Initiative Monitoring Strategy and Tactics in Medical Professional Discussions

Abstract

The paper focuses on the initiative monitoring strategy in medical professional discussions. The initiative monitoring strategy is realized by means of passing a communicative initiative tactic, imposing a communicative initiative tactic, taking a communicative initiative tactic, keeping a communicative initiative tactic, and closing an interaction tactic. The research is based on English texts of medical professional discussions, freely available on the Internet. The discourse analysis of medical professional discussion texts is used as the research method to uncover the mechanisms behind meeting talk. The aim of the article is to expose the devices for realization of the above-mentioned tactics. The leading role in discussion of development belongs to a moderator being responsible for passing an initiative and closing an interaction. Invited experts can also participate in a turn-taking process by taking and keeping an initiative.