Communicating in English : Talk, Text, Technology

Communicating in English: Talk, Text, Technology looks at how people use spoken and written English to communicate in their everyday lives.

Exploring the complex relationship between communication, technology and the English language, this book offers the reader practical insights into the analysis of speech and writing. A wide range of examples is provided, ranging from text messages and domestic quarrels to the works of Shakespeare and the words of Martin Luther King.

This book takes a fresh look at established topics such as rhetoric, language acquisition, and professional communication, as well as covering exciting new fields such as everyday creativity, digital media, and the history of the book. Key theoretical concepts are introduced in an accessible manner, and the reader is given an in-depth understanding of English-language communication in its social and historical contexts.

Drawing on the latest research and on the Open University’s experience of producing accessible and innovative texts, this book:

• explains basic concepts and assumes no previous study of English studies, communication studies or linguistics

• features a range of source material and commissioned readings to supplement chapters

• includes contributions from leading experts in their fields, including Naomi Baron, Deborah Cameron, Guy Cook, Janet Holmes and Almut Koester

• has a truly international scope, encompassing examples and case studies from Europe, North America, Africa, Asia, and Australasia

• is illustrated in full colour and includes a comprehensive index.

Communicating in English: Talk, Text, Technology is essential reading for all students of English language studies or communication studies.

Daniel Allington is a lecturer in the Open University’s Centre for Language and Communication, which is part of the Faculty of Education and Language Studies.

Barbara Mayor is a lecturer in the Centre for Language and Communication, and is an experienced contributor to Open University teaching in English language, applied linguistics and multi-ethnic education.