Medical Academic Speech. A Corpus-based Investigation of Same-Speaker Most Frequent Content Key Word Repetition in Non-Native English Discourse

Studies on repetition in ELF interactions have been carried out in several domains, but medical academic discourse still remains under-researched. This paper explores same-speaker repetition in a 31,153-word corpus of lectures included in the 100,135-word medical section of the 1 million-word ELFA (English as a Lingua Franca in Academic Settings) corpus. More specifi cally, the corpus was searched for the most frequent same-speaker content key word repetition and corresponding functions, with both immediate and delayed repetition being scrutinized. The results confi rmed the initial hypothesis according to which same-speaker repetition was expected to be pervasive in the data, not only as a result of the pedagogical nature of the encounters but also as a possible consequence of the ELF linguistic context. To this purpose, the data in the ELFA medical corpus were compared to those explored in a corpus of medical lectures from the NS (Native Speaker) BASE (British Academic Corpus of Spoken English) corpus. Most frequent same-speaker content key word repetition occurred in the ELFA data twice and a half as much as in the BASE data on average considering relative frequencies. No differences were found as for repetition use, which mostly displayed explicating and emphasizing functions in both corpora. Occurrence of extra repetition in the ELFA data as compared to the BASE data shows the need for high levels of clarity in communicative contexts where interactions take place between speakers of different linguistic and cultural backgrounds

Allo-repetition in Academic Settings. Cooperation, Understanding Co-construction and Knowledge Negotiation in the Medical Section of the ELFA Corpus

In recent years, spoken academic ELF (English as a Lingua Franca) has been an object of in- creasing interest in linguistic and communication studies thanks to the position of academia as “one of the domains which have most eagerly adopted English as their common language in in- ternational communication” (Mauranen 2006a: 146) 1. In a context where different linguistic and cultural backgrounds come together, clarity and explicitness play a prominent role. In this respect, ELF research has paid much attention to the importance of communicative strategies, the most prominent of which is repetition. ELF studies on repetition have been carried out in several do- mains, including academia. Within this, however, medical discourse, and more specifically, spoken medical discourse, to date has been neglected. This is quite surprising given the ever-growing medical research output in the English language, which has resulted in an increasing number of literacy programs within EMP (English for Medical Purposes), thus in turn intensifying the use of English as an instrument of international higher medical education. Moreover, academia makes use of several forms of speech, traditionally lectures, seminars, conferences, panel discus- sions, etc., but spoken discourse still remains less investigated as compared to written contexts. This paper is intended to be a continuation and development of a previous study on self-repetition (Cappuzzo forthcoming), and focuses on the role of allo-repetition in the 63,029-word subcorpus of nine polylogic speech events belonging to the 100,135-word section of spoken academic medical interactions included in the one million-word ELFA (English as a Lingua Franca in Academic Settings) corpus. More specifically, following Kaur’s (2009) analysis of interactional devices in co- constructing understanding in English as a lingua franca, this paper concentrates on the com- municative functions served by allo-repetition in the meaning-making process and understanding co-construction in a medical academic ELF context involving speakers of several different linguistic and cultural backgrounds. The paper first reports relevant literature on repetition and allo-repetition strategy. It subsequently shows the findings of the research and examines the functions displayed by allo-repetition in the data, with extracts illustrating the different functions. Occurrences of such cohesive devices falling into the category of repetition as superordinates, hyponyms, and synonymic expressions will also be taken into consideration as useful strategies enhancing clarity and giving discourse coherence. Finally, the paper discusses some didactic implications from the results obtained and offers suggestions on how allo-repetition can be deployed in EMP syllabuses. The main purpose of the work is to highlight how allo-repetition as an interactive process between speakers contributes to increasing understanding, constructing an atmosphere of cooperation, establishing and/or re-establishing shared understanding in knowledge negotiation at an international spoken academic level in the medical field.

