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Chapter 3. Pragmatic variation in therapeutic discourse

An examination of mitigating devices employed by Dominican female clients and a Cuban American therapist
  • Nydia Flores-Ferrán
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Pragmatic Variation in First and Second Language Contexts
This chapter is in the book Pragmatic Variation in First and Second Language Contexts

Abstract

Labov and Fanshel’s (1977) seminal study on therapeutic discourse posits that the therapeutic interview contains general rules and patterns of face-to-face interaction that lend themselves to the examination of mitigation. This study investigates mitigation phenomena (e.g. bushes, shields) and indirectness in Spanish in an institutional setting to determine whether these are pragmatically motivated. The corpus was generated during motivational interviews in which Dominican clients and a Cuban therapist discussed depression and medication. Studies have attested to pragmatic variation with regard to ways in which mitigation and indirectness are expressed (e.g. Delbene 2004; Félix-Brasdefer 2010; Hernández-Flores 1999; Placencia 1996). Given these studies, this chapter reveals how indirectness is bolstered and corroborates the influence of several micro-social factors that mediate variation.

Abstract

Labov and Fanshel’s (1977) seminal study on therapeutic discourse posits that the therapeutic interview contains general rules and patterns of face-to-face interaction that lend themselves to the examination of mitigation. This study investigates mitigation phenomena (e.g. bushes, shields) and indirectness in Spanish in an institutional setting to determine whether these are pragmatically motivated. The corpus was generated during motivational interviews in which Dominican clients and a Cuban therapist discussed depression and medication. Studies have attested to pragmatic variation with regard to ways in which mitigation and indirectness are expressed (e.g. Delbene 2004; Félix-Brasdefer 2010; Hernández-Flores 1999; Placencia 1996). Given these studies, this chapter reveals how indirectness is bolstered and corroborates the influence of several micro-social factors that mediate variation.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Acknowledgements vii
  4. Notes on contributors ix
  5. Introduction 1
  6. Chapter 1. Pragmatic variation by gender in market service encounters in Mexico 17
  7. Chapter 2. Cross-cultural stances in online discussions 49
  8. Chapter 3. Pragmatic variation in therapeutic discourse 81
  9. Chapter 4. Disagreement and sociolinguistic variables 113
  10. Chapter 5. Variation in the pragmatic use of conventional expressions 141
  11. Chapter 6. Variation in NS-learner interactions 175
  12. Pragmatic variation in learner perception 209
  13. Chapter 8. Variationist sociolinguistics, L2 sociopragmatic competence, and corpus analysis of classroom-based synchronous computer-mediated discourse 239
  14. Research methods for describing variation in intercultural pragmatics for cultures in contact and conflict 271
  15. Chapter 10. Between pragmatics and sociolinguistics 295
  16. Chapter 11. Conclusions 319
  17. Index 337
https://doi.org/10.1075/impact.31.04flo

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Acknowledgements vii
  4. Notes on contributors ix
  5. Introduction 1
  6. Chapter 1. Pragmatic variation by gender in market service encounters in Mexico 17
  7. Chapter 2. Cross-cultural stances in online discussions 49
  8. Chapter 3. Pragmatic variation in therapeutic discourse 81
  9. Chapter 4. Disagreement and sociolinguistic variables 113
  10. Chapter 5. Variation in the pragmatic use of conventional expressions 141
  11. Chapter 6. Variation in NS-learner interactions 175
  12. Pragmatic variation in learner perception 209
  13. Chapter 8. Variationist sociolinguistics, L2 sociopragmatic competence, and corpus analysis of classroom-based synchronous computer-mediated discourse 239
  14. Research methods for describing variation in intercultural pragmatics for cultures in contact and conflict 271
  15. Chapter 10. Between pragmatics and sociolinguistics 295
  16. Chapter 11. Conclusions 319
  17. Index 337
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