Ethnographic fieldwork is something which is often presented as mysterious and inexplicable. How do we know certain things after having done fieldwork? Are we sure we know? And what exactly do we know? This book describes ethnographic fieldwork as the gradual accumulation of knowledge about something you don't know much about. We start from ignorance and gradually move towards knowledge, on the basis of practices for which we have theoretical and methodological motivations.

Jan Blommaert and ...

Presents an investigation into the evolution of language. This book exposes the elusive forces of creation at work in human communication. Along the way, it teaches why German maidens are neuter while German turnips are female, why we have feet not foots, and how great changes of pronunciation may result from simple laziness.

Sociolinguistics and Second Language Acquisition is a comprehensive textbook that bridges the gap between the fields of sociolinguistics and second language acquisition, exploring the variety of ways in which social context influences the acquisition of a second language. It reviews basic principles of sociolinguistics, provides a unified account of the multiple theoretical approaches to social factors in second languages, summarizes the growing body of empirical research, including examples ...

Media Literacy teaches students how to navigate through the overwhelming flood of information found in today's media-saturated world. Author W. James Potter presents examples and facts to help students understand how the media operate, how they attract attention, and how they influence the public.

Get to the heart of fake news and brush up on your media literacy skills as you explore the media landscape of today, and where it all came from, using the current and relevant research found in Media & Culture.

A student-friendly companion guide that builds the skills, habits, and strategies university writers need to complete the most common types of reading and writing assignments. The Everyday Writer empowers writers and strengthens their skills, creating awareness of the choices they have and encouraging reflection on the choices they make. It invites us to learn, practice, and examine the expectations of academic writing but it also honours the varieties of English we use and the experimenting ...

A critical introduction to meaning and power in an age of participatory culture, social media and digital platforms. Helps students to understand the central role media play in the social world, and how they can become informed media citizens themselves.

Organizational Communication is the first textbook in the field written from a critical perspective, while providing a comprehensive survey of theory and research in organizational communication. It familiarizes students with the field of organizational communication-historically, conceptually, and practically-and challenges them to reconsider their common sense understandings of work and organizations, preparing them for participation in 21st century organizational settings. Linking theory w...

The Network Society; the essential guide to the past, current consequences and future of digital communication, remaining an accessible, comprehensive, must-read introduction to how new media function in contemporary society.