The critical linguistic analysis of authorial stance in English news reporting has long been concerned with uncovering the ideological bias embedded in the seemingly objective and neutral representation of people and events. Interest has recently shifted towards the nature of the authorial voice itself and the extent to which this semblance of objectivity is also typical in non-English reporting (e.g. Thomson et al., 2008). This article explores to what extent the most impersonal ‘reporter voice’, as identified by Martin and White (2005) in English hard-news reported in the press, is present in Italian reporting. The ‘appraisal’ categories developed by Martin and White are used, discussed and adapted for this purpose. Attention is thereby also given to significant expressive resources that may not be retrievable from English material alone. Similarities and differences in reporting styles are discussed and reference is made to the social and cultural variables that may underlie them.
It is widely argued that empathy can and should be taught as part of medical training and attempts have been made to incorporate the teaching of empathy in medical school programmes of study. Empathy, however, is particularly difficult to define and measure. Various definitions and rating scales have been used but no systematic overview of the potential verbal realisation of empathy has so far been produced. This study is concerned with providing such an overview. The existing consultation training material aimed at medical professionals (e.g. Piasecky, 2003; Silverman et al. 2005 and Moulton, 2007) and relevant linguistic studies (Suchman et al. 1997; Wynn and Wynn, 2006 and Martinovsky et al. 2007) form the basis for the exploration of relevant dimensions of empathy and its potential verbal realisation. The ‘appraisal’ framework (Martin and White, 2005) developed within a systemic functional approach to discourse analysis is then used to help build a provisional framework of the levels of attitudinal (particularly, affective) expression inherent in empathic communication. Suggestions are made as to how the validity of the expressive categories identified may be tested and further refined and how the insights from this study may be applied within the medical context.
Existing studies show that people suffering from chronic illnesses turn to online health communities not only to share and check relevant factual information but also to receive and express empathy from/to their fellow sufferers. Indeed, along with seeking and providing advice from and to others, expressions of social support, including empathic features, have been found to be central to discourse in online support groups (OSGs). This is the first study to use a pragmatics-based discourse analytic approach that focuses on "empathic communicative acts" (Author 1, 2016) to investigate the expression of empathy on a social networking site (SNS), and specifically in a Facebook support group or FSG. The analysis is applied to 560 messages to a type 2 diabetes FSG and explores how empathy is expressed within the multi-dialogic context of asynchronous interaction. The study helps qualify the supportive value of FSGs and provides the basis for further studies of empathic communication in other SNS contexts.
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