Language plays a key role in religion, framing how people describe spiritual experience and giving structure to religious beliefs and practices. Bringing together work from a team of world-renowned scholars, this volume introduces contemporary research on religious discourse from a variety of theoretical and methodological perspectives. It introduces methods for analysis of a range of different kinds of text and talk, including institutional discourse within organised religions, discourse around spirituality and spiritual experience within religious communities, media discourse about the role of religion and spirituality in society, translations of sacred texts, political discourse, and ritual language. Engaging and easy-to-read, it is accessible to researchers across linguistics, religious studies, and other related disciplines. A comprehensive introduction to all the major research approaches to religious language, it will become a key resource in the emerging inter-disciplinary field of language and religion.

The Routledge Handbook of Language and Religion is the first ever comprehensive collection of research on religion and language, with over 35 authors from 15 countries, presenting a range of linguistic and discourse analytic research on religion and belief in different discourse contexts. The contributions show the importance of studying Language and Religion and for bringing together work in this area across sub-disciplines, languages, cultures, and geographical boundaries. The handbook focuses on three major topics: Religious and Sacred Language, Institutional Discourse, and Religious Identity and Community. Scholars from a variety of difference disciplinary backgrounds investigate these topics using a range of linguistic perspectives including Cognitive Linguistics, Discourse Analysis, Sociolinguistics, Pragmatics, and Conversation Analysis. The data analysed in these chapters comes from a variety of religious backgrounds and national contexts. Linguistic data from all of the major world religions are included, with sacred texts, conversational data, and institutional texts included for analysis. The handbook is intended to be useful for readers from different subdisciplines within linguistics, but also to researchers working in other disciplines including philosophy, theology, and sociology. Each chapter gives both a template for research approaches and suggestions for future research, and will inspire readers at every stage of their career.

How do people of faith use language to position themselves, and their beliefs and practices, in the contemporary world? This pioneering and original study looks closely at how Christians and Muslims talk to people inside and outside of their own communities about what they think are the right things to believe and do. From debates, to podcasts and YouTube videos, the book covers a range of engaging texts and contexts, showing how doctrine and beliefs are not nearly as fixed and static as we might think, and that people are prone to change what they say they believe, depending on who they are talking to. From abortion, to hell, to whether it's okay to sell alcohol, Pihlaja investigates how Christians and Muslims struggle with different elements of their own faith, and try to make decisions about what to do when there are so many different voices to believe.

The Routledge Handbook of English Language Studies provides a comprehensive overview of English Language Studies. The book takes a three-pronged approach to examine what constitutes the phenomenon of the English language; why and in what contexts it is an important subject to study; and what the chief methodologies are that are used to study it. In 30 chapters written by leading scholars from around the world, this Handbook covers and critically examines: English Language Studies as a discipline that is changing and evolving in response to local and global pressures; definitions of English, including world Englishes, contact Englishes, and historical and colonial perspectives; the relevance of English in areas such as teaching, politics and the media; analysis of English situated in wider linguistics contexts, including psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics and linguistic ethnography. The Routledge Handbook of English Language Studies is essential reading for researchers and students working in fields related to the teaching and study of the English language in any context.

This book comprehensively introduces Cognitive Linguistics and applies its tools to religious language. Drawing on authentic samples from a range of faiths, text types, and modes of interactive discourse, the authors accessibly define concepts like embodied cognition, agency, metaphor analysis, and Dynamic Systems Theory; illustrate how they can be used in analyzing religious language; and offer thorough pedagogical material to aid learning and application. Advanced students and scholars of linguistics, discourse analysis, cognitive science, and religious and biblical studies will benefit from this practical guide to understanding and conducting research on religious discourse.

How do people of faith use language to position themselves, and their beliefs and practices, in the contemporary world? This pioneering and original study looks closely at how Christians and Muslims talk to people inside and outside of their own communities about what they think are the right things to believe and do. From debates, to podcasts and YouTube videos, the book covers a range of engaging texts and contexts, showing how doctrine and beliefs are not nearly as fixed and static as we might think, and that people are prone to change what they say they believe, depending on who they are talking to. From abortion, to hell, to whether it's okay to sell alcohol, Pihlaja investigates how Christians and Muslims struggle with different elements of their own faith, and try to make decisions about what to do when there are so many different voices to believe.

In the online world, people argue about anything and everything - religion is no exception. Stephen Pihlaja investigates how several prominent social media figures present views about religion in an environment where their positions are challenged. The analysis shows how conflict creates a space for users to share, explain, and develop their opinions and beliefs, by making appeals to both a core audience of like-minded viewers and a broader audience of viewers who are potentially interested in the claims, ambivalent, or openly hostile. The book argues that in the back-and-forth of these arguments, the positions that users take in response to the arguments of others have consequences for how religious talk develops, and potentially for how people understand and practice their beliefs in the twenty-first century. Based on original empirical research, it addresses long-debated questions in sociolinguistics and discourse analysis regarding the role of language in building solidarity, defining identity and establishing genres and registers of interaction.

