Introducing the Language of the News A Student's Guide

Introducing the Language of the News is a comprehensive introduction to the language of news reporting. Assuming no prior knowledge of linguistics, the book provides an accessible analysis of the processes that produce news language, and discusses how different linguistic choices promote different interpretations of news texts.

Key features include:

• comprehensive coverage of both print and online news, including news design and layout, story structure, the role of headlines and leads, style, grammar and vocabulary
• a range of contemporary examples in the international press, from the 2012 Olympics, to political events in China and the Iraq War.
• chapter summaries, activities, sample analyses and commentaries, enabling students to undertake their own analyses of news texts
• a companion website with extra activities, further readings and web links.

Written by an experienced researcher and teacher, this book is essential reading for students studying English language and linguistics, media and communication studies, and journalism.

Introduction: Language and texts; Chapter 1. Making news; Chapter 2. Defining news; Chapter 3. Sourcing news; Chapter 4. Conveying meaning through design; Chapter 5. Structuring the story; Chapter 6. Headline, lead and story proper; Chapter 7. The tools of the trade; Chapter 8. Reporting information and evaluating likelihood; Chapter 9. The power of words; Epilogue; References

M. Grazia Busà is Associate Professor of English Linguistics at the University of Padova, Italy.