A corpus-based analysis of scientific TED Talks: Explaining cancer-related topics to non-experts

This paper investigates the explanatory functions of scientific TED Talks related to cancer topics. In particular, the paper examines a corpus consisting of thirty TED Talks published between 2006 and 2017 whose aim is to explain the causes, effects, and possible treatments of different forms of cancer to a wide audience, including not only medical experts, but also non-experts. The approach is that of Discourse Analysis as well as Corpus Linguistics Analysis, and integrates qualitative data with quantitative results. From the qualitative viewpoint, the paper explores how 1) denomination, 2) definition, and 3) description are differently realised in scientific TED Talks to clarify and simplify medical content, thus increasing its accessibility and comprehension. From the quantitative viewpoint, by using corpus linguistic software tools, the paper inspects concordances in the same corpus. The aims of the paper are, first, to identify the linguistic techniques that TED speakers use to transfer scientific knowledge between specialists and non-specialists, and, second, to show the positive encouraging stance that they adopt when addressing cancer issues. In general, the study confirms the relevance of TED Talks to science popularization and ESP in academic as well as professional contexts.