From a medical consultation to a written text: 2. Pragmatics and textlinguistics applied to medicine

Abstract

Objective - To present linguistic and pragmatic theory applied to a consultation in general practice.

Design - Reflect upon what happens during a referred consultation, illustrating key pragmatic concepts. Apply these concepts to the medical outcome of GP consultations.

Implications - the spoken language is the most important tool in general practice. Speech-act theory, pragmatics, and textlinguistics may help us to grasp the process of doctor-patient interaction, and hence some essential aspects of the dynamics of clinical work.

Key Words:

• speech-act philosophy
• illocutionary force
• direct and indirect speech acts
• pragmatics
• textlinguistics