SOCIOLINGUISTIC METHODS OF STUDYING A MEDICAL DISCOURSE: THE PROBLEM OF FORMATION OF AN EMPIRICAL BASE

The article discusses the problem of collecting material for the analysis of discursive practices in the field of medical services. A relative closed nature of this sphere for any direct linguistic observation determines the tasks of formation of a representative empirical base with sociolinguistic methods based on the retrospection of communicants. Based on the differentiation of informant types (patients, doctors), such experimental methods as questionnaires and in-depth interviews are demonstrated, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of these research tools are considered. The peculiarity of using the questionnaire method when interviewing patients about communication with doctors is noted: the answers are based on memories and, therefore, may contain impressions and interpretations brought in by the informant after the event. The study reveals that a formalized questionnaire (Google forms) is an effective tool for studying patients’ opinions about medical services since it allows one to establish the context and linguistic triggers of a conflict-prone situation, taking into account those aspects and parameters that are of interest for scientific understanding. However, this method of formation of an empirical base when surveying doctors showed low efficiency due to ethical and psychological reasons that prevent informants from providing meaningful responses. At the same time, in-depth interviews containing a series of leading questionsprovided the study with more reliable results about the real problems of medical communication that doctors encounter in the process of communication with patients.