A Contextual-Adaptation Research On Euphemism In Doctor-Patient Conversation

Euphemism, as a form of politeness, can coordinate relationship and communicative activities of people. Adequate use of euphemism in the doctor-patient conversation can ease doctor-patient relationship and build patients’confidence in recovery. Verschueren pointed out the process of using language included the continuous making of linguistic choices, consciously or unconsciously. Similarly, the process of using euphemism is the process of dynamic adaptation in language use.On the basis of adaptation theory, the thesis aims to study how euphemism in the doctor-patient conversation adapts to communicative context and linguistic context. The author further discusses four questions in this paper:1How does the euphemism of the doctor-patient conversation adapt to context which includes communicative context and linguistic context?2What is the relationship between euphemism, roles and genders?3Why do doctors choose euphemisms during the doctor-patient conversation? Why do doctors adopt the strategy of contextual correlates of adaptability?4Whether or not doctors use different euphemisms for different patients? Whether or not doctors use the same strategy of contextual adaptation when they use euphemisms?Through analyzing the data, this paper has following findings:1Using euphemism is continuingly dynamical adaptations to communicative context (language users, physical world, social world and mental world) and linguistic context in language use.2In the same gender conversation, male or female use fewer euphemisms. However, in the opposite conversation, male or female use more euphemisms. Doctors use more euphemistic expressions than patients.3The employment of euphemism between doctors and patients in fact maintains language taboo, coordinates doctor-patient relationship, it is a dynamic adaptation to elements in communication. 4Doctors adopt different euphemistical ways to ask different patients so as to make adaptation.Verschueren’s adaptation theory can provide a good theoretical framework, and the theory has a powerful and scientific explanation for doctor-patient conversations.