Health Communication in a Multilingual Environment: Uses of Rhetoric in English Cervical Cancer Screening Invitations in Finland
Kansonen, Anni (2026)
2026
Kielten maisteriohjelma - Master's Programme in Languages
Informaatioteknologian ja viestinnän tiedekunta - Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences
Hyväksymispäivämäärä
2026-05-11
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202605085273
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202605085273
Tiivistelmä
In Finland, the wellbeing services counties are required to organise routine screenings for all of their residents as part of the national screening programme. As noted in the Government Decree on Screenings (339/2011), the residents must receive sufficient information regarding the benefits, risks, goals, and policies relating to screening. This information is mainly communicated through screening invitations. Therefore, as screening invitations have both informative and instructional value, they were viewed as user instructions in this thesis.
The theoretical framework of this thesis consists of Perelman and Olbrechts-Tyteca’s theory of argumentation, supported by relevant literature from the fields of technical communication, rhetoric, and health and medicine. The aim of this thesis was to discover how English cervical cancer screening invitations distributed in Finland use argumentation and rhetoric to persuade and motivate invitees to participate in the voluntary screenings.
The thesis utilised rhetorical analysis as a qualitative research method to recognise and portray persuasive language use in the context of health and medicine. The data was organised into smaller units of analysis by using the methods of close reading and abductive coding. The codes applied were then formed into a codebook to ensure their systematic and transparent use. A second layer of coding was created to analyse the use of argumentation techniques and rhetorical devices. Overall, the chosen methods were found to provide a comprehensive understanding of the use of rhetoric in the given context and, as such, respond to the objectives of this thesis. Together the applied methods helped frame and guide the analysis with a focus on persuasion in the written mode.
The analysis indicated that the use of rhetoric in the given screening invitations builds upon a synthesis of different argumentation techniques and rhetorical devices. The use of causal links, probability, and authority were found to be the most prominent and recurring argumentation techniques. These were seen to frame the discourse as well as to convince the invitee of the importance of cervical cancer screening. Moreover, from the perspective of informed choice, both the use of rhetoric and the omission of certain perspectives, such as cognitive risks and refusal, were considered significant.
The introduction of digital environments and multimodal communication has created further needs and opportunities for rhetorical analysis. From the perspective of technical communication, user engagement and accessibility continue to raise questions relating to the use of rhetoric.
The theoretical framework of this thesis consists of Perelman and Olbrechts-Tyteca’s theory of argumentation, supported by relevant literature from the fields of technical communication, rhetoric, and health and medicine. The aim of this thesis was to discover how English cervical cancer screening invitations distributed in Finland use argumentation and rhetoric to persuade and motivate invitees to participate in the voluntary screenings.
The thesis utilised rhetorical analysis as a qualitative research method to recognise and portray persuasive language use in the context of health and medicine. The data was organised into smaller units of analysis by using the methods of close reading and abductive coding. The codes applied were then formed into a codebook to ensure their systematic and transparent use. A second layer of coding was created to analyse the use of argumentation techniques and rhetorical devices. Overall, the chosen methods were found to provide a comprehensive understanding of the use of rhetoric in the given context and, as such, respond to the objectives of this thesis. Together the applied methods helped frame and guide the analysis with a focus on persuasion in the written mode.
The analysis indicated that the use of rhetoric in the given screening invitations builds upon a synthesis of different argumentation techniques and rhetorical devices. The use of causal links, probability, and authority were found to be the most prominent and recurring argumentation techniques. These were seen to frame the discourse as well as to convince the invitee of the importance of cervical cancer screening. Moreover, from the perspective of informed choice, both the use of rhetoric and the omission of certain perspectives, such as cognitive risks and refusal, were considered significant.
The introduction of digital environments and multimodal communication has created further needs and opportunities for rhetorical analysis. From the perspective of technical communication, user engagement and accessibility continue to raise questions relating to the use of rhetoric.