Emma Putland

You too, Lily! Hope all is going well 😊

Congratulations, Lily! 🎊

This has been in the works for a while so it's great to see it out! It's part of a special issue on Language, Gender, and Health Inequalities, edited by Laura Coffey-Glover for the Journal of Language and Discrimination.

You can see the full issue here: utppublishing.com/toc/jld/curr...

Image shows the front page of our new article, entitled: “We No Longer Recognized Her as a Human Being”: A Critical Discourse Analysis of AI-Generated Character Descriptions of Men and Women With Dementia. ABSTRACT: Motivated by the gender inequalities observed in relation both to dementia and generative artificial intelligence (GenAI), this article takes a critical discourse analysis approach to explore how gender and dementia intersect in 52 AI-generated character descriptions of men and women with dementia. Using “woman/man”as entry points through which to explore discursive constructions masculinities and femininities in the data, we find gendered distinctions in how characters’ bodies are evaluated, social roles attributed, and violence presented. We also find that a deficit approach to dementia dominates, emphasizing suffering, loss, and hopelessness. Characters with dementia are stereotyped as older and frail, either near death or already dead in body and/or mind. Overall, the AI-generated texts recycle (and potentially amplify) pervasive discourses regarding both dementia and gender. Our findings therefore reinforce the need for further critical engagement with GenAI, from design to use, to interrogate and challenge its capacity to perpetuate inequalities.

Out now: 'A Critical Discourse Analysis of AI-Generated Character Descriptions of Men and Women With Dementia', with Chris Chikodzore-Paterson and @gavinbrookes.bsky.social:

📑Journal article: utppublishing.com/doi/epdf/10....

📝Author copy (open access): eprints.lancs.ac.uk/id/eprint/22...

Historical Medical Discourse: Corpus Linguistic Perspectives This collection showcases original research highlighting innovations in the application of corpus linguistic methods to the study of English historical medical discourse. The volume builds on recent w...

Out now: 'Historical Medical Discourse: Corpus Linguistic Perspectives', edited with @niallrcurry.bsky.social @emma-putland.bsky.social & @tonymcenery.bsky.social. Features 11 chapters using corpora to explore medical discourse over four centuries! www.routledge.com/Historical-M...

Such amazing news, congratulations!! 🎊

Health and Science Communication SIG The Health and Science Communication BAAL Special Interest Group

@baal-health-sig.bsky.social are now looking for a SIG Secretary. This post offers a great opportunity to get involved with the linguistics health and science communication community, BAAL more broadly and to help steer the direction of the SIG. For info, please go to baalhealthsci.wordpress.com

Thank you to all contributors to this @corpussocialsci.bsky.social event: two days of thought-provoking presentations on different issues in health communication, using different methodologies and with data from Europe, Africa, Asia and the US. See you all at the next @ic4ch.bsky.social event!

The words we use to talk about nature are disappearing. Here’s why that matters. We’ll need to do more than ‘touch grass’ to revive them.

"Since 1800, there’s been a sharp decline in nature-related words in English language books. It closely matches a simulation of nature–human interactions." A new piece in @grist.org by Kate Yoder, with some #ecolinguistics input from @repoole.bsky.social grist.org/language/nat...

5. There's so much more than can be put into a post! During the book prize panel, an editor asked a question that is one of many that I'm still seriously thinking about: 'who does our research serve?'
I've had many wonderful conversations with colleagues and look forward to the rest of #baal2025!

Image summarises principles of intersectional sociocultural linguistic analysis: 1. Intra-categorical in outlook 2. Considers both oppression and privilege 3. Takes a thick approach to account for individual social locations 4. Understands speakers to be agentive 5. Is reflexive

4. Another highlight was @lucyjones.bsky.social's plenary in the afternoon - as ever from Lucy, it was both thought-provoking and inspiring. I learnt a lot from her discussion of the different aspects of taking an intersectional lens and enjoyed her openness about learning from mistakes!

3. I loved attending the @baal-health-sig.bsky.social panel, featuring Olivia Knapton's great work with people with insect/bug phobias, Esranur Efeoglu-Ozcan's innovative comparative study of climate crisis framings, and Mimi Huang's important work with volunteer waterside responders.

2. It was a pleasure to follow Run Li when I presented on representations of dementia and generative AI. I loved hearing about his work with Xiang Huang on multimodal discursive strategies in public health communication. We were lucky to have great questions from the audience!

