Abstract

The purpose of this study is to focus on the phenomenological aspects of the work of Walter Ong. Ong's theories about language and culture are often described as being phenomenological in nature. However, to date no work exists that compares Ong's ideas to the fundamental phenomenological tenets of Edmund Husserl, the founder of phenomenology. This work provides precisely that type of comparison. It proceeds in its treatment of phenomenology, both Husserlian and Ongian, by bringing to bear the concept of digital text, specifically the appearance of the digital word. Thus, this work connects three separate areas: Edmund Husserl's phenomenology, Walter Ong's ideas regarding the phenomenology of language, and the technology of the digital word as it exists in the contemporary classroom. By connecting these three subjects, this dissertation endeavors to provide educators with a theoretical basis whereby they might be able to think critically about language as it exists in different modes