Adjectival Markers of Persuasiveness in Medical Case Reports (based on the Material From the Journal of Medical Case Reports)
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: This paper examines the features and prevalence of persuasive adjectives in medical case reports. The objectives of the study are to provide an overview of general tendency of using high-modality linguistic elements (i.e., words and phrases that express a high degree of certainty, confidence, obligation, or necessity regarding the information or assertion they accompany) in medical discourse, to analyze the grammar and pragmatic features of these lexical units, and to develop relevant guidelines tailored for healthcare professionals to effectively present their research findings in medical case reports. We examined the prevalence of high-modality adjectives across the issues of Journal of Medical Case Reports from 2007 to 2025. The detected persuasive lexical units were examined using the methods of quantitative, morphological, syntactical, semantic, contextual, and pragmatic analyses. The study identified a total of 91 persuasive adjectives. The comprehensive analysis revealed the most prevalent lexical units, the peculiarities of their structure and arrangement in a sentence, as well as provided a deeper understanding of how they contribute to the overall impact of the arguments presented. This study yielded a tangible output as it resulted in the compilation of an extensive corpus of persuasive language in medical case reports, which can be used by medical educators, undergraduate and PhD students, linguists, and scholars in medical humanities and other areas. High-modality adjectives are an effective means of showcasing the significance of one's research findings, attracting and persuading the target audience, emphasizing the relevance of the presented healthcare issue, substantiating upon the argument which supports the feasibility of an intervention, etc. Incorporating the study of these lexical phenomena into medical education is essential, as a deeper understanding of these linguistic features contributes to the effective presentation of research results in international peer-reviewed journals, enhances the visibility of scientific articles, amplifies the impact of research, and also plays a key role in the development of pragmatic competence.
Language: English
Subfield: Literature and Literary Theory
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4413987166