Hardback: ISBN: 9027253927 Pages: 277 Price: U.S. $ 138.00 Hardback: ISBN: 9027253927 Pages: 277 Price: Europe EURO 115.00
Abstract:
Advice Online presents a comprehensive study of advice-giving in one particular American Internet advice column, referred to as 'Lucy Answers.' The discursive practice investigated is part of a professional and educational health program managed by an American university. The study provides insights into the linguistic realization of both asking for and giving advice in a written form and thus adds to the literature on advice columns as a specific text genre, on advice in health care contexts, and on Internet communication.
The book offers a comprehensive literature review of advice in health encounters and other contexts, and uses this knowledge as a basis for comparison. Advice Online demonstrates how qualitative and quantitative research methods can be successfully combined to arrive at a comprehensive analysis of a discursive practice. It provides essential information on advice-giving for researchers, academics and students in the fields of (Internet) communication, media studies, pragmatics, social psychology and counseling. Health educators who work for advice columns or use similar forms of communication will also benefit from the insights gained in this study.
Table of contents
Acknowledgments ix-x List of tables and figures xi-xv Introduction 1-5 Material description: 'Lucy Answers', an American Internet advice column 9- 18 Literature review on advice 21-49 Research questions 51-56 The content structure of the response letters and the realization of advice 59-111 Aspects of relational work in the response letters 113-151 The personal and public dimension of advice-giving in the response letters 153-179 Lucy's voice: Constructing the identity of an expert advice-giver 181-205 The problem letters by the anonymus advice-seekers 207-244 Factors constituting the discursive practice in 'Lucy Answers' 249-257 Notes 259-264 Appendix: Sample of an XML file 265-266 References 267-273 Index 275-277
"This is a well-written, well-executed and thought-provoking book that displays great skill and sensitivity in the analysis of the discursive practices of advice-giving. It is particularly valuable in being the first book-length study of its kind on Internet discourse and is a top quality synthesis of highly pleasing originality and first class scholarship." Richard J. Watts, University of Berne
Linguistic Field(s): Discourse Analysis Pragmatics
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