The Sociolinguistics of Digital Englishes

The internet has revolutionised the way we interact and caused a complete shift in the dynamics of our communication. We now talk and write to strangers; provide feedback to writers, artists, and companies; post opinions; work as informal journalists; start social movements; and merge oral and written modes in new, creative but also challenging ways. At the same time, we have witnessed the spread of English on a global scale and this has become inextricably linked with the evolution in online communication.

The Sociolinguistics of digital Englishes investigates these phenomena by introducing core areas of sociolinguistics but exploring how each one of them has been transformed by the current era of globalization, particularly with regard to the spread of English and its current status as a global language. The key topics covered include:

• Language, English, and Technology in Perspective

• Language, Society, and changing networks

• Code switching, code mixing, and virtual Englishes

• English knowledge, power, and internet competence

• Changing Varieties, discourse practices, and Identity

• The sociolinguistics of gender and race construction on the internet

• Truthfulness and access in online communication

• Culture and webs of significance

This book will be key reading for students with an interest in language in the globalised multimedia world.

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 the Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Santa Catarina, Brazil