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Ink to screen: a key feature analysis of linguistic themes in award-nominated screenplays.

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Title: Ink to screen: a key feature analysis of linguistic themes in award-nominated screenplays.
Authors: Holmberg, Alexander1 (AUTHOR), Edens, Michael1 (AUTHOR)
Source: Digital Scholarship in the Humanities. Jun2026, Vol. 41 Issue 2, p723-737. 15p.
Subjects: Screenplays, Linguistic analysis, Grammaticality (Linguistics), Academy Awards, Corpora, Critical analysis
Abstract: Telecinematic texts (e.g. movie and TV screenplays) are increasingly studied as unique registers. While screenplay format remains relatively constant, critical reception varies greatly: some movies earn critical acclaim, while others face significant criticism. This study investigates whether specific linguistic features characterize screenplays receiving positive (Oscar-nominated) versus negative (Razzie-nominated) critical reception. Using corpus-based Key Feature analysis, an approach that directly analyzes normalized frequencies of individual lexico-grammatical features rather than more holistic analyses like Multi-Dimensional Analysis (MDA), this study compares contemporary drama screenplays from the POPCORNS corpus. The analysis identified 30 differentiating lexico-grammatical features, which were qualitatively grouped into seven functional categories. Oscar-nominated screenplays tended toward people-oriented language and concise, detailed stage directions, while Razzie-nominated scripts emphasized language about objects and events. These findings suggest notable linguistic differences between acclaimed and critically panned screenplays. By highlighting these differences, the study provides exploratory insights into how screenplay writing might influence critical acclaim. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Digital Scholarship in the Humanities is the property of Oxford University Press / USA and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Engineering Source
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DbLabel: Engineering Source
An: 194636941
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PubType: Academic Journal
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  Data: Ink to screen: a key feature analysis of linguistic themes in award-nominated screenplays.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Holmberg%2C+Alexander%22">Holmberg, Alexander</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Edens%2C+Michael%22">Edens, Michael</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Screenplays%22">Screenplays</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Linguistic+analysis%22">Linguistic analysis</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Grammaticality+%28Linguistics%29%22">Grammaticality (Linguistics)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Academy+Awards%22">Academy Awards</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Corpora%22">Corpora</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Critical+analysis%22">Critical analysis</searchLink>
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  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Telecinematic texts (e.g. movie and TV screenplays) are increasingly studied as unique registers. While screenplay format remains relatively constant, critical reception varies greatly: some movies earn critical acclaim, while others face significant criticism. This study investigates whether specific linguistic features characterize screenplays receiving positive (Oscar-nominated) versus negative (Razzie-nominated) critical reception. Using corpus-based Key Feature analysis, an approach that directly analyzes normalized frequencies of individual lexico-grammatical features rather than more holistic analyses like Multi-Dimensional Analysis (MDA), this study compares contemporary drama screenplays from the POPCORNS corpus. The analysis identified 30 differentiating lexico-grammatical features, which were qualitatively grouped into seven functional categories. Oscar-nominated screenplays tended toward people-oriented language and concise, detailed stage directions, while Razzie-nominated scripts emphasized language about objects and events. These findings suggest notable linguistic differences between acclaimed and critically panned screenplays. By highlighting these differences, the study provides exploratory insights into how screenplay writing might influence critical acclaim. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
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  Data: <i>Copyright of Digital Scholarship in the Humanities is the property of Oxford University Press / USA and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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        Value: 10.1093/llc/fqag014
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        Text: English
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      – SubjectFull: Screenplays
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Linguistic analysis
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      – SubjectFull: Grammaticality (Linguistics)
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      – SubjectFull: Academy Awards
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      – SubjectFull: Critical analysis
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              Text: Jun2026
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              Y: 2026
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