SPRÅKBARRIÄRER I PRAKTIKEN. En studie av arabisk och svensk vokabulär inom sjukvård och flyktingmottagande

Abstract

The aim of this thesis is twofold – to explore in what situations Arabic- and Swedishspeaking people experience language barriers and to make a survey of what vocabulary is most relevant in these situations. The following research questions were posed: 1) In what situations do the respondents experience communication difficulties due to language barriers and what pragmatic goals are included in these? 2) What words and phrases are most frequent in these situations? 3) To what extent does the most frequent vocabulary overlap with existing lists of core vocabulary? The theoretical framework for this thesis departs from the field of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). Previous research has shown that AAC devices can also be used to give people a multilingual ability. The key concepts used are core vocabulary, fringe vocabulary, and the distinction between transactional and interactional pragmatic goals. The data collection consisted of qualitative surveys at two multilingual facilities: Angered Hospital and an accommodation for unaccompanied minors. A total of 39 respondents at the hospital took part in the survey; these included both administrative and medical staff. At the accommodation for unaccompanied minors three respondents, with Arabic as their mother tongue, took part in the survey. The collected vocabulary was compared with two lists from the KELLY-project and Tawasol Symbols. Three types of situations were identified at Angered Hospital: Booking and Administration, Examination and Surgery and Transit. The results indicate that besides medical terminology and instructions related to transactional goals there was also a need for interactional, or socially oriented, communication. The comparison with the two lists showed the greatest overlap with the KELLY-list, 41 of 100 words, compared to 19 words with the Tawasol-list. Furthermore, none of the fringe vocabulary from the hospital was found in the other two lists. The respondents at the accommodation for unaccompanied minors highlighted language barriers associated with communication about health care. In contrast to the data from Angered Hospital they also described language barriers in situations dealing with everyday communication. The situations described and the suggested vocabulary consisted mainly of transactional goals, but further studies are needed to address the issue of language barriers related to unaccompanied minors.