Gordon Cynthia, Prince Michele B, Benkendorf Judith L, Hamilton Heidi E
Department of Linguistics, Georgetown University, Washington, District of Columbia, 20057,
J Genet Couns. 2002 Aug;11(4):245-63. doi: 10.1023/A:1016326431443.
Prenatal genetic counseling involves an exchange of information between counselors and clients, including verbal descriptions of the potential pain of invasive prenatal diagnosis procedures such as amniocentesis. This paper describes the use of one linguistic feature in one context. It considers how two counselors describe procedural pain in 17 prenatal genetic counseling sessions, audiotaped as part of a larger data-driven study using sociolinguistic methodologies to characterize the discourse of genetic counseling. Analysis reveals that "constructed dialogue," or reporting something another person said, is a strategy used frequently by the counselors for describing procedural pain. Examination of the content and form of the constructed dialogue uncovered three recurring patterns that relate to its functions in the sessions: (1) inclusion of colloquial vocabulary; (2) references to common experiences through similes; and (3) explicit downplaying of pain. This analysis suggests that the naturally occurring phenomenon of quoting the words of others can be used in genetic counseling to impart information while simultaneously reassuring the client and creating counselor-client rapport. The complex relationship between the use of constructed dialogue and the enactment of genetic counseling principles through talk is also discussed.
产前遗传咨询涉及咨询人员与客户之间的信息交流，包括对羊膜穿刺术等侵入性产前诊断程序潜在痛苦的口头描述。本文描述了一种语言特征在一种情境中的运用。它探讨了两位咨询人员在17次产前遗传咨询 session 中如何描述程序痛苦，这些 session 被录音，作为一项更大规模的数据驱动研究的一部分，该研究使用社会语言学方法来刻画遗传咨询的话语。分析表明，“构建对话”，即报告他人所说的话，是咨询人员描述程序痛苦时经常使用的一种策略。对构建对话的内容和形式的考察揭示了三种反复出现的模式，这些模式与其在 session 中的功能相关：（1）包含口语化词汇；（2）通过明喻提及共同经历；（3）明确淡化痛苦。该分析表明，引用他人话语这一自然发生的现象可用于遗传咨询，以传递信息，同时安抚客户并建立咨询人员与客户之间的融洽关系。还讨论了构建对话的使用与通过谈话践行遗传咨询原则之间的复杂关系。
