Last week’s column talked about the registers of language and the difficulty created for those in poverty who communicate in the casual register, but have to navigate the world of school and agencies who operate in the formal register used by the middle class. Registers of language are connected to a second issue: patterns of discourse. The pattern of discourse is the manner in which information is organized.
The biggest difference is that in formal register, the pattern is to get straight to the point. In the casual register, the pattern is to go around and around before finally getting to the point.
Story structure in formal register starts at the beginning, moves chronologically through the narrative, then reaches the end. The important parts of the story are the plot and the events.
In casual register, the story begins with the part with the greatest emotional intensity, usually the end. The story is told in segments with lots of comments and jokes about characters and their value. Listeners are encouraged to participate and comment.
Community service providers who are working with people in poverty are often frustrated by clients who they think are wasting time. Exchanges tend to be misunderstood on both sides.
Providers want to get right to the point. But their clients need to tell a story first to contextualize and build to the point. When providers try to cut the conversation short, clients view that as rude and often shut down. The problem doesn’t get solved.
Think about this in terms of different service providers. A doctor is working with a patient and has a limited amount of time until the next appointment. Rather than describing symptoms and time frames, the patient is babbling about friends and family and their reactions to different things. S/he may not ever share the information the doctor needs to make the correct diagnosis.
What about a parent-teacher conference? The teacher wants to discuss what the class has learned, what they will study in the future, the quality of work the student is doing, classroom behavior, getting things done on time. The parent wants to talk about relationships, family matters, friendships, fights – issues that are outside the classroom; or the parent doesn’t speak at all.
Agencies like Northwest Community Action or Health and Human Services can offer assistance for a variety of problems a family might face. But that means they have to fill out paperwork, which can be incredibly frustrating for their clients who want to tell stories about their situation.
Imagine being a police officer who is responding to an accident, a burglary, or a fight. How long is it going to take to gather the data to fill out this incident report?
For people who need the services of the healthcare system, the schools, law enforcement agencies, or other service providers, communication can be very difficult. The agency’s need to gather information in a linear fashion can frustrate their clients. The client’s circular description of events, problems, or histories can frustrate the professional needing the information.
Bridges Out of Poverty programs are designed to help professionals and communities develop strategies for dealing with the issues that separate social and economic classes, like the issues of language registers and patterns. Bridges Out of Poverty programs have transformed schools, agencies, and communities throughout America.
On June 9, 9:00-3:00, the Alliance Poverty Task Force will be hosting a Bridges Out of Poverty program at the Alliance High School commons area. Bridges: Community Lens will help community sectors in planning how to better meet the needs of those in poverty. This workshop is open to the general public; it’s perfect for elected officials, concerned citizens, nonprofit staff, mental health providers, educators and school counselors, those working in the health and human service industries, frontline employees, and more!
Register at panhandlepartnership.com. Under Menu in the upper right corner, click on Training Academy. Under Upcoming Trainings, scroll down to June 9, Bridges Out of Poverty – Part 3. Here you can click on the registration link and pay the $45 fee using a credit card. The fee includes refreshments and lunch. If you are requesting a scholarship or paying for a group of people, please email connor.wilburn@panhandlepartnership.com and ask Connor to handle your registration.
Please join us as we work to apply this research in our area.