Medical Writing: Modality in Focus

Erscheinungsjahr 1999
ISBN: 978-90-420-0708-6
Verlag: Brill | Rodopi

Buch, Englisch, Band 28, 171 Seiten, Format (B × H): 150 mm x 220 mm, Gewicht: 445 g

Reihe: Language and Computers

This book examines the role of modal expressions in various medical genres, as well as pointing out other markers of speaker attitude. Based on new computer-readable data, and combining quantitative and qualitative methods, the book argues that the use of modal expressions reflects the institutional context of medical discourse. Modal expressions are analysed with reference to hedging, reliability, and argumentation, and it is shown that their use in different genres reflects a model of medicine leading from bio-medical hypotheses through assessment to clinical applications. The book also analyses new genres of medical writing that have developed as a response to the increasing amount of medical information. Advertisements are analysed as an example of medicalization, showing how evaluation in the texts is based on medical values.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Vihla, Minna

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Sprachwissenschaft Angewandte Sprachwissenschaft
• Medizin | Veterinärmedizin Medizin | Public Health | Pharmazie | Zahnmedizin Medizin, Gesundheitswesen

Inhaltsverzeichnis

List of tables. List of figures. Abbreviations. Preface. 1. Introduction. 2. Professional languages and genres. 3. Modality. 4. Material and methods. 5. Modals. 6. Expressions of possibility. 7. Indicating a higher degree of commitment. 8. Obligations and recommendations. 9. Intratextual variation. 10. Comparing corpora. 11. Textual dimensions of medical genres. 12. Pragmatic aspects of modality. 13. Argumentation in medical texts. 14. Modality and the disciplinary context of medicine. 15. Medical genres. 16. Conclusion. References. Appendices. Index of authors. Index of subjects.