Medical Writing: Modality in Focus

Abstract

This book in the Language and Computers: Studies in Practical Linguistics series contains a Preface & 16 Chpts that argue that the use of modals in medical texts reflects genre-dependent conventions, the communicative purposes of the texts, & the institutional, disciplinary context of medicine. Following the introduction in Chapter 1, this book is placed in the context of previous studies of professional languages. The idea of modality is discussed, & modal auxiliaries are analyzed with generic & intratextual variation. The frequency of possibility expressions in manuals is argued to stem from the requirements of reliability. The correspondence between certain modals & the interpretative, quotative, & experimental means of justifying arguments are noted, & necessity modals are analyzed with reference to values & assumptions implicit in medical discourse. Medical genres are correlated with their disciplinary roles. The main findings are summarized in Chapter 16. 15 Tables, 15 Figures, Bibliog, 3 Appendixes. L. R. Hunter