语用学视角下医患对话的模糊语分析

PAGEi论文题目(英文)AnalysisonVagueLanguageinDoctor-PatientConversationsfromthePerspectiveofPragmatics（中文）语用学视角下医患对话的模糊语分析AcknowledgmentsMy deepest gratitude goes first and foremost to my supervisor, TangShaofeng,for her constant encouragement and guidance. She has walked me through allthe stages of the writing of this thesis. Without her consistent and illuminatinginstruction, this thesis could not have reached its present form.Second,Iwouldliketoexpressmyheartfeltgratitude to the professors andteachers of the Foreign Language School, who have instructed and helped me a lotinthepastyears.Last my thanks would go to my beloved family for their loving considerationand great confidence in me all through these years. I also owe my sinceregratitude tomy friends and my fellow classmates who gave me their help and timein listening time and helping me work out my problems during the difficult course of the thesis.AbstractIndailycommunicationorliteraryterms,theuseofvaguelanguageismorecommon.Inthefieldofscienceandtechnology,althoughthemostemphasisisontheaccuracyoflanguage,theuseofvaguelanguageisalsocommon.Vaguelanguageisanindispensableexpressioninlanguagecommunication,aswellasindoctor-patientconversations.Thispaperintendstousequalitativeanalysistostudyvaguelanguageaccordingtoitsthreeforms-vaguewords,vagueadditives,andvagueimplicationsfromtheperspectiveofpragmatics.Thequestionsareasfollows:Howtoproperlytreatthevaguelanguagephenomenonindoctor-patientconversations?Isvaguelanguagebeneficialorharmfultodoctor-patientrelationship?Whatarethefunctionsofvaguelanguageindoctor-patientconversations?Thestudyconcludesthat:Vaguelanguageisinevitableindoctor-patientconversations.Fuzzylanguageisbeneficialtodoctor-patientrelationship.Vaguelanguagehasthecommunicativefunctionofexpressingpolitenessandrespect,expressingmodestandself-protection,andimprovetheaccuracyandcredibilityindoctor-patientconversations.Theproperuseofvaguelanguageindoctor-patientconversationscanavoiddoctor-patientcontradictionandconstructharmoniousdoctor-patientrelationshiptoacertainextent.Keywords:vaguelanguage;doctor-patientconversations;pragmaticfunction摘要在日常交流或文学语言中，模糊语的使用非常普遍。在科学技术领域，虽然强调更多的是语言的准确性，但模糊语言的使用也很常见。模糊语是语言交际中一种不可或缺的表达手段，在医患对话中亦是如此。本文拟从语用学角度，根据模糊语的三种表现形式——模糊词语，模糊附加词，模糊含义，用定性分析的方法研究:如何正确看待医患对话的模糊语?模糊语对医患关系有利还是有害?模糊语在医患对话中具有哪些功能?经过研究得出:模糊语在医患对话中式必然存在的。模糊语对医患关系有利。模糊语在医患对话中具有表达礼貌和尊重、表达谦虚和自我保护、提高准确性和可信度的交际功能。在医患对话中正确使用模糊语，可以在一定程度上避免医患矛盾，和谐医患关系。关键词：模糊语;医患对话;语用功能Contents1.Introduction11.1BackgroundoftheStudy11.2ResearchQuestionsandHypothesesoftheStudy11.3PurposeandSignificanceoftheStudy22.LiteratureReview22.1TheDefinitionofVagueLanguage22.2RelativeStudiesAbroad32.3RelativeStudiesatHome42.4AchievementsandLimitationsofthePreviousStudies43.TheoreticalFrameworkandMethodology53.1ThreeFormsofVagueLanguage53.1.1VagueWords53.1.2VagueAdditives53.1.3VagueImplications53.2MethodologyoftheStudy63.2.1DataCollection63.2.2DataClassification63.2.3DataAnalysis64.AnalysisandDiscussion64.1TheReasonofVagueLanguageinDoctor-PatientConversations64.1.1TheCharacteristicsofNaturalLanguage64.1.2TheComplexityofMedicalPhenomenon74.1.3VaguenessofHumanCognitionandthinking74.2TheFormofVagueLanguageinDoctor-PatientConversations84.2.1VagueWords84.2.2VagueAdditives84.2.3VagueImplications84.3TheFunctionofVagueLanguageinDoctor-PatientConversations84.3.1ExpressPolitenessandRespect84.3.2ExpressModestandSelf-Protection94.3.3ImproveAccuracyandCredibility94.4TheProperUsageofVagueLanguageinDoctor-PatientConversations105.Conclusions10References12目录1.