Knowledge & Discourse: Towards an Ecology of Language (Language In Social Life)

Colin Barron

ISBN 10: 0582328802 / ISBN 13: 9780582328808

Published by Routledge 2002-01-15, 2002

About this Item

Seller Inventory # 6666-IUK-9780582328808

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Knowledge & Discourse: Towards an Ecology of Language (Language In Social Life)
• Publisher: Routledge 2002-01-15
• Publication Date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0582328802
• ISBN 13: 9780582328808
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

Knowledge and Discourse presents an ecological approach to the study of discourse in social, academic and professional practices. It brings together distinguished scholars from diverse cultures - India, China, Australia, Canada among others - and disciplines - linguistics, anthropology, sociology, philosophy. The chapters collectively illustrate the ecological approach by exploring how language makes connections between subjective experiences as people construct meaning and action.

This book offers the reader a holistic, interdisciplinary approach to the study of language as discourse, questioning traditional views of disciplinary knowledge and the role of discourse in the pursuit, construction and compartmentalisation of such knowledge. Through the variety of disciplines, experiences and approaches, the contributors show how the world and word are contingent on each other. The notions of connectivity, contingency and change are themes that run through the book, and in the interweaving of these themes readers will find persuasive illustrations of an ecological approach to applied linguistics.

About the Author

Colin Barron, Nigel Bruce and David Nunan are all based at the English Centre, Hong Kong University.