Discourse Analysis Of Dialogues In Medical Drama

Started from the 1950s, discourse analysis stepped into its infant stage in the 1970s as a new interdisciplinary research, and there has been a tremendous development in recent years. The application of theory and methodology of discourse analysis has been applied to the interpretation of the dramatic texts. TV drama is one of the extended forms of drama, but it has long been neglected by the stylisticians. And almost no one is involved in the research of the medical drama, even though it has distinctive features related to medicine and is popularized among many people. The present descriptions of TV dramatic features failed to account for or accommodate the medical drama in depth of discourse analysis, and more appropriate approaches are required. This thesis is an attempt to apply the theory and methodology of discourse analysis to the analysis of dialogues in medical drama, taking the American TV drama House M.D., deputed on the FOX network in 2004, as a case.TV drama is an audio-visual medium. The dialogues between characters are prepared and all of them are served for the plot and the theme of the drama. Rooted in life, the dialogue in TV dramas is an effective way to reveal the relationship between the characters and characterization of the characters. House M.D. is the representative of the medical drama and has gained global popularity. The analysis of the dialogues in this medical drama is sure to reveal the characteristics of this kind of drama, enrich the research on dramatic stylistics and help the audience appreciate the medical drama.The main body of this thesis consists of six parts.The first part is the introduction. It presents the significance, research motivation and framework of this thesis.Chapter one is the literature review for later analyses. It begins with the theories related to discourse analysis, focusing on its definition, development, different schools and its approaches. It is followed by the introduction of style and stylistics, and the scope of our study——dramatic stylistics. Next the author will discuss the general features of dramatic dialogues. And naturally there is a comparison of the similarities and differences between dramatic dialogue and daily conversation since the approaches of discourse analysis are normally applied in analysis of daily conversation. The last section explores the feasibility of combination of discourse analysis with dramatic stylistics.Chapter two comes to the object and methodology of this study. After description of the specific features of medical dramatic dialogues, there is a presentation of a synopsis of House M.D., a case deliberately chosen for this study, an illustration of the approaches taken and the data collected in later analyses.Chapter three is the main body of this thesis. By means of Speech Act Theory, Cooperative Principle, Politeness Principle, and Turn-taking Analysis, an exploration is made about how the theoretic framework reveals the interpersonal relationship between doctors and between doctors and patients, the implied meanings of the characters' utterances as well as their characterization and professionalism by the use of language in House M.D..Chapter four presents the main findings and implications of this thesis, and it is argued that discourse analysis has provided important theoretical grounds and analytical tools for the interpretation of the dramatic discourse of the medical drama. The practical and pedagogical implications on medical English learning and teaching will also be mentioned.The last part is a concluding part, in which this study is summarized, the limitations are listed, and some suggestions for further study are offered.This thesis aims at exploring the approaches to combining discourse analysis with the stylistic analysis of the medical drama. It is hoped that the present study can enrich the research on dramatic stylistics, promot its development and help the audience understand and appreciate the medical dramas in a better way.