Language and Characterisation in Television Series

A corpus-informed approach to the construction of social identity in the media

Author

Monika Bednarek | The University of Sydney

Hardbound – Available

ISBN 9789027212955 | EUR 99.00 | USD 149.00

e-Book –

ISBN 9789027254665 | EUR 99.00 | USD 149.00

This book explores how language is used to create characters in fictional television series. To do so, it draws on multiple case studies from the United States and Australia. Brought together in this book for the first time, these case studies constitute more than the sum of their parts. They highlight different aspects of televisual characterisation and showcase the use of different data, methods, and approaches in its analysis. Uniquely, the book takes a mixed-method approach and will thus not only appeal to corpus linguists but also researchers in sociolinguistics, stylistics, and pragmatics. All corpus linguistic techniques are clearly introduced and explained, and the book is thus accessible to both experienced researchers as well as novice researchers and students. It will be essential reading in linguistics, literature, stylistics, and media/television studies.

Winner of the Screenwriting Research Network 2023 Best Monograph award!

[Studies in Corpus Linguistics, 106] 2023. xii, 265 pp.

Publishing status: Available

https://doi.org/10.1075/scl.106

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments | pp. ix–x

Language notes | pp. xi–xii

Chapter 1. Televisual characterisation | pp. 1–25

Chapter 2. Corpus linguistic analysis of televisual characterisation: Data and approach | pp. 27–43

Chapter 3. Character differentiation and character stability | pp. 45–72

Chapter 4. Characters and stereotypes | pp. 73–104

Chapter 5. Flawed female characters | pp. 105–131

Chapter 6. Characterisation and the use of marginalised varieties of English | pp. 133–165

Chapter 7. Beyond individual series: Analyses of US and Australian television dialogue corpora | pp. 167–201

Chapter 8. Conclusion | pp. 203–210

List of TV series (and movies) | pp. 211–219

References | pp. 221–242

Appendix | pp. 243–259

Index of TV series (and movies) | pp. 261–262

General index | pp. 263–265

“Overall, this book is a thought-provoking and insightful read that adds to our understanding of how the media constructs, reinforces, and challenges social identities through language and characterization strategies. The author's use of corpus linguistics has helped to provide a rigorous and systematic analysis of the language used in popular television series, and her examination of different characterization strategies adds depth and nuances to our understanding of how these series construct and negotiate social identities. In addition, the style of the book is extremely reader-friendly without any obscure terminology or needlessly complicated diction. The book is highly recommended for scholars and students interested in media studies, linguistics, and cultural studies. As the use of audiovisual products, where different semiotic codes contribute to the construction of meaning, has proved to be a valuable tool in language teaching, this publication is also of vital importance for using films and television series for pragmatics and ESP teaching.”

Jingyan Zhang, NingboTech University, in Journal of Pragmatics 212 (2023).

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