Researching Language and Digital Communication: A Student Guide

This student guide introduces research on language and digital communication, providing an overview of relevant sociolinguistic concepts, analytical frameworks, and methodological approaches commonly used in the field. The book is a practical guide to help students develop independent research projects on language and digital communication. Topics covered include: the emergence of research on Computer Mediated Communication (CMC), interactional affordances and the design infrastructures of digital platforms, practical and ethical guidance in designing and implementing a research project on digital communication, contemporary approaches in the sociolinguistics of digital communication, such as Computational Sociolinguistics (CS) and interactional analyses, the impact of social and digital media on language change

Chapters are organized thematically, each supplemented with examples from various platforms and sociolinguistic contexts, as well as further reading and activities to scaffold students’ learning.

The interdisciplinary relevance of this topic makes it key reading for students from A-level English Language to undergraduate and postgraduate students in linguistics, English language, media studies, digital culture, and communications.

Additional online resources are available on the Routledge Language and Communication portal.

Christian Ilbury is a Lecturer in Sociolinguistics at the University of Edinburgh. His research focusses on the interrelation of digital culture and language variation and change with a concentration on the linguistic and digital practices of young people.