Interlingual and intercultural communication discordances as impediments to the provision of quality public healthcare services: cases of Cecilia Makiwane Hospital, Nkqubela Chest Hospital and Frere Hospital

Abstract

This study seeks to explore interlingual and intercultural discordances between clinicians and patients during treatment processes in selected public hospitals in the Eastern Cape. The two languages under investigation are English and isiXhosa. Intercultural communication refers to a phenomenon in which people who speak different native languages are engaged in a conversation (Gudykunst 1993).