New Perspectives on Language Mobility: English on German Radio

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The diffusion of English and the increasing mediatization of our globalized world have significant impacts on our perceptions of language and culture. Beginning with an overview of how the conceptualization of language is currently debated in sociolinguistics and related fields, this book highlights the need for a new perspective on language mobility. Through examining the use of English on German radio morning shows, the book explores the dynamics of language use in times of accelerated globalization and provides insights into how the media operate within the global flows of messages and linguistic resources that characterize our mediatized societies. In doing so, it demonstrates how combining the different perspectives of a sociolinguistics of mobility and contact linguistics allows for a thorough investigation of language practices in society, and advances the theoretical and practical approaches to the study of language mobility as a result.

Reviews

The use of mobile English resources on German adult contemporary radio is the empirical basis of this excellent book which brings a fresh and timely perspective to translingualism. If you have ever wondered how broadcast journalists on-air language practices are shaped by media routines and global cultural flows, you could do no better than start here. -- Angela Creese, University of Stirling, UK
In this captivating book, Sarah Josefine Schaefer shows us how the complexities of the diffusion of English within the rising mediatization of our globalized world may significantly impact our critical understanding of sociolinguistics research. Through a range of fascinating examples of German radio morning shows, she makes powerful arguments for the new theoretical needs on how we see language mobility differently. A key book for understanding language, mobility, and media. -- Sender Dovchin, Curtin University, Australia

Author Bio

Sarah Josefine Schaefer is a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellow at the University of Limerick, Ireland.