引言11.1研究背景11.2研究问题与假设11.3研究目的和意义22.文献综述22.1模糊语的定义22.2国外相关研究32.3国内相关研究42.4以往研究的成就与局限性43.理论框架和方法53.1模糊语的三种形式53.1.1模糊词语53.1.2模糊附加词53.1.3模糊含义53.2研究方法63.2.1数据收集63.2.2数据分类63.2.3数据分析64.分析和讨论64.1模糊语在医患对话中的产生机制64.1.1自然语言的特点64.1.2医学现象的复杂性74.1.3人类认知和思维的模糊性74.2模糊语在医患对话中的三种形式84.2.1模糊词语84.2.2模糊附加词84.2.3模糊含义84.3模糊语在医患对话中的功能84.3.1表达礼貌和尊重84.3.2表达谦虚和自我保护94.3.3提高准确性和可信度94.4模糊语在医患对话中的正确用法105.总结10参考文献12PAGEPAGEi1Introduction1.1BackgroundoftheStudyVaguenessisoneoftheinherentattributesofnaturallanguage,whichistheexternalexpressionofsubjectivevaguenessofhumanthinking.Thevaguenessisrelativetotheprecision,andtheabsoluteprecisionoflanguagedoesnotexistinreality.Fromtheperspectiveoflanguageexpressioneffect,vaguelanguageisalwaysmoreflexibleandobjectivethanpreciselanguage,whichenhancesthepersuasivenessoflanguageexpressionandmakescommunicationsmoother.Doctor-patientconversationisakindofspecialinstitutionaldiscourseforbothdoctorsandpatientstocarryoutinformationcollection,informationconfirmation,oraldiscussion,conditiondiagnosis,explanationofdoubtandpuzzlesandotherrelatedcommunicationaroundthepatient'sconditionwithinacertaintimelimit.Inadditiontothecorrespondingdiagnosisandtreatmentactivitiessuchasmedicalinstrumentdetection,surgicaltreatmentandsoon,theexchangeoflanguageinformationisthemostimportantpartintheprocessofdiagnosisandtreatment.Thedoctor'sbasicunderstandingofthepatient,thepatient'scomplainttothedoctor,thedoctorandpatient'squestionsaboutthetreatmentalldependonthelanguagecommunicationtocomplete.Hippocrates,thefatherofmedicine,oncesaidthat"doctorshavethreemagicweapons,language,medicineandscalpel.",showingtheimportanceoflanguageindoctor-patientconversations.1.2ResearchQuestionsandHypothesesInourcountry,therelationshipbetweendoctorsandpatientsistense.Howtoproperlytreatthevaguelanguagephenomenonindoctor-patientconversations?Doestheapplicationofvaguelanguagebenefittotheconstructionofamicabledoctor-patientrelationshiporhinderit?Fromtheperspectiveofpragmatics,whatarethefunctionsandcharacteristicsofvaguelanguageindoctor-patientconversations?Indoctor-patientconversations,vaguelanguageisaninevitablelanguagephenomenon.Itistheapplicationresultofthevaguenessinthespecificcontext.Weshouldnotonlyfullyrealizeitsinevitableexistence,butalsorealizethatitisunrealisticandcontrarytothenaturallawoflanguagetoputundueemphasisontheaccuracyindoctor-patientconversations.Vaguelanguagehaspositivepragmaticfunctionsandirreplaceablelinguisticexpressioneffectsindoctor-patientconversations.Suchasexpresspolitenessandrespectofbothsides,expressthedoctor'smodestandself-protection,andimprovetheaccuracyandcredibility.Butatthesametime,weshouldalsorealizethatthevaguelanguagemustbeunderthecontroloftheappropriatevaguenessinthedoctor-patientconversations.Onceitisfoundthatvaguelanguagewilldisturbnormalcommunicationorresultincommunicationbarriers,itisnecessarytotaketimelymeasurestoactivelyadjust.Inaword,theequal,interactiveandharmoniousdoctor-patientrelationshipcannotbeseparatedfromthevaguelanguageincommunication,andproperlyunderstandvaguelanguage’sinevitableexistenceandpragmaticfunctioncanhelpfindanewwaytoreduceconflictsindoctor-patientcommunicationsfromtheperspectiveoflanguage.1.3PurposeandSignificanceoftheStudyTheVaguelanguagehasuniqueandimportantpragmaticfunctionsinmedicalEnglish.Indoctor-patientconversations,theproperuseofvaguelanguagewillimprovethelanguageexpressionabilityandcommunicationefficiency,whichisbeneficialtotheaccurateandappropriateexpressionofinformation.Inwrittencommunication,theproperuseofvaguelanguagemakesthepropositionalstatementmorescientific,accurateandobjective.PayingattentiontothecharacteristicsofvaguelanguageinmedicalEnglish,analyzingandstudyingthepragmaticfunctionsandtranslationfeaturesofvaguelanguagewillimproveourcomprehensionability,comprehensiveexpressionandapplicationabilityofbothEnglishandChinese.2LiteratureReview2.1TheDefinitionofVagueLanguageThesystematicstudyofvaguelanguagehasalonghistory.Pierce(1902),thefounderofAmericanpragmatismandsemioticsandworld-renownedphilosopher,pointedout,"Whenthereareseveralpossiblestatesofthings,thoughthespeakerhasconsideredthemcarefully,itisnotactuallycertainwhethertoexcludethemfromapropositionortoincludethem.Atthispoint,thepropositionisvague.ThevaguewhatIsaidaboveisnotbecausetheuncertainofinterpreter'signorance,butbecausethevaguenessofspeaker'slinguisticcharacteristics."whenhedefinedthevaguenessoflanguage.AmericancyberneticsexpertL.A.Zadeh(1965)said,"Mostofthecategoriesencounteredintherealworldarevague,someareonlyslightlyvague,othersareremarkablyvague.Thegeneralvaguenessofthesemanticsandthesyntaxofnaturallanguageexplainssomeaspectsoflanguagetheorycanbeanalyzedbythemethodfromfuzzysettheory."Existencedetermineshumanthought,thevaguenessofobjectiveexistencedeterminesthevaguenessofbrainthinking,thevaguenessofbrainthinkingdeterminesthevaguenessoflanguage.Inhumannaturallanguage,wecanfindalotofvaguelanguage,thereisnoclearboundarybetweenthem.2.2RelativeStudiesAbroadSinceAristotle'stime,vagueness,philosophy,logicandsoonhavebecomeoneoftheresearchfocusesofmanydisciplines.In1923,theEnglishphilosopher,Russell,pointedout"Thewholelanguageismoreorlessvague."(ascitedinZuo,2006)inhispaperVaguenessandpointedoutthatvaguenessistheinherentpropertyofhumanlanguage.In1965,theAmericancyberneticsexpert,Zadeh,publishedtheFuzzySets,sincethen,manysubjectsbegantocombinetheconceptoftheFuzzySetstostudytherelevantresearchofvagueness,suchasvaguemathematics,vaguelogic,vagueaestheticsandsoon.In1972,Americangenerativesemanticsscientist,Lakoff,putforwardthelinguisticconceptof"hedges"todescribe"thevaguestateofthedegree,scope,quantity,etc.".Sincethen,manylinguistshavelaunchedalarge-scalestudyofvaguelanguagefromtheperspectiveofwordmeaningandconcept.Butsoon,theresearchersrealizedthat"Onlyfromthesemanticaspectcannotfullyinterpretvaguelanguage.Pragmaticfactorsmustbetakenintoaccount."(Zhu&Zhang,2005).Lewis(1980)pointsoutthatthedifferencebetweenvaguelanguageandnon-vaguelanguageliesintherelationshipbetweenlanguageandlanguageusers,notbetweenlanguageandtheobjectiveworld.Burns(1991)believesthatvaguenessshouldbeinterpretedaspragmaticvariability.Moxeyetal.