TEACHING COLLOQUIAL AUSTRALIAN ENGLISH TO MEDICAL-STUDENTS FROM NON-ENGLISH SPEAKING BACKGROUNDS

Lack of fluency in the language of instruction can form a barrier to m edical education. There has been an effort within Australian universit ies to teach English to students from non-English speaking backgrounds (NESB), but little systematic attention has been given to the teachin g of informal or colloquial English. This paper provides evidence that colloquial language is a pervasive and important aspect of doctor-pat ient communication. It describes a teaching project for NESB medical s tudents which aimed to introduce them to colloquial English, and to pr ovide them with a contextual approach to learning this form of languag e. Forty-four first year medical students enrolled at the University o f Adelaide were required to gather examples of colloquial language by interviewing a native English speaker. Ninety-four examples of colloqu ial sayings were recorded. These were compiled in the form of a handbo ok which served as a student resource. Student evaluation of this exer cise was positive. The benefits of an interactive method of teaching l ocal and setting-specific language are discussed, and the implications of this approach for clinical teaching and for medical practice are e xplored.