Abstract
This article examines doctors' delivery of reassurance in online medical consultations. It focuses on the Mandarin A-not-A structure hao-bu-hao (HBH), equivalent to “alright” in English, and observes how it contribute to the delivery of reassurance. Data include typed texts and audio recordings. Using conversation analysis, we differentiate two environments where HBH is used: in delivering a no-problem diagnosis and an optimistic prognosis in the context of bad news. We argue that HBH allows the doctor to maintain control over the interaction while appearing less directive by acknowledging the patient's contingency without genuinely seeking their input.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 4-18 |
| Number of pages | 15 |
| Journal | Journal of Pragmatics |
| Volume | 238 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Mar 2025 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2025 The Author(s)
ASJC Scopus Subject Areas
- Language and Linguistics
- Linguistics and Language
- Artificial Intelligence
Keywords
- Contingency
- Conversation analysis
- HBH
- Online medical consultations
- Reassurance