Poznań Studies in Contemporary Linguistics· 2026Q2
Language of care: euphemism and emotional management in Jordanian healthcare
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- 2026year
Short summary
Jordanian physicians employ seven euphemism strategies (synonymy, understatement, religious references, vagueness, part-for-whole substitution, overstatement, loanwords) to manage patient emotions and maintain trust during sensitive medical discussions.
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Key points
- Physicians use seven euphemism strategies: synonymy, understatement, religious references, vagueness, part-for-whole substitution, overstatement, and loanwords.
- When discussing long-term treatment, physicians focus on reassurance, optimism, emotional support, and framing treatment as manageable.
- Euphemism functions as a tool for emotional management and sustaining patient trust in Jordanian healthcare.
- Language choices balance medical accuracy with care and cultural sensitivity.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Abstract This study explores how Jordanian physicians choose their words carefully when talking to patients about sensitive medical issues. To understand this process, a discourse completion task (DCT) was administered to 24 physicians, and responses were analyzed using both quantitative and qualitative approaches grounded in established frameworks on euphemism. The analysis revealed seven main strategies that physicians reported or produced in response to clinically plausible scenarios: synonymy, understatement, religious references, vagueness, part-for-whole substitution, overstatement, and loanwords. When discussing long-term treatment plans, their elicited responses centered on four themes: reassurance and normalization, balancing honesty with optimism, emotional and holistic support, and treatment as a manageable journey. These findings suggest that euphemism, as reflected in physicians’ pragmatic judgments and preferred formulations, is understood not merely as a politeness device but as a culturally embedded resource for managing emotional sensitivity, sustaining patient trust, and balancing accuracy with care in Jordanian healthcare communication.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Poznań Studies in Contemporary Linguistics, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Communication
CommunicationSocial Sciences