The Conceptual Framework “Medicine” in English and German Educational Discourses: A Case Study of Speakout and Die Neue Linie 1

Medicine holds significant importance in shaping human well-being and societal progress. The conceptual framework MEDICINE is constantly evolving; it is enriched by new linguistic markers. This study presents a comparative analysis of how the conceptual framework MEDICINE is verbalized in English and German educational discourses. Using a methodology of discourse, conceptual, and lexico-semantic analysis, the authors examine all relevant linguistic markers in two beginner-level language textbooks: Speakout (English) and Die neue Linie 1 (German). The research is motivated by the practical need for language learners to acquire basic medical communication skills for their daily life. The results highlight the main function of medically oriented linguistic markers explaining the basics of medical knowledge – it is to organize the information about a person and their anthropocentric characteristics. The principal outcome of this research is a key contrast between English and German educational discourses (a case study of Speakout and Die neue Linie 1): while English verbalizes the ‘concept-gestalt’ THE LITTLE THINGS TO BE HEALTHY AND HAPPY as a defining feature of the medical conceptual framework, German prioritizes the representation of the ‘concept-scenario’ ARZTBESUCH. The study conceptually justifies the contrasting concept HEALTHY LIFESTYLE and the anticoncept ILLNESSES AND SYMPTOMS in the educational discourses under analysis, highlighting the increasing emphasis on the relationship between health and illness. The study identifies the features of the conceptual framework verbalization through the functional potential of medical linguistic markers. Using comparative analysis of the language material of Speakout and Die neue Linie 1, it reveals modern medical trends in English and German educational discourses. These findings may serve as foundation for curriculum development for beginner-level language courses targeting medical professionals.

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