Last update:
9 February 2010
|
Mediating Discourse Online
2008. vii, 364 pp.
Publishing status: Available
Hardbound
– In stock
978 90 272 0519 3 / EUR 105.00 / USD 158.00
e-Book
– Available from e-book platforms
Information and communication technology is transforming our notion of literacy. In the study of second language learning, there is an acute need to understand how learners collaborate in mediating discourse online. This edited volume offers essays and research studies that lead us to question the borders between speech and writing, to redefine narrative, to speculate on the consequences of many-to-many communication, and to ponder the ethics of researching online interaction. Using diverse technologies (bulletin boards, course management systems, chats, instant messaging, online gaming) and situated in different cultural environments, the studies explore intercultural notions of identity, voice, and collaboration. Although the studies come from varying theoretical perspectives, they point, as a whole, to insights to be gained from an ecological approach to studying how people make discourse online. The volume will especially benefit researchers in the digital arena and instructors who must consider how online interaction affects language learning and use.
Table of contents
“Mediating Discourse Online is an excellent, comprehensive collection of the latest research on computer-mediated communication in foreign language learning. The contributions are clearly written and provide a very broad coverage of relevant issues, approaches, and methodologies.”
Richard F. Young is Professor of English Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
“By combining an impressive range of relevant literature with competent data analysis, ''Mediating Discourse Online'' succeeds marvelously incontributing to a deeper understanding of the language-culture-technology triptych. What is more, and as Thorne puts it forcefully, it provides fertile soil for further research, especially on learning in non-institutionalized digital settings, such as online games. It is highly recommended to all those who wish to abide by the urgent need to keep up with ''an increasingly networked, electronic, and globalized age'' (Lam 2000: 458) and broaden their scholarly knowledge about online discourse and its mechanisms.”
Subject classification |
Linguistics