When we discussed true voice, I began to think about my own voice. I'm sure most of you think I have a pretty distinctive one, but I know that in certain situations, my voice changes. When I talk to my students, the voice is subtly changed to match the situation, as it is when I talk to my professors, or friends, or even service clerks. I think we all know that different situations call for different language and different voices. As an English teacher, I notice that when I tell people what I do for a living, they almost always respond with "Oh, I better watch my grammar."
Once when I was golfing, I joined a threesome of men to play the back nine holes. When they found out what I did, they immediately began to speak more formally. That lasted until the 11th hole when I hooked my drive into the gunch and uttered (Okay, yelled) a profanity. Things became much more relaxed after that.
We all have expectations of how we should use language depending upon the situation. I find no problem in having different voices for academic purposes, for use with friends, for business use. They are all my true voices.
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