The Sociolinguistics of Digital Englishes

The Sociolinguistics of Digital Englishes introduces core areas of sociolinguistics and explores how each one has been transformed by the current era of digital communication and the Internet. Addressing the changing dynamics of English(es) in the digital age, this ground-breaking book: discusses the spread of English and its current status as a global language; demonstrates how key concepts such as language change, speech communities, gender construction and code-switching are affected by digital communications; analyzes examples of the interaction of Englishes and social media such as Facebook, Twitter and Urban Dictionary; and provides questions for discussion and further reading with each chapter. Accessible and innovative, this book will be key reading for all students studying sociolinguistics and digital communication or with an interest in language in the globalized multimedia world.

Preface Acknowledgements Chapter 1 - Introduction: Language, Englishes, and Technology in Perspective Chapter 2 - Language, Society, and Changing Networks Chapter 3 - Code-switching, Code-mixing, and Virtual Englishes Chapter 4 - English Knowledge, Power, and Internet Competence Chapter 5 - Changing Varieties, Discourse Practices, and Identity Chapter 6 - The Sociolinguistics of Gender and Race Construction on the Internet Chapter 7 - Truthfulness and Access in Online Communication Chapter 8 - Culture and Webs of Significance Chapter 9 - Conclusions Index

Patricia Friedrich is Associate Professor of Rhetoric and Composition/Linguistics at Arizona State University, USA. Eduardo H. Diniz de Figueiredo is Assistant Professor of English at Universidade Federal do Paraná, Brazil.