(1993)discussedhowpeopleunderstandandusefuzzyquantifiersinnaturallanguagefromapragmaticandpsychologicalpointofview.Leech(1983)pointsoutthatpragmaticvaguenessistheuncertaintyoftheconversationdiscourse,whichmakesthemeaningofthediscourseunclearismotivatedandisforthecommonbenefitofbothsidesoftheconversation.InthebookVagueLanguage(1994),ChannelmakesfulluseofthecooperativeprincipleofGrice,thepolitenessprincipleofBrownandLevinson,andthemethodofconversationanalysistomakepragmaticanalysisoftheuseandunderstandingofvaguelanguageinnaturallanguage,anddiscussessometypicalfunctionsofvaguelanguageinconversationindetail.2.3RelativeStudiesatHomeSince1980s,pragmaticvaguenesshasbeenpaidmoreandmoreattentionbydomesticscholars.HeZiranwasthefirstscholartostudypragmaticvaguenessinChina.In1985,hediscussedvaguelanguageanditsuseinHedgesandCommunication.Afterthat,hepublishedtwopaper,AStudyonPragmaticVagueandAFurtherStudyonPragmaticVaguenessin1990and2000,andusedthepragmatictheoryandthecognitivepragmaticstodiscussthevaguelanguagephenomenoninthecommunication.Otherscholars,suchasWuJianxin(1989),YuDongming(1997)andLiQiumei(2003),distinguishsemanticvaguenessfrompragmaticvagueness,andclearlypointouttheindependenceandresearchvalueofpragmaticvagueness.LinBo(2000)discussesthedynamicsanddynamicprocessofpragmaticvaguenessinverbalcommunication.HouGuojin(2005)studiespragmaticvaguenessfromtheperspectivesofmicroscopicwordingandmacrospeechactbymeansofquantitativeanalysis.CombiningtherelevancetheoryofSperberandWilsonandlinguisticadaptationtheoryofVer-schhueren.ShaoYouxue(2006)studiespragmaticvaguenessfromtheperspectiveofinterdiscourserelevance,andanalyzesvaguelanguageinthelightofcontextualeffectsandtheeffortsmadebyhearerindealingwithdiscourse.CenQunxia(2008)andLuLing(2010)discussedtheconceptandclassificationofpragmaticvagueness,theresearchmethodsandthenewtrendsofpragmaticvagueness.2.4AchievementsandLimitationsofthePreviousStudiesThevaguenessoflanguageisuniversal.Peoplehavebeenstudyingthevaguenessoflanguagefornearly100years.Asearlyas1902,thefamousAmericanphilosopherPiercefirstdefinedthevaguenessoflanguage.Later,AmericancyberneticsexpertL.A.Zadeh(1965)publishedFuzzySetsinthejournalofinformationandcontrol,inwhichheproposedthevaguetheory.In1979,professorWuTieping,afamouslinguist,introducedthevaguetheoryintoChineselinguisticsforthefirsttime.Uptonow,vaguelanguagehasgraduallybecomeanewresearchdirectioninthefieldofmodernlinguistics.However,therearestillmanyshortcomingsintheseresearches..Astheobjectofstudy,i.e.vaguelanguage,thereisnogooddefinitionincommunications.Moreover,theanalysisperspectivelacksgoodtheoreticalsupport.Thispaperusesaseriesofpragmatictheoriestoanalyzethevaguelanguageindoctor-patientconversations.Itisnotcomprehensivetoconsiderthatvaguelanguageisadvantageousordisadvantageousindoctor-patientconversation.Onlyarelativelycompletesystemtoclassifythemcanhelpreaderstounderstandthemindepth.3TheoreticalFrameworkandMethodology3.1ThreeFormsofVagueLanguage3.1.1VagueWordsVaguewordsthemselvesorexpressionformsarevague,andusuallyapplytoexpressvaguenotiondirectly,suchassomething,somebody,andsoon.Therearealsosomequantifiers,suchasmany,much,andsoon.Forexample,"OutbreaksofHPAIofH5N1subtypehavebeenreportedinalotofcountriesandregionscoveringvastareaofAsia,EuropeandAfricasince2003."Thevagueword"alotof"directlyexpressthevagueconcepts.3.1.2VagueAdditivesVagueadditiveisawordorphrasewhichattachedtoawell-definedexpressionformtoblurorlimittheconceptoftheoriginalmeaning.Itusuallyexistsinthewordscombinedwithnumbersortheindefinitepronounsthatplayacomplementaryandillustrativerole,suchassortof,almost,roughly,somewhat,etc.Forexample,"Thiskindofdiseaseissomewhatharmfulforthegrowingofthebone."