Discourse of Blogs and Wikis

Blogs and Wikis have not been with us for long but have made a huge impact on society. Wikipedia is the best known exemplar of the wiki a collaborative site that leads to a single text claimed by no-one; blogs or web-logs have exploded into the mainstream through novelisations film adaptations and have gathered huge followings. Blogs and wikis also serve to provide a coherent basis for a discourse analysis of specific web language. <br/><br/>What makes these forms distinctive as genres and what ramifications does the technology have on the language? Myers looks at how blogs and wikis: <br/>*allow for easier than ever publication <br/>*can claim to challenge institutional hierarchies <br/>*provide alternate perspectives on events <br/>*exemplify globalization <br/>*challenge demarcations between the personal and the public <br/>*construct new communities and more <br/>Drawing on a wide range of popular blogs and wikis the book works alongside an author blog that contains regularly updated links references and a glossary. An essential textbook for upper level undergraduates on linguistics and language studies courses it elucidates informs and offers insights into a major new type of discourse. This coursebook will include a companion website.