Triggered by register-functional studies of grammatical complexity (Biber et al. 2022) and addressing a gap in previous research on TV dialogue (Bednarek and Zago 2023), this paper explores how complex the language of American TV series is. The study investigates phrasal complexity via adjectival and nominal premodifiers in the Sydney Corpus of Television Dialogue (Bednarek 2018a; 2018b). The results are compared with the premodification patterns of spontaneous conversation and written registers (Biber et al. 2021). The paper suggests that premodifiers perform important register-specific functions in TV series and occur at a rate that is not far from that observed in conversation – findings highlighting the speech-like and, at the same time, narrative nature of TV dialogue.

Complexity Markers in TV Series: A Corpus-based Analysis of Premodification

Raffaele Zago
In corso di stampa

Abstract

Triggered by register-functional studies of grammatical complexity (Biber et al. 2022) and addressing a gap in previous research on TV dialogue (Bednarek and Zago 2023), this paper explores how complex the language of American TV series is. The study investigates phrasal complexity via adjectival and nominal premodifiers in the Sydney Corpus of Television Dialogue (Bednarek 2018a; 2018b). The results are compared with the premodification patterns of spontaneous conversation and written registers (Biber et al. 2021). The paper suggests that premodifiers perform important register-specific functions in TV series and occur at a rate that is not far from that observed in conversation – findings highlighting the speech-like and, at the same time, narrative nature of TV dialogue.
In corso di stampa
TV language; phrasal complexity; attributive adjectives; premodifying nouns; register
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11769/619550
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