Lauren Toma English 1103- 6 Speech Community Essay Over the course of the past few wee !

have "een e#amining the speech community that ! am a part of$ ! have foun% that a speech community is so much more than &ust the language that you spea with other people$ ' speech community is where you have something in common with other people$ !t is where you can !%entify yourself$ Similar speech characteristics play a "ig role in &oining people together$ ! live in a Christian (ussian speech community$ ! can %efinitely say that it playe% a role in how ! grew up an% the personality that ! have an% how ! act$ ! have learne% that the language is much more comple# than ! thought it was$ There is much more that goes into "ecoming a part of my community$ The way that you spea the language can reveal how an% where you were raise%$ !t can reveal your personality an% your eti)uette$ 'fter reflecting on my own speech community ! "egan reali*ing how much it ta es to stay a part of it$ +irst, one must "e a"le to spea (ussian$ Even if the ma&ority of what is sai% is in English, a few (ussian wor%s woul% "e tosse% aroun% mi%sentence$ 'nother re)uirement of my speech community is that you have to "e a "eliever of -o%$ !t is something that my speech community has in common with one another an% it is a ma&or topic that is often %iscusse% using (ussian terminology$ To "e a part of the community, it is not enough to &ust "e a"le to spea the language$ One has to spea it in a certain way meaning no vulgar wor%s or comments$ !n my un%erstan%ing "ecoming a part of a speech community ta es time$ .ou have to "e aroun% that group a lot to get a sense of how they communicate$ +or e#ample, my speech community switches off from tal ing solely in (ussian to a mi# of (ussian an% English to solely English$ +or someone who has never "een a part if such a community !t way ta e sometime to a%&ust to this "i*arre way of spea ing$ /owever, since ! grew up spea ing this way it all seems so natural to me$ 0ecoming a part of my speech community also meant that ! ha% to "e very involve% with them in or%er to get a hol% of their speech characteristics$ 0eing a part of my speech community means that you have to "e very involve% in the church since that is what our main su"&ects are a"out$ 'n event that goes on in church is usually the main topic of %iscussion until the ne#t event occurs$ ! actually e#perimente% with this myself$ ! stoppe% going to choir practices, ! %i% not go to a few new years party planning events, ! %i% not go to a "i"le stu%y or a "onfire at someone1s house an% ! foun% that the people in my speech community were communicating with me less an% less$ +rom this e#perience ! reasone% that physical atten%ance at events that are hel% "y my speech community are crucial to go to$

2oing research on my speech community really helpe% me "etter un%erstan% my i%entity$ ! "egan to thin how ! i%entify myself to other people$ 3e have all "een in the situation when someone as s you to tell them something a"out yourself$ ! reali*e% that one of the first thing ! say is that ! am (ussian$ ! i%entify myself as "eing a (ussian$ ! fin% that it is one of the most important things a"out me$ ! feel li e that is where my roots are an% ! em"race that$ 's ! %ug %eeper into the language ! foun% that the in% of speech that ! hear my parents an% frien%s use gives me clues a"out the culture that comes from that community$ !nsi%e that culture are the customs that ! grew up nowing an% practicing$ ! feel that the assignments that have "een assigne% to me in the past few wee s have helpe% me un%erstan% my community "etter$ The assignments gave me a chance to research something that ! never really pai% attention to or new was there$ !t is acually )uite ama*ing how ! never reali*e% how important my speech community was "efore this class$ Through %oing these assignments ! have answere% many of my own )uestions a"out my speech community$ 'lso through %oing this assignment i have notice% many speech characteristics that i ha% never "efore pai% attention to$ 'fter reasearching these characteristics i "egan comparing them to the characteristics of my own speech community$ The "log assignment helpe% my un%erstan% what speech communities were an% what they coul% consist of$ 4y first thought when ! hear% the wor% speech communties was that each community was ma%e up of a completely %ifferent language li e English, +rench, (ussian or Spanish$ ! never thought of the communites "eing i%entifie% "y a particular %ialect or "y a social me%ia$ 2oing the "log assignments help me catagori*e% my (ussian speech community into su"categories such as %ialects an% the use of slang or particular terms$ 2oing the %ay "oo activities was really helpful when it came to reflecting upon our own speech communities an% how we coul% relate our speech communites with the ones we rea% a"out in the "oo Language Awarness an% in the "log posts$ The Literary narrative essay , 3i ispaces assignment an% the vi%eo an% conte#t report all serve% one common purpose for me$ They all helpe% me research my community an% "ecome more aware of the elements it is compose% of$ ! woul% say that the 3i ispaces assignment helpe% the most$ ! allowe% me to "rea %own my community into in%ivi%ual pieces so that ! coul% e#amine each piece in%ivi%ually$ 'fter %oing this assignment i "ecame more aware of how my community tal s$ 0efore ! woul% never reali*e when my family an% frien%s woul% switch langauges in their sentences "ecause it seeme% so natural to me$ /owever, now ! have "egun to notice when people are spea ing 5"ro en5 English or when they are tal ing pure (ussian or English$! have foun% that some people in my speech community spea in a way that realates to tra%itional russian speech an% others spea a more mo%ern form of russian using new phrases an% slang wor%s$ ! never notice% the %ifference in their speech until ! researche% it$ 'lso ! never

pai% attention to the %ifferent %ialects in my speech community until ! foun% out that (ussians have %ifferent %ialects too$ These assignments actually ma%e me raise )uestions for myself a"out my community an% how ! "elong in it$ They helpe% me figure out how ! got into the community in the first place$ Through %oing these assignments ! have foun% out a lot a"out my i%entity in the community an% ! have reali*e% how my community has shape% an% forme% me into who ! am to%ay$