Language and Media Dictionary of Key Terms (April 2016) Martin Montgomery

language pollution media n. belief that a language is deteriorating because users are importing foreign material from another language (or languages) or failing properly to follow the rules of their own. In either case the pollution is often associated with the spread or influence of material from less favoured, more informal, colloquial linguistic varieties in a way that is seen as undermining the purity of the standard language. mmo

leak media n. the unauthorized release and publication of embargoed or confidential information. mmo

legitimation media n. the process of making an action, a structure, a set of beliefs, or a person normatively acceptable to a society. The term has achieved particular currency and importance in the work of the German political philosopher and social theorist Jurgen Habermas (b. ) who has argued that structures of governance in late modernity are undergoing a legitimation crisis because they are no longer held to serve the ends for which they were designed and their legitimacy, therefore, becomes a source of dispute. mmo

libel published words or images, whether printed or broadcast, that make purportedly factual claims, about a person or collectivity, which are derogatory or otherwise suggest a negative image. => defamation mmo

literary agent media n. a person who, acting in a professional capacity, represents the interests of individual authors in securing publication and remuneration for their work. Authors, as clients, pay a levy or fee to agents for their services. mmo

localization media n. the adaptation of cultural products to specific locales and regions in order to take account of local languages and cultures.

magazine media n. printed publication that contains articles and features, often illustrated, on a range of topics usually focused around a theme or interest. This may be very broad as in ‘women’s magazines’ or highly specialized as in photography or yachting. Magazines are financed through a combination of advertising, subscription or a cover price at the point of sale. Occasionally, as in the case of in-flight magazines, they distributed for free in restricted locations. mmo

mainstream media n. refers to cultural output or forms that command widespread recognition and/or acceptance with a culture. When used of the media it carries the implication of orthodoxy, consensus and conformism in the service of either commercial imperatives or popular appeal. In this sense it is used variously of cinema, the press, and popular music. However, it may also be used to describe movements in politics, science, religion, education and the arts, indicating those areas of belief or practice that have become conventional or orthodox. mmo