Real Talk. Reality Television and Discourse Analysis in Action: Nuria Lorenzo-Dus, Pilar Garcés-Conejos Blitvich, Eds., Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke, 2013, 296 pp., ISBN: 978-0-230-36871-2, £74, EUR 100, USD 88 (hardback; paperback available)

Abstract

The collection on Real Talk. Reality Television and Discourse Analysis in Action, edited by Nuria Lorenzo-Dus and Pilar Garces-Conejos Blitvich, is divided into three parts containing 12 chapters in total and offers insights into the study of identity construction, (im)politeness and genre by studying and comparing reality TV shows in different countries. In addition to the many important insights on identity construction and face-aggravating behavior, the collection is particularly valuable since it brings together scholars working on data from different countries. We learn about shows in Argentina, China, Israel, New Zealand, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States and about the ways in which language is used to manage identity and (im)politeness concerns in this TV genre/discourse. It is particularly fortunate that direct comparisons of the same shows that are broadcast in different countries and have been adapted to the norms of these countries are available. Furthermore, the collection is refreshing since there is no apologetic defense of why one should study this data. In line with other scholars who work on telecinematic discourse where the fictional element of the data is more dominant (see, e.g., the collections edited by Piazza et al., 2011; and Androutsopoulos, 2012; or scholars such as Bednarek, 2010), the contributors to the collection understand the data as naturally-occurring and as cultural artifacts worthy of being studied in their own right. Overall, the collection convincingly offers insights into theories, methodologies and topics of relevance to the study of language use in reality TV shows from a discourse analytic perspective. This carefully edited work is highly recommended for scholars working in media linguistics and discourse analysis, especially those who work on identity construction, (im)politeness and genre.