ABSTRACT
When joining a new workplace, we are essentially entering a new holistic language-use environment that requires us to learn the rules and norms underlying communication in that particular professional context. Not only do we have to learn and apply the professional, technical jargon, but also the norms of industry—and institutional-specific interaction, including how to address people, what is expected in terms of formality, and what is acceptable with regard to being informal relative to coworkers in a number of different positions and levels of familiarity. There are situations that require quite structured, formal talk such as meetings and service encounters, as well as more informal, oral office communication that includes ad-hoc, spontaneous talk such as small talk or making arrangements. Hence, in a new work environment we encounter a multitude of communicative situations and contexts of interaction that feature an even broader range of social, personal, and contextual factors—all of which mediate the specific communicative customs of the given workplace.
