A MITIGATED AUTHORITARIAN MODEL: AGE HIERARCHY AND MAYBORODA’S DISCOURSE TYPES IN UZBEK CONSULTATIONS WITH OLDER PATIENTS
Keywords:
authoritarian discourse, collegial discourse, medical discourse, older patients, age hierarchy, overaccommodation, UzbekAbstract
Abstract. This article asks whether S. V. Mayboroda’s distinction between authoritarian and collegial medical discourse applies in a speech community where age seniority is strongly marked. In Andijan, Uzbekistan, 21 consultations (9 with patients aged 60–65) were observed without audio recording; a survey of 99 doctors and telephone conversations supplied further material. Each consultation was assigned a dominant model from three closed items: recommendation form, recipient of the news and decision-maker. The authoritarian model dominated 13 consultations, 10 of them in a mitigated form in which the doctor decides while the directive is framed by respectful address, obligation modality and reassurance. This form dominated 7 of 9 consultations with older patients. No discrediting moves were recorded, and difficult moments never led to a harsher tone. Patient age was related to the doctor’s speech, supporting the first hypothesis; the hypothesis that younger doctors mitigate more was not confirmed.
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