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Based on author's thesis (doctoral - University of Melbourne and University of Birmingham, 2013) issued under title: Becoming British: a migrant's journey

This book examines the powerful role of writing in society. The invention of writing, independently at various places and times in history, always stood at the cradle of powerful civilizations. It is impossible to imagine modern life without writing. As individuals and social groups we hold high expectations of its potential for societal and personal development. Globally, huge resources have been and are being invested in promoting literacy worldwide. So what could possibly be tyrannical about writing?The title is inspired by Ferdinand de Saussure''s argument against writing as an object of linguistic research and what he called la tyrannie de la lettre. His critique denounced writing as an imperfect, distorted image of speech that obscures our view of language and its structure. The chapters of the book, written by experts in language and literacy studies, go beyond this and explore tyrannical aspects of writing in society through history and around the world: from Medieval Novgorod, the European Renaissance and 19th-century France and Germany over colonial Sudan to postcolonial Sri Lanka and Senegal and present-day Hong Kong and Central China to the Netherlands and Spain. The metaphor of ''tyranny of writing'' serves as a heuristic for exploring ideologies of language and literacy in culture and society and tensions and contradictions between the written and the spoken word.

A historically, spatially and methodologically rich sub-field of sociolinguistics, Linguistic Landscapes (LL) is a rapidly evolving area of research and study. With contributions by an international team of experts from the USA, Europe, the UK, South Africa, Israel, Hong Kong and Colombia, this volume is a cutting-edge, interdisciplinary account of the most recent theoretical and empirical developments in this area. It covers both the conceptual tools and methodologies used to define and question, and case studies of real-world phenomena to showcase Linguistic Landscapes methods in action.Divided into four parts, chapters bring into dialogue themes relating to reterritorialization practices and the productive nature of boundaries and spaces. This book considers the contemporary challenges facing the field, the politics and processes of identifying and demarcating 'sites of research', and the ethics and pedagogical applications of LL research.With comprehensive lists of further reading, extended discussion questions and suggestions for independent research at the end of each chapter, this is an essential reference work for all LL scholars and students who wish to keep abreast of the current state of the art.

Originally published as the author's doctoral thesis (University of Southampton) under the title Language, discourse and ideology: the Real Academia Espaanola and the standardisation of Spanish. 2008.

Deals with linguistic minorities and social change, seen through the lens of a linguistic minority school, meeting the challenges of globalization. Through an examination of the language practices in the daily life of a minority language school, this work explores issues such as nationalism, language policy, bilingualism, identity, and more.

How language shapes and is shaped by identity is a key topic within sociolinguistics. An individual's identity is constituted through a variety of different factors, including the social, linguistic, cultural and ethnic contexts. This book looks at these issues against the theoretical background of the sociology of knowledge, and ethnolinguistics.

Examines the ways in which the media represents language-related issues, but also how the media's use of language is central to the construction of what people think language is, could or ought to be like. This work is a multilingual survey of the construction of language in and by the media.

Academic discussions and public debates frequently focus on the importance of defending languages against various kinds of dangers. This book argues that the discussions in question are not about language itself, but rather ideological struggles which are about the position of nation states and of minorities in the globalized world order.

Offers students with an overview of the field of institutional discourse, introducing the key theorists including Foucault, Habermas, Weber, Giddens, Althusser and Gramsci, among others. This book covers a range of institutional contexts including the workplace, the media, prison, courtroom and academia.

Part of the "Advances in Sociolinguistics" series, this work examines the ways in which the media represents language related issues, and also looks at how the media's use of language is central to the construction of what people think language is, could or ought to be like.

Examines the various dangers that threaten our use of language in society. Using case studies that cover a range of languages, this title is useful reading for students interested in sociolinguistics and language endangerment.

Looks at the problematic and controversial area of identity, re-examining the analytical tools employed in sociolinguistic research. This title is suitable for academics researching sociolinguistics, applied linguistics and second language learning.