Image shows a slide discussing pharmakon as both remedy and posion. Quote from Derrida (1981: 70/72)"This medicine, this philter which acts as both remedy and poison...permitted the rendering of the same word by 'remedy', 'recipe', 'poison', 'drug', 'philter' etc"

1. Kamran Khan's fantastic opening plenary titled Language, Security and Governance through Terror. This talk made me reflect on many things but especially the concept of a pharmakon (meaning both a remedy and a poison, with the degree of each varying according to the context).

Image shows Glasgow Main building.

Image shows a rainbow at the end of a street in Glasgow.

Image shows a marble staircase in Glasgow City Chambers.

Image shows a grand hallway in Glasgow City Chambers.

As we enter day 2 of #baal2025, I'm reflecting on all of the thoughtful talks, plenaries and conversations from yesterday. Some of my personal highlights include:

Thank you so much to @stephenpihlaja.bsky.social for your summary and response to my talk at #baal2025 - there are some impressive speed typing skills on display there and it's really interesting to read your thoughts and experiment with a prompt that aims to avoid dementia stereotypes!

Thank you so much for attending and for sharing your thoughtful comments and questions, @lucyjones.bsky.social!

Fantastic and fascinating talk on the reductive, limited representations of dementia in generative AI from @uonenglish.bsky.social alumnus @emma-putland.bsky.social #BAAL2025

🚨 Call for Papers! 🚨 we are excited to launch the Call for Papers for the Corpora and Discourse International Conference 2026. Deadline 16 November 2025. Submit your abstracts here: wp.lancs.ac.uk/cad-2026/cal.... Please share widely! #CADS2026

lancasteruniversity: Corpus linguistics and new technologies: data, language and society | edX In an era of AI and big data, understanding language through data is essential. This hands-on course from Lancaster University—a global leader in corpus linguistics—teaches you to build, query, and an...

Check it out - the corpus MOOC is back (15th September) on a new platform (edX) exploring new topics, including AI. One thing has not changed - it is still free to access 😁 Find out more here: www.edx.org/learn/social...

Diaries at the ready... the next Corpora & Discourse International Conference will take place from 23-25 June 2026, at Lancaster University. We are also very excited to launch our website, with plenary speaker info, key dates, and much more besides: wp.lancs.ac.uk/cad-2026/. Please share widely!

Photo shows Lancaster Castle in spring.

Day 1: Thursday 11th of September 2025 09.30 - 10.15 Registration 10.15 - 10.30 Symposium Opening Address 10.30 - 12.00 Panel 1: Chronic and long-term health Shared decision making, health literacy and management of heart failure: an analysis of patients’ interactions through their hospital journey. Susy Macqueen, Diana Slade and Suzanne Raine (Australian National University) Enhancing Patient Engagement in Oncology-Specific Genetic Counselling: A Conversation Analytic Approach K.K. Luke (Nanyang Technological University, Singapore) Communicating dementia: A reflection on AI-generated images and texts Emma Putland and Gavin Brookes (Lancaster University, UK) 12.00 - 13.00 Lunch 13.00 - 14.30 Panel 2: Infectious diseases and pandemics How will we work together? Communication and Caring in the Time of Pandemics Elizabeth A. Rider (Harvard Medical School, Boston Children’s Hospital, USA) The mental health of university graduates in a post-COVID world: A mixed methods sociolinguistic approach Olga Zayts-Spence, Paul W.C. Wong, David Matthew Edmonds (University of Hong Kong) Challenges and Opportunities in Participatory Surveillance for Dengue Prevention: A Sri Lankan Case Study Prasad Wimalaratne (University of Colombo, Sri Lanka) and May O. Lwin (Nanyang Technological University, Singapore) 14.30 - 15.00 Break 15.00 – 16.30 Panel 3: Vaccinations Post-pandemic challenges in communication about vaccines Elena Semino (Lancaster University, UK) Enhancing the value and wider benefit of research into Coronavirus Discourses: A Pan-London Immunisation Campaign Svenja Adolphs, Emma McClaughlin and Sara Vilar-Lluch (University of Nottingham and Cardiff University, UK) The problem with ‘side effects’ Zsófia Demjén (University College London, UK) 16.30 – 17.00 Roundtable discussion

