There are certain environmental influences, which are unique to our time. We begin to see the world as interconnected, interdependent and global. Because of this new worldview, we must begin to reconsider and redefine certain communication practices. It is important to be aware of and study differences in culture and communication practices. One such theoretical hypothesis that allows us to examine and understand different communication practices within social groups is the concept of speech community. According to Julia Wood (1997), speech communities are distinct social groups whose members use language in specific ways to achieve common goals. Distinct groups that have their own language, unique cultural practices, and geographic boundaries like Koreans, Norwegians, Mexicans, etc. are examples of linguistic communities. There are also speech communities that do not use a distinct language or live in a specific geographic region, but they are more difficult to identify. The concept of voice community is important for research because it helps us understand how culture and environment affect communication. Although the general description of speech community may be easy to understand, identifying specific speech communities is difficult because the concept has not been extensively researched. in recent years. More specific research in sociolinguistics or communication needs to be conducted in order to understand this concept in light of current environmental influences. The majority of research on speech community was undertaken in the 1970s. Since speech communities exist, we must be able to recognize them in order to manipulate our communicative practices to maximize community...... middle of paper ......l Association web page. (1998). [Online]. Available: http://www.nha.org/offer.htmNational Home Education Research Institute web page. (1998). [Online] Available: http://wwww.nheri.org/body.htmlPhilipsen, Gerry. (1975, February). Speaking “like a man” in Teamsterville: cultural models of role performance in an urban neighborhood. Quarterly Journal of Discourse, 61, 13-22.Shafer, Carolyn R. and Anundsen, Kristen. (1993). Creating community everywhere: finding support and connection in a fragmented world. New York: General Practitioner Putnam's sons. Sharp, David. (1997, March 14-16). Your children's education is at stake. Weekend in the United States, 4-6.Wood, Julia. (1997). Communication theories in action: an introduction. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Company. Worth, Fred. (1997). Socialization problems [Online]. Available: http://www.hsu.edu/faculty/worth/social.html