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In:Beyond Binaries in Address Research: Politeness and identity practices in interaction
Edited by Víctor Fernández-Mallat and María Irene Moyna
[Topics in Address Research 6] 2025
► pp. 197–219

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Chapter 9
Variation of V and T address pronouns in Bosnian and German medical encounters

A comparative study of practices between formality and familiarity

Published online: 17 July 2025
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/tar.6.09dza
Abstract
This chapter investigates the alternation between formal V and informal T address forms used by doctors during medical encounters in Bosnian and German. It examines how these pronominal shifts occur interactively, both turn-by-turn and within a single turn. The study contributes to our understanding of interpersonal dynamics in institutional settings, where the formal V address is typically the norm for politeness and respect (Schüpbach et al. 2007). By examining and comparing two datasets of medical conversations through Raymond’s (2016a) CA interactional approach to address choice and identity projection, the study reveals that Bosnian doctors’ use of address alternation reflects patients’ identity statuses, while German doctors’ alternations are more closely linked to their own identity statuses, particularly in long-term relationships.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Background: Pronominal address systems in interaction
    • 2.1Pronominal address in German and Bosnian
    • 2.2Previous research on pronominal alternation
  • 3.Methodological framework and data
    • 3.1CA and Ethnographic Discourse Analysis
    • 3.2Data
  • 4.Findings
    • 4.1Pronominal alternation by Bosnian doctors
    • 4.2Pronominal alternation used by German doctors
  • 5.Discussion and conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
  • Appendix
References (37)
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