Day 2: Friday 12th of September 2025 09.30 – 11.00 Panel 4: Interactions in healthcare settings Intercultural moments in emergency calls: Issues of access, accommodation, and attitude Jennifer Watermeyer and Rhona Nattrass (University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa) (In)equality, (in)visibilised diversity and exclusion: the ideological framing of language in NHS interpreting and translation guidelines. Emma Brooks (University College London, UK) Medical consultations with older adult patients in a multicultural setting: Dynamics of doctor-patient communication and the impact of companions May O. Lwin (Nanyang Technological University, Singapore) 11.00 – 11.30 Break 11.30 – 12.30 Panel 4 (Continued): Interactions in healthcare settings “It just made me feel very broken”: Self-reported experiences of medical misogyny in UK pregnancy loss consultations Beth Malory (University College London, UK) How REACHE equips asylum seeker and refugee doctors for safe and effective practice in the NHS Hayley Poulson (Refugee and Asylum Seekers Centre for Healthcare Professionals Education (REACHE Northwest), Salford Royal Hospital, UK) 12.30 – 13.30 Lunch 13.30 – 15.00 Panel 5: Interactions in healthcare settings and end of life The EMPATHY Protocol: Modern Support in Challenging Moments of Patient Care Aldona Katarzyna Jankowska (Nicolaus Copernicus University Torun, Poland) The taboo of communication about assisted dying Nancy Preston (Lancaster University, UK) How to Talk about Dying? Lessons Learned from a Swiss Framework for Teaching Compassionate Communication about the End of Life Sibylle Felber (University Hospital Bern and University of Bern, Switzerland) 15.30 – 16.00 Roundtable discussion 16.00 – 16.20 Event Close

It's less than two months until our 5th Symposium of the International Consortium for Communication in Health Care!

📆When: 11-12 September 2025
📍At: Lancaster University, UK (in person) or Microsoft Teams (free online)

For more info and to register, see: ic4ch.wordpress.com/activities/

Preparations for the 2026 Corpora and Discourse International Conference at Lancaster University are under way! We will be sharing information on dates for your calendars, plenary speakers, and the upcoming call for papers very soon. Follow here for updates, and please share widely! #CADS2026

Really enjoying being part of the CASS Lancaster Summer Schools this week! It's great getting to meet so many fantastic people during a week dedicated to corpus linguistics! 😊✨️ #LancsSS25

Image shows the entrance of Lancaster Castle in spring.

Image shows day 1 of the programme, which can be read in full as a PDF at https://ic4ch.wordpress.com/activities/ Day 1: Thursday 11th of September 2025 09.30 - 10.15 Registration 10.15 - 10.30 Symposium Opening Address 10.30 - 12.00 Panel 1: Chronic and long-term health 12.00 - 13.00 Lunch 13.00 - 14.30 Panel 2: Infectious diseases and pandemics How will we work together? Communication and Caring in the Time of Pandemics 14.30 - 15.00 Break 15.00 – 16.30 Panel 3: Vaccinations 16.30 – 17.00 Roundtable discussion

Image shows day 2 of the programme, which can be read in full as a PDF at https://ic4ch.wordpress.com/activities/ Day 2: Friday 12th of September 2025 09.30 – 11.00 Panel 4: Interactions in healthcare settings 11.00 – 11.30 Break 11.30 – 12.30 Panel 4 (Continued): Interactions in healthcare settings 12.30 – 13.30 Lunch 13.30 – 15.00 Panel 5: Interactions in healthcare settings and end of life 15.30 – 16.00 Roundtable discussion 16.00 – 16.20 Event Close

Join us for our 5th Symposium of the International Consortium for Communication in Health Care!

📆When: 11-12 September 2025
📍At: Lancaster University, UK

Early bird registration is open until June 15th registration.lancaster.ac.uk/Registration...

More info: ic4ch.wordpress.com/activities/

Enjoyed giving a plenary talk at the CIRLAM conference today, and sharing work on generative AI, discourse and ideology with @emma-putland.bsky.social & Chris Chikodzore-Paterson. Great questions and discussion afterwards, too! @pubdiscdementia.bsky.social @lancslinguistics.bsky.social

