ABSTRACT
Social constructionism provides a framework for theorizing workplace communication that highlights the vital role of language and social interactional processes in the construction of social meaning. It allows sociolinguists to investigate how language is used to perform social action in situated practice. To reflect upon the significance of social constructionism in workplace research, this chapter provides a brief review of its origins and main principles, and illustrates its main assumptions by drawing on data collected in public and private healthcare institutions in New Zealand. Finally, it discusses future inquiry in the study of healthcare communication from a social constructionist perspective.
