Imperatives in Swedish medical consultations

• This chapter investigates the use of imperative-formatted directives in Swedish medical consultations. The specific focus of the chapter is the division of labor between straight, non-modulated imperative turns and imperative turns which are modulated with a discourse particle or some other verbal mitigating device. The results show that non-modulated imperative turns are embedded in diagnostic work, nominating subsequent actions in a series. Orientations to projected trajectories of action and the other participant’s expectations are clearly present when modulated imperative turns are produced; they are also frequent in the opening and closing routines of the consultations. Thus, there is a link between routinized and projectable actions and the use of imperatives with a pragmatic modulating element.

Ämnesord

HUMANIORA  -- Språk och litteratur -- Jämförande språkvetenskap och allmän lingvistik (hsv//swe)

HUMANITIES  -- Languages and Literature -- General Language Studies and Linguistics (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Swedish

pluricentric languages

Finland Swedish

modulated imperative turns

non-modulated imperative turns

diagnostic activity

series of actions

routine actions

medical consultations

discourse particles

Dialectology

Dialektforskning

Sociolingvistik

Sociolinguistics

Svenska

Swedish

Linguistics

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

kap (ämneskategori)