Image shows day 1 of the programme, which can be read as a PDF at https://ic4ch.wordpress.com/activities/ Symposium Programme Day 1: Thursday 11th of September 2025 09.30 - 10.15 Registration 10.15 - 10.30 Symposium Opening Address 10.30 - 12.00 Panel 1: Chronic and long-term health Sex differences on a forum about anxiety Paul Baker (Lancaster University, UK) Shared decision making, health literacy and management of heart failure: an analysis of patients’ interactions through their hospital journey. Susy Macqueen, Diana Slade and Suzanne Raine (Australian National University) Communicating dementia: Comparing AI-generated stereotypes to experience-led discussions Emma Putland and Gavin Brookes (Lancaster University, UK) 12.00 - 13.00 Lunch 13.00 - 14.30 Panel 2: Infectious diseases and pandemics How will we work together? Communication and Caring in the Time of Pandemics Elizabeth A. Rider (Harvard Medical School, Boston Children’s Hospital, USA) The mental health of university graduates in a post-COVID world: A mixed-methods sociolinguistic approach Olga Zayts-Spence, Paul W.C. Wong, David Matthew Edmonds (University of Hong Kong) Challenges and Opportunities in Participatory Surveillance for Dengue Prevention: A Sri Lankan Case Study Prasad Wimalaratne (University of Colombo, Sri Lanka) and May O. Lwin (Nanyang Technological University, Singapore) 14.30 - 15.00 Break 15.00 – 16.30 Panel 3: Vaccinations Post-pandemic challenges in communication about vaccines Elena Semino (Lancaster University, UK) Enhancing the value and wider benefit of research into Coronavirus Discourses: A Pan-London Immunisation Campaign Svenja Adolphs, Emma McClaughlin and Sara Vilar-Lluch (University of Nottingham and Cardiff University, UK) The problem with ‘side effects’ Zsófia Demjén (University College London, UK) 16.30 – 17.00 Roundtable discussion

Image shows day 2 of the programme, which can be read as a PDF at https://ic4ch.wordpress.com/activities/ Day 2: Friday 12th of September 2025 09.30 – 11.00 Panel 4: Interactions in healthcare settings Intercultural moments in emergency calls: Issues of access, accommodation, and attitude Jennifer Watermeyer and Rhona Nattrass (University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa) (In)equality, (in)visibilised diversity and exclusion: the ideological framing of language in NHS interpreting and translation guidelines. Emma Brooks (University College London, UK) Medical consultations with older adult patients in a multicultural setting: Dynamics of doctor-patient communication and the impact of companions May O. Lwin (Nanyang Technological University, Singapore) 11.00 – 11.30 Break 11.30 – 12.30 Panel 4 (Continued): Interactions in healthcare settings Enhancing Patient Engagement in Oncology-Specific Genetic Counselling: A Conversation Analytic Approach K.K. Luke (Nanyang Technological University, Singapore) How REACHE equips asylum seeker and refugee doctors for safe and effective practice in the NHS Hayley Poulson (Refugee and Asylum Seekers Centre for Healthcare Professionals Education (REACHE Northwest), Salford Royal Hospital, UK) 12.30 – 13.30 Lunch 13.30 – 15.00 Panel 5: Interactions in healthcare settings and end of life The EMPATHY Protocol: Modern Support in Challenging Moments of Patient Care Aldona Katarzyna Jankowska (Nicolaus Copernicus University Torun, Poland) The taboo of communication about assisted dying Nancy Preston (Lancaster University, UK) How to Talk about Dying? Lessons Learned from a Swiss Framework for Teaching Compassionate Communication about the End of Life Sibylle Felber (University Hospital Bern and University of Bern, Switzerland) 15.30 – 16.00 Roundtable discussion 16.00 – 16.20 Event Close

📬Registration is now open for the 5th Symposium of the International Consortium for Communication in Health Care (IC4CH)!

📆When: 11-12 September 2025
📍At: Lancaster University, UK

For more event information (registration, programme, speakers, abstracts, etc.) see ic4ch.wordpress.com/activities/

Text bubbles say New blog post! Football, traumatic brain injury and dementia in UK news.

We have a new blog post!

Here, @emma-putland.bsky.social, @fliss-slocombe.bsky.social, Hannah Thompson-Radford and @gavinbrookes.bsky.social explore how football, traumatic brain injury and dementia are represented in the British Press:

wp.lancs.ac.uk/public-disco...

We now have a Bluesky account for the Public Discourses of Dementia project! Check out what we're doing, and what we've been up to, below! 👇 #dementia #appliedlinguistics #discourse #corpuslinguistics

Hello!

At the Public Discourses of Dementia Project, we aim to identify and challenge stigma around #dementia by analysing how people and organisations communicate about the syndrome in public.

You can find out more on our website: wp.lancs.ac.uk/public-disco... and in this thread 😊