Dr Hilary Nessi, co-author of Genres across the Disciplines |
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Cambridge leads the way in cutting-edge applied linguistics publishing, but can digital media help us to communicate our enthusiasm for language and its analysis?
In the UK we’ve had anything from particle physics with Professor Brian Cox to bird watching with Bill Odie make their way into mainstream culture. Many people would have little interest in such subjects, but when they’re explored and explained by lucid and knowledgeable individuals, their enthusiasm can be contagious. As a result, subject areas which may at first be dismissed as ‘dull’ and ‘niche’ really come to life when they are presented by people with genuine passion. So who better to do that for applied linguistics than our very own authors?
This was in part the thinking behind a recent filmed interview with Professor Sheena Gardner and Dr Hilary Nessi, authors of Genres across the Disciplines, a title published earlier this year in the Cambridge Applied Linguistics (CAL) series. Whilst filming interviews with authors is something that many colleagues at the Press have already done with great success, ELT’s Applied Linguistics titles have never previously been thought of as prime candidates for this kind of marketing activity.
As part of a wider marketing plan that makes use of limited resources, and aims for maximum return on investment, the video was made primarily to promote Genres across the Disciplines on the TESOL Academic website. Hilary and Sheena, who are both based at Coventry University, are very active and well respected speakers at conferences and events in the UK. Their book has therefore been given plenty of exposure in UK applied linguistics circles, thanks almost entirely to the independent activities of its authors. |
