Date of Award
12-2010
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Legacy Department
Professional Communication
Committee Chair/Advisor
Katz, Steven B.
Committee Member
Ding , Huiling
Committee Member
Johnson , Alan
Abstract
This thesis focuses on how style accommodates scientific risks for public audiences in Magazine articles. Language has previously been unexplored in risk communication; in accommodation research, style has not been investigated. Responding to these gaps in research, this study combines two unexplored dimensions--risk communication and accommodation--to show how syntax, diction, and metaphor resituate technical language and ideas in scientific risk studies for readers. First, interviews with editors and writers will provide a rich understanding of how their editing and composition practices influence accommodation processes. From there, an electronic communication analysis will illustrate how this medium can accommodate beyond text to give readers active roles and responsibilities to learn about and engage with scientific risks. Finally, Gibson's Style Machine will determine the style writers and editors use to address their implied readers, while diction and metaphor analyses will demonstrate how style shapes technical knowledge around these readers' values, needs, and interests.
Recommended Citation
Dalton, Erin, "Style and Electronic Communication: The Accommodation of Scientific Risks in the Sierra Magazine" (2010). All Theses. 1025.
https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_theses/1025