Live well, live longer : communicating healthy eating tips for elders

This study presents a preliminary analysis of a selection of websites providing old age dietary and nutrition-related communication (Fairclough 1995; Hunston/Thompson 2001;Bhatia 2002). The websites under examination are maintained by different kinds of organisations, from corporations to government agencies, from academic institutions to health organizations (Bozeman 1987). The main purpose is to identify and analyze salient linguistic and pragmatic features, including the use of personal pronouns, specialized lexis and evaluation. More specifically, as a part of an ongoing research project on the representation of different age groups in health and dietary communication (Bait forthcoming), this study explores how seniors are constructed through language, giving attention to the interplay between social and corporate issues, and roles and relationships