(Zhao,2011).Thevagueadditives"somewhat"obscurestheoriginalpointofviewandinordertobeobjectiveandscientific.3.1.3VagueImplicationsVagueimplicationmeansthattheprecisenotioncontainssomeself-evidentdetails,meanwhile,conveysthemeaningofvaguenessinpreciseform.JoannaChannelreferstothisvaguenesscausebythelinguisticformasvagueimplication.Forexample,"Ittookameretwo-yearflickoftimetodiscovertherealcauseofthefataldisease."Thevagueimplication"flickoftime"makes"two-year"seemprecisebutuncertain.Thisexpressionnotonlyreflectsthespeaker'sdesiretoprovidemoreaccurateinformation,butalsomakesthelanguagemorevivid.3.2MethodologyoftheStudy3.2.1DataCollectionThisstudyselectsdoctor-patientconversationscollectedfrommedicaljournalvaguelanguageanditscommunicativefunctioninmedicalEnglishandfindoutthevaguelanguageinthesedoctor-patientconversations.3.2.2DataClassificationThisstudyusesqualitativeanalysisandthreeformsofvaguelanguage(vaguewords,vagueadditives,andvagueimplications).Classifyallthedoctor-patientconversationsaccordingtovaguewords,vagueadditives,andvagueimplications.3.2.3DataAnalysisAccordingtotheperspectiveofpragmatics,thisstudydividesthevaguelanguageindoctor-patientconversationsintothreefunctions(expressPolitenessandRespect,expressModestandSelf-Protection,improveAccuracyandCredibility)andanalyzethedifferencesbetweenthem.Analyzetheembodimentofvaguelanguageindoctor-patientconversationsandfindouttheproperusageofvaguelanguageindoctor-patientconversations.AnalysisandDiscussion4.1TheReasonofVagueLanguageinDoctor-PatientConversations4.1.1TheCharacteristicsofNaturalLanguageLudwigWittgenstein,alinguisticphilosopher,arguesthatvaguenessisaconstituentelementofnaturallanguage.(ascitedinWu,1999)Firstofall,manyofwordsinnaturallanguagehavecertainconnotationsbutuncertainextension,suchasadjectives"tall,short,fat,thin"andsoon.Moreover,"thismedicineisgood"and"gobacktodrinkmorewater",themeaningof"good"and"more"intheextensionisuncertainandrelativelyvague.Therearealsosomevaguewordsthatexpresstheconceptoftime,suchas"I'vebeendizzyrecently"and"Ihaven'tsleptwellhalfayear","recently"and"halfayear",whichmeansthevagueconceptoftime.Second,intermsofthelimitabilityoflanguagesymbols,thedoctor-patientconversationsaresituationaldialoguesinhospital,outpatient,etc.Doctorsarefacedwiththepatient'scomplex,changeabledisease,andpatientsisalsoeagertogiveaclearerandmorecarefuldescriptionofhisfeelingandsubtlechangesaboutdisease,butthehumanlanguageexpressionabilityisnotomnipotent,thelimitedlanguageexpressionsymbolcanonlygiveageneraldescriptiontotheobjectiveworld,cannotgiveaaccurateexpressiontoeverything.Thismakessomeofthecommonnessofthingstobepresented,whiletheindividualityishidden,therefore,thestrongerthegeneralityofwords,thegreaterthesemanticvagueness.Forexample,whenapatientgoestoahospital,thedoctorwillask,"What'swrongwithyou?"andthepatientwillsometimesanswer,"I'mnotcomfortable.","wrong"and"comfortable"areactuallygeneralwords,theyaredifficulttomeasure,butwiththisvagueexpression,bothdoctorsandpatientscanmaximizeinformationexchangeatthefirsttimeofseeingadoctor.4.1.2TheComplexityofMedicalPhenomenonModernmedicinehasdevelopedintoavastknowledgesystem,withmorethan50majorbranchesofdiscipline,andcontinuestodevelopindifferentiationandintegration.