Small talk in Arabic medical encounters

Area of Science:

• Linguistics
• Sociolinguistics
• Medical Communication

Background:

• Small talk (ST) is often perceived as aimless or space-filling compared to goal-oriented professional discourse.
• Its role and structure within specific cultural and professional contexts, like Jordanian medical encounters, remain underexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the occurrence, sequence structure, forms, and functions of small talk within Jordanian medical interactions.
• To analyze how small talk integrates with and deviates from the primary medical agenda.

Main Methods:

• Utilized conversation analysis framework.
• Analyzed naturally occurring data from Jordanian medical encounters.
• Focused on the sequential organization of talk, particularly the interplay between small talk and medical talk.

Main Results:

• Identified various forms of small talk, including compliments, joking, laughter, and personal biographical references.
• Revealed that small talk is integrated into medical encounters, occurring in specific sequential positions.
• Demonstrated that small talk serves distinct functions within the medical interaction.

Conclusions:

• Small talk is a nuanced component of Jordanian medical interactions, not merely aimless chatter.
• Findings offer valuable insights into Arabic medical communication patterns.
• Suggests potential for developing training programs to leverage small talk as a strategic communication tool in healthcare.