Destinee Richmond

Dr. Craig Wynne

English 101
September 17, 2015

We Are Multiple People

In life we are all multiple people. We play different roles at different
time of the day towards different audiences. For example, in an office
environment we communicate with a professional manner to our bosses and
colleagues; however, when people get home and are around their family,
they change to more informal conventions. Our voice, conventions, topics
and genre all shape the way we write to discourse communities such as
family, jobs, relationships, and college.
Within my relationship discourse community, there has to be some type of
connection between partners. You and your partner need to be aware and
initiate you both being a couple. In this community informal and sometimes
intimate conversation is alright to have. For example, sending a text
message saying Hey baby, what r we doing this weekend is sufficient
unlike in a work setting where improper spelling is inappropriate.
Similar to the previous discourse community, being a part of a family
also includes having friendly or playful conversation. These messages are
normally transferred through text, birthday cards or emails. Calling your
brother to remind him, HEY! DONT BE LATE TONIGHT, would not be the
same tone you give to a faculty member. Although it is okay to show urgency

to family, there has to be a boundary of respect. Examples of this would be

telling your mom just reminding you, I have to be picked up from the airport
by 7:00 p.m. in order to make my meeting would not be taken as disrespect,
Typical conventions that may be discussed in a family setting are news within
the family as well as the outside world, dreams and everyday life.
Unlike these informal settings where almost anything goes, in a work
environment there are certain standards that have to be upheld. In order to
become a part of this community one must apply, qualify, possibly go
through an interview process and sit through training. Depending on the type
of work one will be doing, the potential employee may need a diploma or
college education. A new cook at McDonalds does not have to qualifications
to do an accountants job. Working as a Giant grocery store employee, I had
to remain respectful and polite to customers, my manager and co-workers at
all times. The key to success in the retail industry is customer satisfaction
which I, the employee, attribute to by saying Welcome the Giant is there
anything I can help you with? when customers enter the store, or Did you
find everything you was looking for today? when customers enter my
checkout line. Also remembering to always say Thank you for shopping at
Giant, have a great day will ensure the customers satisfaction and that
they will return again. The genres of writing a store mostly uses includes
advertisement, letters or emails to higher managers, or face-to-face
conversation during visits. In my grocery store, associates have code words
to inform the cashiers on what to look out for such as B.O.B which means

there are groceries on the bottom of the basket (cart), or IPM to show how
fast a cashier is scanning or items per minute.
Following the environment of work, college students assume the role of
formal and proper writing as well as conversations. The qualifications for
joining the college life include but not limited to having a high school
diploma/GED, taking standardized test, applying and finally being accepted.
Conventions in this community are respect towards faculty and staff, proper
grammar and using MLA or APA format in writing, College students use
reports, essays, emails, and business/newsletters to display these
conventions. For instance, students would not talk to professors through text
message unless they approved it. Even while communicating with them, a
student would ensure they are using proper grammar and punctuation.
Writing an email to a professor that reads I cant print cant u help me
2morrow after class? Messages written in this fashion would not be taken
seriously or read by professors.
All in all, there will always be different times and places to use different
writing skills depending on the level of expectance. A grandmother would
expect to receive messages in a respectful manner. A group of friends may
not expect much except basic conversation. Each community will
communicate in its own way that may not always be understood by another
community. Each of my discourse communities have similarities in the way
we communicate, however each is distinct in its own way.