The Classification And Rapport Management Of Doctor’s Expanded Answers In Online Doctor-Patient Conversation

As a typical institutional conversation,doctor-patient conversation has received widespread attention from the field of linguistics.Since the rise of doctor-patient conversation research in China,fruitful results have been achieved widely and deeply.However,most of the present researches on doctor-patient conversation are focused on the interactions happening in the clinics,and the research on doctor-patient conversation that happened online is still in the preliminary stage,and the research on online doctor-patient conversation(ODPC)from the perspective of interpersonal pragmatics is even weaker.With Spencer-Oatey’s(2000)Rapport Management Theory,this paper adopts a combination of quantitative analysis and qualitative analysis to explore the use of doctors’expanded answers,rapport-oriented interpersonal functions and rapport management strategies in online medical interaction,aiming to answer three questions:(1)What expanded answers are used by doctors in ODPC and what is the frequency of use?(2)What rapport-oriented interpersonal functions have been achieved by doctors’ expanded answers in ODPC and what is the use frequency of these functions?(3)What pragmatic strategies are used to achieve rapport-oriented interpersonal functions in doctors’expanded answers in ODPC and what is the use frequency of these strategies?The major findings are as follows:(1)In online doctor-patient conversation,doctors’ expanded answers can be divided into six categories:addressing difficulties in responding,supporting responses by adding details,bringing precautions to patient’s attention,soothing negative emotions,recommending other treatments or medical examinations,and giving a comprehensive explanation of the treatments with supplements.And the most frequently used expanded answers are addressing difficulties in responding and supporting responses by adding details.(2)In online doctor-patient conversation,doctors’ expanded answers have mainly achieved three kinds of rapport-oriented interpersonal functions:protecting patient’s quality face,meeting patient’s behavioral expectations,and generating pragmatic empathy.And the function of meeting patient’s behavioral expectations has been achieved the most frequently,accounting for 53.4%.And addressing difficulties in responding is used the most frequently to achieve the function of meeting patient’s behavioral expectations.(3)There are 5 strategies that have been used by doctors to realize rapport management:conditional sentences,mitigated imperatives,evidence statements,hedges and warning markers.They tend to use mitigated imperatives,evidence statements and hedges to achieve the function of protecting patient’s quality face.To achieve the function of meeting patient’s behavioral expectations,doctors tend to use mitigated imperatives and hedges.In addition,doctors most often use warning markers to achieve the function of generating pragmatic empathy.This paper not only broadens the research horizon of doctor-patient conversation,but also enriches the research paradigm of it.Besides,in some ways,it provides a reference for doctors to choose a proper way to answer patient’s questions.