(He&Liu,2002)Theobjectofmedicalresearchisthelifeprocessofhumanbodyandthegenerallawofpreventionandtreatmentofdiseases,andthecomplexityofmedicalphenomenonalsodeterminesthenecessityoftheexistenceofvaguelanguageindoctor-patientconversation.Doctor-patientconversationisakindofspecialinstitutionaldiscourseforbothdoctorsandpatientstocarryoutinformationcollection,informationconfirmation,oraldiscussion,conditiondiagnosis,explanationofdoubtandpuzzlesandotherrelatedcommunicationaroundthepatient'sconditionwithinacertaintimelimit.Inthefaceofeachpatientwithcomplex,changeableconditionsanddifferentpathologicalcharacteristics,ifdoctorsuseextremelyaccuratewordsoftencannotaccuratelyandcomprehensivelydescribethediseaseorgivediagnosis,sometimesevenwillbemistakenforirresponsible.Tooclearlydefinedordescribedtreatment,prognosisandothercircumstances,sometimeswillnotonlybringpassivitytodoctors,butalsoleavelanguageloopholes,resultingintherootcausesofdoctor-patientcontradictionsinthefuture.Forexample,whenpatientsask,"HowsooncanIgetwell?",doctorsarealwayscarefultousevaguelanguagetoanswerquestionssuchas"aweekorso"or"afewweeks",thisvaguedescriptionofthetimehassatisfiedpatient’swishesandtheyoftendoesnotgoonaskingquestions.Inaddition,therearesomeblurrededgeofmedicalphenomenainreallife,theboundaryisnotclear,facedwithsomecomplexmedicalphenomena,doctorscanonlydescribebythecorrespondingvaguelanguage,whichisalsoamorecautiousmedicalattitude.4.1.3VaguenessofHumanCognitionandthinkingThevaguenessofhumanthinkingandcognitionisalsooneoftheimportantreasonsforlanguagevagueness.Human'ssubjectiveunderstandingoftheobjectiveworldislimited.Themedicalstaff'sexplorationofmedicalphenomenaisalsodynamicandongoing.Thisdynamicandcontinuousenrichmentofmedicalknowledgeandtheconstantchangeofmedicalphenomenoniscloselyrelated,thereforeitisdifficulttoachievecompleteaccuracyindoctor-patientconversation.Doctorscanonlyjudgeandsummarizethegeneralsituationanddevelopmenttrendofthepatient'sconditionbyalotofvaguelanguage.4.2TheFormofVagueLanguageinDoctor-PatientConversations4.2.1VagueWordsVaguewordsthemselvesorexpressionformsarevague,andusuallyapplytoexpressvaguenotiondirectly,suchassomething,somebody,andsoon.Therearealsosomequantifiers,suchasmany,much,andsoon.Forexample,"OutbreaksofHPAIofH5N1subtypehavebeenreportedinalotofcountriesandregionscoveringvastareaofAsia,EuropeandAfricasince2003."Thevagueword"alotof"directlyexpressthevagueconcepts.4.2.2VagueAdditivesVagueadditiveisawordorphrasewhichattachedtoawell-definedexpressionformtoblurorlimittheconceptoftheoriginalmeaning.Itusuallyexistsinthewordscombinedwithnumbersortheindefinitepronounsthatplayacomplementaryandillustrativerole,suchassortof,almost,roughly,somewhat,etc.Forexample,"Thiskindofdiseaseissomewhatharmfulforthegrowingofthebone."(Zhao,2011).Thevagueadditives"somewhat"obscurestheoriginalpointofviewandinordertobeobjectiveandscientific.4.2.3VagueImplicationsVagueimplicationmeansthattheprecisenotioncontainssomeself-evidentdetails,meanwhile,conveysthemeaningofvaguenessinpreciseform.JoannaChannelreferstothisvaguenesscausebythelinguisticformasvagueimplication.Forexample,"Ittookameretwo-yearflickoftimetodiscovertherealcauseofthefataldisease."Thevagueimplication"flickoftime"makes"two-year"seemprecisebutuncertain.Thisexpressionnotonlyreflectsthespeaker'sdesiretoprovidemoreaccurateinformation,butalsomakesthelanguagemorevivid.4.3TheFunctionofVagueLanguageinDoctor-PatientConversations4.3.1ExpressPolitenessandRespectPolitenessisanimportantprincipletobeobservedinhumansocialactivities.Leech,aBritishlinguist,hasputforwardthepolitenessprinciple,whichcontainssixprinciples:decency,generosity,praise,humility,consistencyandsympathy.Itrequiresthecommunicatorsto"Maximizethebenefits,minimizethedifferences,andstriveforcommon."