Medical English in Italian University Courses in Sports Sciences: Some Issues in Focus

Over the last few decades, the increasingly rapid progress of medical science and technology, together with the growing importance of English as the language of international communication, has made the study of medical English a crucial segment in the curriculum of medical undergraduates. In Italy, medical topics are studied not only in medical degree courses but also in those of sports sciences. This paper focuses attention on some medical English-related issues in sports sciences degree courses in Italian universities. More precisely, the work is divided into four main parts. The first part raises the terminological question concerning the denomination of the discipline “lingua inglese”/“lingua straniera” in sports sciences courses, which is discussed in relation to the ministerial objectives about specialized language teaching in university education. The second part draws attention to the important role that medical English plays in Italian sports sciences degree courses, the curriculum of which is outlined on the basis of its main subjects. In this respect, emphasis is given to English in the domain of sports medicine, one of the fields of knowledge which characterises the sports sciences degree course. Moreover, the importance of the acquisition of the lexicon of sports medicine is highlighted, also through a short account of the main eponyms belonging to the specific domain in question. The third part deals with the issue concerning credits, attendance at classes, and syllabuses in sports sciences courses. Finally, the fourth and last part discusses questions common to all medical English courses like students’ initial linguistic competences, comprehension difficulties in dealing with medical English communication, including subtechnical vocabulary acquisition, and the importance of genre-based and content and language integrated learning (CLIL) approaches to medical English teaching. The main purpose of the work is to draw attention to the importance that medical English syllabuses in sports sciences courses be well-designed in terms of effective methodologies and curriculum dominant subject-oriented contents in order to develop students’ linguistic competences within their chosen professional field. The paper also aims at highlighting the importance of uniformizing the time devoted to medical English teaching in sports sciences courses, also on account of the fact that the same learning-related difficulties in facing the language of medicine in English are essentially shared by all Italian undergraduates

The Translation of Chinese Medical Terms into English. Linguistic Considerations on the Language of TCM

The growing diffusion of TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) in the Western world on the one hand, and the major role of English as the language of scientific communication and international exchange on the other, have led to the need for accuracy and standardization in the English terminology of Chinese medical concepts. The complexity of Chinese medical language, not only due to the innumerable quantity of ideograms1, but above all to their correct interpretation and to the philosophical foundations which TCM is based upon, has raised several debates among linguists, translators and physicians. One of the main issues concerns the approach to be adopted in the translation of Chinese terms into the English language. More precisely, a source-oriented choice, and in particular that which makes use of loan-translations, is claimed to respect the integrity of the original Chinese concepts and to present them as they come into native people\u2019s mind. On the other hand, a target-oriented method, which basically turns out to be a westernization of Chinese concepts, makes TCM easier to understand for the international medical community. The work is divided into three main parts. The first part investigates the literal translation - in particular that suggested by the English sinologist and linguist Nigel Wiseman - as a form of source-oriented approach in the translation of TCM terminology into the English language. The second part discusses the question of the translation of the basic Chinese concepts of q\uec and d\ue0o, while the third and final part focuses on some Chinese crucial denominations whose current English equivalents have been an object of attention by TCM scholars and physicians regarding their lack of terminological correctness and precision. The purpose of this work is to highlight some of the major difficulties that the translation of TCM terminology into a Western language, especially the English one, entails, as radically different cultures are involved, and the implications that the general tendency to the westernization of Chinese medical concepts necessarily leads to in the translating process

Eponyms or Descriptive Equivalent Terms? The Question of Scientific Accuracy in Medical Discourse

A large part of medical lexicon is made up of eponymous terms. These have often been an object of debate and disagreement among specialists and linguists. More precisely, some claim that eponyms should be maintained, while others are inclined to substitute them with descriptive equivalent terms. The aim of this work is to highlight the importance of linguistic accuracy in medical communication through the analysis of the main advantages and disadvantages involved in both the use of eponyms and descriptive terms. The work is divided into four main parts. The first part provides a classification of the various types of medical eponyms, according to the types of names they can include. The second part is an examination of the current controversy about eponyms, with a discussion of the main reasons in favour of and against their use in medical discourse. The third part focuses on positive and negative pragmatic aspects in the use of eponyms in medical discourse, while in the fourth and last part attention is paid to the inaccuracy of some descriptive denominations

Medical English textbooks for Italian university students. Do they meet the Miur educational instructions about scientific English learning? Three works under investigation