Media discourse is changing at an unprecedented rate. This book presents the most recent stylistic frameworks exploring different and changed forms of media. The volume collates recent and emerging research in the expanding field of media stylistics, featuring a variety of methods, multimodal source material, and a broad range of topics. From Twitter and Zooniverse to Twilight and Mommy Blogs, the volume maps out new intellectual territory and showcases a huge scope, neatly drawn together by leading scholars Helen Ringrow and Stephen Pihlaja. Contributors write on topics that challenge the traditional notions and conceptualisations of "media" and the consequences of technological affordances for the development of media production and consumption. There is a particular focus on the ways in which contemporary media contexts complicate and challenge traditional media models, and offer new and unique ways of approaching discourse in these contexts.

In the online world, people argue about anything and everything - religion is no exception. Stephen Pihlaja investigates how several prominent social media figures present views about religion in an environment where their positions are challenged. The analysis shows how conflict creates a space for users to share, explain, and develop their opinions and beliefs, by making appeals to both a core audience of like-minded viewers and a broader audience of viewers who are potentially interested in the claims, ambivalent, or openly hostile. The book argues that in the back-and-forth of these arguments, the positions that users take in response to the arguments of others have consequences for how religious talk develops, and potentially for how people understand and practice their beliefs in the twenty-first century. Based on original empirical research, it addresses long-debated questions in sociolinguistics and discourse analysis regarding the role of language in building solidarity, defining identity and establishing genres and registers of interaction.

The Routledge Handbook of English Language Studies provides a comprehensive overview of English Language Studies. The book takes a three-pronged approach to examine what constitutes the phenomenon of the English language; why and in what contexts it is an important subject to study; and what the chief methodologies are that are used to study it. In 30 chapters written by leading scholars from around the world, this Handbook covers and critically examines: English Language Studies as a discipline that is changing and evolving in response to local and global pressures; definitions of English, including world Englishes, contact Englishes, and historical and colonial perspectives; the relevance of English in areas such as teaching, politics and the media; analysis of English situated in wider linguistics contexts, including psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics and linguistic ethnography. The Routledge Handbook of English Language Studies is essential reading for researchers and students working in fields related to the teaching and study of the English language in any context.

Media discourse is changing at an unprecedented rate. This book presents the most recent stylistic frameworks exploring different and changed forms of media. The volume collates recent and emerging research in the expanding field of media stylistics, featuring a variety of methods, multimodal source material, and a broad range of topics. From Twitter and Zooniverse to Twilight and Mommy Blogs, the volume maps out new intellectual territory and showcases a huge scope, neatly drawn together by leading scholars Helen Ringrow and Stephen Pihlaja. Contributors write on topics that challenge the traditional notions and conceptualisations of "media" and the consequences of technological affordances for the development of media production and consumption. There is a particular focus on the ways in which contemporary media contexts complicate and challenge traditional media models, and offer new and unique ways of approaching discourse in these contexts.

This book focuses on the ways in which metaphor contributes to the development of Internet arguments, known as 'drama', particularly on YouTube. Although a growing body of research into YouTube interaction has developed descriptions of user experience on the site, empirical studies of the YouTube video page and discourse analysis of user interaction are rare. This research specifically focuses on user interaction around issues of Christian theology and atheism on the site, analysing how 'drama' emerges. Since YouTube drama occurs publicly, Antagonism on YouTube focuses on video pages rather than user reports of their actions and responses. It investigates how and why YouTube drama develops through a systematic description and analysis of user discourse activity. Through close analysis of video pages, this study contributes to a greater academic understanding of Internet antagonism and YouTube interaction by revealing the factors which contribute to the development of drama over time.

Similar to many sites on the Internet, interaction on YouTube often features confrontational, antagonistic exchanges among users. YouTube comments threads in particular are known for their offensive, conflagratory content. This books looks at this form of discourse. The term 'drama' (or 'flame wars') appears often as a label for a phenomenon that is easily recognisable. In these cases, serious disagreements can become entangled with interpersonal relationships and users take positions for themselves in relation to others and social controversies. The focus of this book is on the ways in which metaphor contributes to the development of Internet drama, particularly on YouTube. Although a growing body of research into YouTube social interaction continues to develop descriptions of user experience on YouTube, empirical studies of the YouTube video page are rare, as well as close discourse analysis of user interaction on the site. This research specifically focuses on the interaction of a group of users discussing issues of Christian theology and atheism on the site, analysing how discourse facilitates to antagonistic interaction among users.Since YouTube drama occurs publicly, the book focuses on actual YouTube video pages rather than user reports of their actions and responses. It investigates how and why YouTube drama develops through a systematic description and analysis of user discourse activity. Through close analysis of video pages, this study contributes to a greater academic understanding of Internet antagonism and YouTube interaction by revealing the factors which contribute to the development of drama over time.