Well, Now, Okey Dokey: English Discourse Markers in Spanish-Language Medical Consultations

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to examine the use of English discourse markers (EDMs) in medical consultations that were conducted in Spanish. Data are collected from an audio-recorded corpus of Spanish-language consultations that took place in a small community clinic in the United States as well as post-consultation interviews with patients and providers. Through the quantification of the use of discourse makers in the corpus and discourse analysis of transcripts, this article demonstrates that English-dominant medical providers use EDMs more frequently and with a broader range of functions than Spanish-dominant medical providers and patients. Such use of EDMs serves to exacerbate the power relationship between providers and patients even though it does not cause overt miscommunication in the ongoing interaction. The implications for providers who use a second language in their medical consultations are discussed.