SENTENCE TO 10 CENTS - A CASE-STUDY OF RELEVANCE AND COMMUNICATIVE SUCCESS IN NONNATIVE-NATIVE SPEAKER INTERACTIONS IN A MEDICAL SETTING

In cross-cultural interaction in medical settings, there is great pote ntial for miscommunication. This potential is increased when the langu age proficiency of one of the interactants is low. In the data present ed here of such interaction, however, the instances of miscommunicatio n are quickly resolved and communication proceeds. Three sources of co mmunicative success are suggested. Most important is the ability of bo th parties to draw contextually triggered inferences which provide a b asis for (I) making perceptual contributions and (2) using communicati on strategies. These inferencing abilities and communication strategie s are guided by the expectation of and search for relevance (Sperber a nd Wilson 1995) which allows interaction to proceed. A third source of success is the professional knowledge and skill of the interactants w hich not only enable interaction to proceed but to do so toward profes sional goals. The implications of these findings contribute to our und erstanding of models of intentional communication.