Are we facing a ‘no-deal’, ‘cliff-edge’ or ‘clean’ Brexit? When and where did the word ‘Brexit’ first appear in the media? And why has the voice of business been ignored for so long?

With Brexit getting very close indeed, a new book cuts through the cacophony of the debate and shows how the language of politicians, the media and voters brought us to this historic juncture.

The book is edited by Dr Veronika Koller, of Lancaster University, Dr Susanne Kopf, who has a PhD in Applied Linguistics from Lancaster University, and Dr Marlene Miglbauer from the University College of Teacher Education, Burgenland.

‘Discourses of Brexit’, published today, provides a kaleidoscope of insights into how Leave voters explain their choice, how people discuss Brexit on social media and why, from time to time, Jeremy Corbyn and Nigel Farage sound very similar.

The book looks at how communications and debate influenced the outcome of the EU referendum and at the language that has sprung up as a result.

Working with a variety of data, from political speeches to Tweets, and a wide range of methods, the book presents a thorough examination of the ‘discourses’ around the referendum and related events.

Chapters include the study of social media reactions to the vote, the voice of the people in the multitude of vox pops, and an investigation revealing how MPs of all stripes failed to make a positive case for EU membership.

“I was thrilled to edit this book on the voices around Brexit,” said lead editor Dr Koller, “because it was clear it was going to be something productive and cathartic amid all the current uncertainty.”

“The book provides a longer term look at the language from the period before the Referendum right up to more recent debates and uncovers some fascinating trends.”

“It was amazing to see what a big impact even a small and subtle change in wording can have on the political stage.”

The book is published by Routledge.