(Zhao,2011).Indoctor-patientconversations,politenessplaysanimportantroleinregulatingdoctor-patientrelationship.Doctorsandpatientshavefourasymmetricaspectsofmedicalinformation,interpersonalrelationships,institutionalrightsandrolepower(Liu,2008).Forpatients,doctorsareinastrongpositionofoverallauthority,whilepatientsareinaweakpositionbecauseofthestrongpurposeofseekingmedicaltreatment.Therefore,itisveryimportanttodemonstratethepolitenessandrespectbyproperlyapplyingvaguelanguageincommunication,sothattheconversationhasroomformanoeuvreanddoesnotdirectlycontradictthelistener'sideasorwishes.Forexample,"Patient:Iwanttoknowtheresultofexamination.Doctor:I’mafraidyoumayhavegotthebigC,butluckilyitisontheearlystage."Here,vaguelanguage"I’mafraid"notonlyshowtheopinionsofdoctor,butalsoeasepatient'snervousness."BigC"isactuallyanabbreviationforcancerwhenadoctortellsapatientabouthiscondition,hereplacedcancerwith"bigC",whichnotonlymakethepatientunderstandbutalsorelievethepatient'smentalstress.4.3.2ExpressModestandSelf-ProtectionIndoctor-patientconversation,whendoctorsarenotverysureofpatient’scondition,theywillusevaguelanguagetoleaveenoughroomfortheirwords.Eveniftherearesomedeviationsanderrorsofdoctor’sview,theyalsocangetpatient’sunderstandingandreducetheirresponsibilitytoacertainextent,thusachieveself-protection.Forexample,"Itissuggestedthattherearefivemainroutesoftransmissionforinfectiousdiseases,i.e.air-borne，food-andwater-borne,contact,vector-borne,andmother-to-infantroutes."(Liu,2008).Thedoctorusesvaguelanguageandsentencepatterns"Itissuggested"toshowthathisresearchisbasedonresearchresults,toconfirmthecorrectnessofhisviewsandemphasizethecredibilityofhisconclusion.4.3.3ImproveAccuracyandCredibilityDoctor-patientconversationisakindoflanguagecommunicationactivityaboutpatient'scondition,whichshouldbeobjectiveandaccurate.However,themedicalphenomenaarevaried,andindividualdifferencesinpatientsarefullofuncertainty.Therefore,comparedwithpreciselanguage,usingvaguelanguageissometimesmorecomprehensive,objectiveandconvictive.Vaguelanguagecanusetheconceptualextensionofwordsaboutcharacter,quantity,scopetodescribesomemedicalphenomenonswhichseeminglyclear,butactuallynotverycertain,sothattheconclusionwillbemoreinlinewiththeobjectivereality,avoidoverarbitraryandincreasetheaccuracyoftheconversation.Forexample,"Theyfoundthatroughlytwo-thirdsofthelongevoushadavoidedsignificantage-relatedailments."Ifdoctorusesprecisewords,itwillmakehisexpressiontoosubjectiveandarbitrary.However,usevaguelanguage"roughly"thathaveaspeculativefunctioninlexicalandsyntacticalcanleaveroomforargumentation,avoidgettingtoofarfromthetruth,andmakethestatedpropositionmorerigorous,reasonableandcredible.4.4TheProperUsageofVagueLanguageinDoctor-PatientConversationsTosumup,vaguelanguageisaninevitablephenomenonindoctor-patientconversation.Byanalyzingthepragmaticfunctionofvaguelanguageindo