Good morning, Dr. Please what could…: Discourse Strategies and Linguistic Markers of Affectivity and Rapport in an Online Gynecology Consultative Forum in Nigeria

The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted a shift from traditional in-person doctor-patient interactions to digital, remote consultations, where patients and doctors collaborate on treatment. Unlike the face-to-face medical consultations, online consultation is a growing area of research in medical discourse. Using Stance and Rapport Management theories, the research explores the discourse strategies and linguistic markers of affectivity and rapport in online consultative encounters in Nigeria. Out of forty-six posts collected from the "Ask the Gynecologist Antenatal Support and Care Class" Telegram account between May and June 2022, only twenty-four were purposively selected for analysis. Findings reveal that Nigerian pregnant mothers convey affectivity and rapport through greetings, auto-referentiality, attention-captivating expressions and they employ linguistic markers of attitude -the interrogative pronoun ‘what’, possessive adjective ‘my’, verbs/adverbs ‘please’, etc- to express their concern, worry and curiosity. The study concludes that Nigerian pregnant mothers’ discourse is both relational and evaluative. They do not just seek information; they also use language to negotiate care, assert personal involvement and elicit reassurance and to express concerns about their wellbeing and a desire for guidance. These highlight the importance of a communicative, empathetic approach in maternal healthcare, where addressing both medical and emotional-linguistic needs can improve patient-caregiver consultative outcomes.