An Exploration of Code-Mixing Types: A Study of Doctor-Patient Interaction

Abstract

Communication between doctors and patients plays a crucial role in ensuring effective diagnosis, treatment, and patient satisfaction. In multilingual societies such as Pakistan, interactions in healthcare settings frequently involve the mixing of languages, particularly Urdu and English. This study explores the phenomenon of code-mixing in doctor–patient conversations and examines the types and motivations behind its use. Adopting a qualitative research approach, the study analyzes ten audio-recorded interactions between doctors and patients at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), Islamabad. The conversations were transcribed and examined using Muysken’s (2000) typology of code-mixing, which includes insertion, alternation, and congruent lexicalization. The findings reveal that insertion is the most dominant form of code-mixing in medical discourse, followed by alternation and congruent lexicalization. The analysis further shows that code-mixing occurs due to several communicative motivations, including discussing specific medical topics, lexical gaps, emphasis, clarification, and group identity. The study highlights that code-mixing often facilitates communication in bilingual medical settings, although it may also influence patient comprehension depending on linguistic familiarity. By providing a sociolinguistic perspective on healthcare communication, this research contributes to a better understanding of language practices in medical discourse and emphasizes the importance of effective linguistic strategies in doctor–patient interactions.