepts of
Swales’ discourse communities can be applied here to help simplify communication amongst OBBA
members.

According to Swales (1990), “a discourse community has acquired some specific lexis” (para 5), and this
can vary within the community depending on an individual’s role. Amongst the technicians and
volunteers, typical birding slang vocabulary may be used in the context of data collection. Examples
include “warbler neck”, a condition that arises from craning one’s neck to search within a tree’s canopy
for warblers, or “vagrant”, a species of bird that has travelled outside its normal defined range (CBC
Docs, 2020). Specific lexis is also applied to the rules and regulations involved in data collection, such as
the restriction of “pishing” which is a sound made using the mouth with the purpose of attracting more
birds to observe (Birds Canada, 2021). It is important to understand this vocabulary to ensure that data
is collected accurately and ethically. Amongst the more expert members of the community, specific
scientific vocabulary including species names and bird anatomy could be of equal importance in
verifying the accuracy of data collected (Birds Canada, 2022).

OBBA field technicians will also use various mechanisms of intercommunication, which is another
discourse community characteristic outlined by Swales (1990). To name a few, the reports compiled by
technicians will be utilized to create books and maps for use in further conservation studies and policy
creation by researchers and government officials (Birds Canada, 2021). Email is utilized by regional
coordinators for the purpose of organizing technicians and volunteers into specific zones for data
collection (Birds Canada, 2022). The OBBA also shares a Discord platform for discussions, which helps to
facilitate communication between all members of the project (Birds Canada, 2021).

Another key characteristic of discourse communities is the primary use of these communication
mechanisms, which is to provide information and feedback (Swales, 1990). This can be seen quite
clearly within the OBBA project, as the information collected by volunteers and field technicians is
passed along first to regional coordinators for review, to writers and GIS technicians for the productions
of books and maps, and then onto policy creators and government officials to act on (Birds Canada,
2021). The Discord discussion board also provides an excellent example of how feedback is
communicated, as members with less expertise can ask questions and seek support with difficult to
identify birds (Birds Canada, 2021).

Conclusions

To summarize, the Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas technician community displays the use of particular
mechanisms of communication and utilizes these mechanisms to share information and feedback
among its members. It also uses a variety of specific vocabulary, including scientific language and slang.
To join and be a valued member of this discourse community, newcomers should:
 Invest in a bird identification field guide as a reference for the proper scientific lexis to use
when characterizing and identifying birds.
 Become familiar with the Discord platform.
 Review the rules and regulations for completing point-count surveys and reports.

Word Count: 742

 References

Birds Canada. (2021). Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas. https://www.birdsontario.org/

Birds Canada. (2022). Field Technician – Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas Project. Retrieved January 18th, 2023

from https://www.birdscanada.org/about-us/job-opportunities

CBC Docs. (2020). Birding for beginners: What you need and need to know.

https://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/cbc-docs-pov/birding-for-beginners-what-you-need-and-

need-to-know-1.5747372

Swales, J. (1990). The concept of discourse community. Genre analysis: English in academic and research

settings. Cambridge University Press.