Johnstone examines a variety of discourse genres, showing how choices among linguistic resources are mediated by self-expressive choices. She then discusses linguistic consistency across a variety of speech situations, and asks how, if language is fundamentally idiosyncratic, people can understand one another. Johnstone examines a variety of discourse genres, showing how choices among linguistic resources are mediated by self-expressive choices. She then discusses linguistic consistency across a variety of speech situations, and asks how, if language is fundamentally idiosyncratic, people can understand one another.