The Pragmatics of Medical Language

Abstract

Our brief sketch of the problematic character of the traditional semantic conception of meaning has demonstrated that meaning cannot be separated from the role the users of a language play in their communication with one another. One of the features of this role is the control of the language use and verbal behavior of individuals by the community. It is thus the community that determines and judges what words and sentences ‘ mean’. This is just indicative of the pragmatic dimension of language. Consequently, what medical terms and sentences ‘ mean’, and what someone ‘ means’ by using a particular medical term or sentence, also depends on pragmatic contexts and circumstances.