Abstract:

In attempt to ensure that medical students communicate effectively with their patients for comprehensive diagnosis, medical students are compelled to graduate with isiXhosa from one of South African universities. The relationship between language and culture cannot be disputed in the medical context, particularly for students who are learning isiXhosa or exposed to it, which is the language they have to graduate with as medical doctors, for the first time. Although this relationship appears complex medical students have a way of coping and learning isiXhosa the best way they can. While this is the case, isihlohipho, an aspect of euphemism which is embedded in isiXhosa seems to be an added layer of complexity in learning this new language. For the purposes of this article, a purposeful of sixty students was selected from the third year class of two hundred fifty students. Data were collected during contact time with students sharing experiences of using isiXhosa with language users for the first time in clinical setting. The paper offers an overview of how communication between third year students and their medical clients could lead to misconceptions and misunderstanding because of the language gap between layers of the same language students are learning. The paper is three-fold. First, it discusses the meaning of isiXhosa for communication in medical context in relation to its purpose and benefits. Secondly, it will discuss the meaning of euphemism in the context of medicine and the manner in which it plays out in creating misconceptions, barriers or possibilities to language learning. Thirdly, an analysis of the complexity that arises as a result of using of euphemism which draws itself from cultural traits that could create tensions with the language understood by medical students for communication. The paper concludes that use euphemism could create an opportunity for students to engage with multiple language sets and therefore gain multiple perspectives of the language.

Keywords:

Clinical context, culture, euphemism, isihlonipho, mis/conceptions.