There are so many ways to embarrass yourself in this world. It's easy enough in your own culture, where you know most of the rules, but when you visit a foreign country, social interactions are fraught with gaffe potential. You could shake hands when air kisses were expected, make eye contact in a culture that deems it aggressive and boorish, or bring a hostess a gift of funeral flowers. Even smiles can be misinterpreted; what may seem like a friendly, open gesture to you can signal anger, embarrassment, or disrespect in other cultures.
What is the future of languages in an increasingly globalized world? Are we moving toward the use of a single language for global communication, or are there ways of managing language diversity at the international level? Can we, or should we, maintain a balance between the global need to communicate and the maintenance of local and regional identities and cultures?
This introduction is designed to give an overview of conversation analysis. It begins by locating conversation analysis as a methodology amongst other methodologies, and describing conversation analysis as body of knowledge which reveals the ways in which language works in communication.
Media Today: An Introduction to Mass Communication
Media Today puts students at the center of profound changes in the twenty-first century media world -from digital convergence to media ownership- and gives them the skills to think critically about what these changes mean for the role of media in their lives.
Discourse Analysis for Language Teaching gives a practical introduction to the field of discourse analysis and its relevance for language teaching. It begins by answering the question 'What is discourse analysis?' and examines how discourse analysts approach spoken and written language. Different models of analysis are outlined and evaluated in terms of their usefulness to language teachers. This is followed by chapters on discourse-oriented approaches to grammar, vocabulary and phonology. The final section looks at spoken and written language and considers examples of teaching approaches.
