Real Talk: Reality Television and Discourse Analysis in Action

This is the first book to examine the discourse of reality television. Chapters provide rigorous case studies of the discourse practices that characterise a wide range of generic and linguistic/cultural contexts, including dating shows in China and Spain, docudramas in Argentina and New Zealand, and talent shows in the UK and USA.

Monika Bednarek, University of Sydney, AustraliaJosé Luis Blas-Arroyo, Universitat Jaume I, Castellón, SpainPatricia Bou-Franch, University of Valencia, Spain Jonathan Culpeper, Lancaster University, UKPilar Garcés-Conejos Blitvich, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, USACynthia Gordon, Syracuse University, USAOliver Holmes, previously of Lancaster University, UKNuria Lorenzo-Dus, Swansea University, UKMaría Laura Pardo, University of Buenos Aires, ArgentinaPhilippa K. Smith, AUT University in Auckland, New Zealand Andrew Tolson, De Montfort University, UK

Introduction PART I: THE REALITY OF DISCOURSE AND DISCOURSE ANALYSIS: THEORY, APPROACHES, PRACTICES 1. The Discourse of Reality Television; Nuria Lorenzo-Dus and Pilar Garcés-Conejos Blitvich 2. Discourse Analysis Approaches to the Study of Reality Television; Nuria Lorenzo-Dus and Pilar Garcés-Conejos Blitvich PART II: REALITY TELEVISION AND IDENTITY 3. How 'Real' is Reality Television in China? On the Success of a Chinese Dating Programme; Chris Shei 4. The (inter)play of Nationality, Religiosity and Gender: Textual Mechanisms for the Rich Representation of Israeli Identity on a Reality Race Gamedoc; Michal Hamo 5. 'There's no harm, is there, in letting your emotions out': A Multimodal Perspective on Language, Emotion and Identity; Monika Bednarek 6. The Aesthetics of Poverty and Crime on Argentinean Reality Television; Laura Pardo 7. Heroic Endeavours: Flying High in New Zealand Reality Television; Philippa Smith PART III: REALITY TELEVISION AND AGGRESSION 8. (Im)politeness and Exploitative TV in Britain and North America: The X Factor and American Idol ; Jonathan Culpeper and Oliver Holmes 9. Impoliteness in US/UK Talent Shows: A Diachronic Study of the Evolution of a Genre; Nuria Lorenzo-Dus, Patricia Bou-Franch and Pilar Garcés-Conejos Blitvich 10. 'No eres inteligente ni para tener amigos... Pues anda que tú' ['You are not even clever enough to have any friends... Look who's talking!']: A Quantitative Analysis of the Production and Reception of Impoliteness in Present-day Spanish Reality Television; José Luis Blas Arroyo 11. 'You are killing your kids': Understanding Impoliteness on a Family-health-makeover Reality TV Show; Cynthia Gordon 12. Moments of tTruth: Telling it Like it is on the Jeremy Kyle Show; Andrew Tolson Index