Corpora, Corpses and Corps : A Multimodal Study of Contemporary Canadian TV Crime Series

This book uses corpus and multimodal methods to present a comparative study of three major Canadian TV crime series, Flashpoint (2008-2010), Motive (2013-2015) and 19-2 (2014-2016), paying special attention to cinematic techniques. Following an overview of the methodology and the Canadian cultural milieu of the study, the author approaches the three series as complex cultural and linguistic productions that depend heavily on a national appropriation of a genre whose popularity is growing internationally. The book investigates the verbal, nonverbal and paraverbal strategies employed by each production to create the patterns that make this genre appealing to a variety of audiences, and uncovers some of the psychological processes at work in contemporary Canadian TV crime serials. This book will be of interest to scholars in fields including Corpus Linguistics, Multimodal Studies, Canadian Studies, Media and Communication Studies, and Specialised Discourse. Federico Pio Gentile holds a PhD in English Linguistics from the Department of Literary, Linguistic and Comparative Studies at the University of Naples "L'Orientale", Italy. His main research interests include Multimodality, Media Studies, Canadian Studies, Specialised Discourse and Translation. He is the author ofLa linguistica del delitto. Maureen Jennings e il caso di 'Poor Tom is Cold', tra formulaicità e traduzione (2015), and translated the science fiction novel Embassytown by China Miéville (2016). He co-edited Translating LSP in Literature through a Gender Perspective (22(2)), a special issue of Anglistica AION an interdisciplinary journal, and has published articles in national and international journals Acknowledgements Conventions References Contents List of Figures List of Tables 1: Introduction Communication as a Quibbling Concept References 2: The Research Methodology Corpus Linguistics as a Methodological Tool Transcript Process and Tagging Tools Multimodality and the Extra-Linguistic Gap Annotation Procedure Beyond the Screen: Film Studies, Language and Communication Naturalness vs. Forgery: Cinematic Language Comprehension Specialised Discourse Conveyance and Popularised Knowledge Appraisal References 3: The Linguistic and Cultural Environment of Canadian Television Television as a Medium The Power of Media over the Masses Media Ecology and Regulation Policies The Canadian Television Background The ‘Cancon’ Contemporary Context Crime Genre and Television Seriality References 4: Flashpoint as in-Group Psychological and Action Narrative The Broadcast The Flashpoint Visual Narrative The Flashpoint Corpus Structure Communication in the Flashpoint TV Series Narrativity and Popularisation The Vocative Function Tactics Weaponry Occurrence Localisation Operations The Psychological Communication Slant Psychology and Profiling The Flashpoint Corpus Results References 5: The Motive ‘Whydunit’ Television Hybrid The Broadcast The Motive Narrative Core The Motive Corpus Structure The Motive TV Series Language(s) The Characters’ Portrayal Procedural Language: The Whydunnit Reconstructive Approach to Homicides Interrogation Room Talks The Crime Scene Dialogues Who’s Killing the Killstreak? The Motive Forensics: Language, Discourse and Terminology The Medical Communication Supports IT and Finances The Legal Context Crystallised Praxis Observation The Motive Corpus Results References 6: The 19-2 Anglified Police Procedural Noir The 19-2 Corpus Structure The Broadcast The 19-2 Expressive Spectum Procedural Language: Authority Misdemeanours Citywide Specialised Knowledge, Subcodes and Popularisation The Linguistic Characterisation Lingo, Slang and Jargon The 19-2 Corpus Results References 7: Contrastive Analysis and Results Normalisation and Speech Performance Metrics The Languages of the Corpora Popularised Knowledge, Natural Language and Characterisation Blend Narrating the Corpora Visual and Acoustic Dimensions The Canadian Contemporary TV Crime Drama References 8: Concluding Remarks References Appendix List of the Flashpoint Episodes List of the Motive episodes List of the 19-2 Episodes Further Reading Index This book uses corpus and multimodal methods to present a comparative study of three major Canadian TV crime series, Flashpoint (2008-2010), Motive (2013-2015) and 19-2 (2014-2016), paying special attention to cinematic techniques. Following an overview of the methodology and the Canadian cultural milieu of the study, the author approaches the three series as complex cultural and linguistic productions that depend heavily on a national appropriation of a genre whose popularity is growing internationally. The book investigates the verbal, nonverbal and paraverbal strategies employed by each production to create the patterns that make this genre appealing to a variety of audiences, and uncovers some of the psychological processes at work in contemporary Canadian TV crime serials. This book will be of interest to scholars in fields including Corpus Linguistics, Multimodal Studies, Canadian Studies, Media and Communication Studies, and Specialised Discourse. Federico Pio Gentile holds a PhD in English Linguistics from the Department of Literary, Linguistic and Comparative Studies at the University of Naples "L'Orientale", Italy. His main research interests include Multimodality, Media Studies, Canadian Studies, Specialised Discourse and Translation. He is the author ofLa linguistica del delitto. Maureen Jennings e il caso di 'Poor Tom is Cold', tra formulaicità e traduzione (2015), and translated the science fiction novel Embassytown by China Miéville (2016). He co-edited Translating LSP in Literature through a Gender Perspective (22(2)), a special issue of Anglistica AION an interdisciplinary journal, and has published articles in national and international journals