The ever increasing diffusion of English as the language of communication and scientific literature worldwide has made EMP (English for Medical Purposes) learning an integral part of medical students\u2019 syllabuses. In medical English courses, teachers generally make use of textbooks which through a variety of activities usually involve all linguistic skills and provide students with the necessary means to communicate effectively and properly in their professional field. If we agree that a basic knowledge of general English should be assumed when undertaking any EMP course, then it follows that this specialist learning requires familiarity with a) specialised lexis and b) the morphosyntactic structure of scientific discourse. Specialized communication in English, especially the written variety, prioritises linguistic phenomena such as nominalization and premodification more frequently than general English does. Medical English textbooks for undergraduates are thus designed to develop the four skills of reading, speaking, listening and writing in a way that encourages students to acquire linguistic competences in both specialized oral and written communication. However, the space and significance attributed to each skill in coursebooks will vary according to the specific volume in question as specific authors show preferences for one skill over others

Optical waveguide structure including reflective asymmetric cavity

A turning mirror in an optical waveguide structure is made by etching in the upper surface of the structure a cavity (18) that intercepts the path of light propagated by the waveguide (15, 16, 13). Preferably, the cavity is made to be asymmetric with the side (25) of the cavity remote from the waveguide sloping at typically a forty-five degree angle. The asymmetry can be introduced by using mask and etch techniques and treating the surface of the structure such that the etchant undercuts the mask on the side of the cavity remote from the waveguide to a greater extent than it undercuts the mask on the side of the cavity adjacent the waveguide.Published versio

Methods for making mirrors

A turning mirror in an optical waveguide structure is made by etching in the upper surface of the structure a cavity (18) that intercepts the path of light propagated by the waveguide (15, 16, 13). Preferably, the cavity is made to be asymmetric with the side (25) of the cavity remote from the waveguide sloping at typically a forty-five degree angle. The asymmetry can be introduced by using mask and etch techniques and treating the surface of the structure such that the etchant undercuts the mask on the side of the cavity remote from the waveguide to a greater extent than it undercuts the mask on the side of the cavity adjacent the waveguide.Published versio

Real-world efficacy and safety of nivolumab in previously-treated metastatic renal cell carcinoma, and association between immune-related adverse events and survival: the Italian expanded access program

Background: The Italian Renal Cell Cancer Early Access Program was an expanded access program that allowed access to nivolumab, for patients (pts) with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) prior to regulatory approval. Methods: Pts with previously treated advanced or mRCC were eligible to receive nivolumab 3 mg/kg every 2 weeks. Pts included in the analysis had received ≥1 dose of nivolumab and were monitored for drug-related adverse events (drAEs) using CTCAE v.4.0. Immune-related (ir) AEs were defined as AEs displaying a certain, likely or possible correlation with immunotherapy (cutaneous, endocrine, hepatic, gastro-intestinal and pulmonary). The association between overall survival (OS) and irAEs was assessed, and associations between variables were evaluated with a logistic regression model. Results: A total of 389 pts were enrolled between July 2015 and April 2016. Overall, the objective response rate was 23.1%. At a median follow-up of 12 months, the median progression-free survival was 4.5 months (95% CI 3.7-6.2) and the 12-month overall survival rate was 63%. Any grade and grade 3-4 drAEs were reported in 124 (32%) and 27 (7%) of pts, respectively, and there were no treatment-related deaths. Any grade irAEs occurred in 76 (20%) of patients, 8% cutaneous, 4% endocrine, 2% hepatic, 5% gastro-intestinal and 1% pulmonary. Of the 22 drAEs inducing treatment discontinuation, 10 (45%) were irAEs. Pts with drAEs had a significantly longer survival than those without drAEs (median OS 22.5 versus 16.4 months, p = 0.01). Pts with irAEs versus without irAEs had a more significant survival benefit (median OS not reached versus 16.8 months, p = 0.002), confirmed at the landmark analysis at 6 weeks. The occurrence of irAEs displayed a strong association with OS in univariable (HR 0.48, p = 0.003) and multivariable (HR 0.57, p = 0.02) analysis. Conclusions: The appearance of irAEs strongly correlates with survival benefit in a real-life population of mRCC pts treated with nivolumab