Speech genres of accusation and reproach in the doctor’s speech behavior

The issue raised in this study touches upon different aspects related to expression of negative judgment in medical discourse. This issue lies within the boundaries of speech genre theory. The authors use analysis tools of such disciplines as functional linguistics, medical rhetoric and elocutary mastery. The comparison of accusation and reproach – two related to each other speech genres of expressing disapproval – is made in the introduction to the article. Lexicographic sources allowed to reveal essential semantic peculiarities of these genres. The authors have found that the most frequent means of expressing accusation and reproach is a rhetoric question which is used to express the doctor’s disapproval of the patient’s behaviour. It is pointed out that one of the reasons for the doctor’s failures in communication with patients is the improper use of rhetorical questions. This study attempts to discover communication pitfalls dealing with expressing disapproval. Understanding the structure and semantics of rhetoric questions allows to avoid common mistakes in the speech of medical students. It is necessary to view the object of the research in the context of argumentation and manipulation theories. The article also analyzes whether expressing disapproval can be regarded as a manipulative speech tactic. The authors claim that rhetoric questions should be regarded as irrelevant in the doctor’s dialog with the patient due to their negative impact on the patient’s emotional and psychological state. It is necessary to remember about risks related to iatrogenic factors.