Abstract
This study questions the long-held assumption that medical English represents a uniform and self-contained discourse. Drawing on a triangulated corpus that includes medical textbooks (2.5 million words), clinical case reports (1.8 million words), and doctor–patient consultations (about 500,000 words), it explores how medical professionals shift between technical and accessible registers a practice referred to here as linguistic code-meshing. A mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative corpus evidence with qualitative discourse analysis, is used to trace how such register blending operates across different communicative settings. The analysis identifies five recurrent strategies: terminological scaffolding, register-meshing syntax, strategic metaphor use, authority-accessibility markers, and layered discourse organization. These strategies enable practitioners to maintain technical accuracy while making information more comprehensible to patients and colleagues. Statistical comparisons show notable variation across contexts, with diagnostic and specialist consultations exhibiting the most intricate forms of integration. Qualitative findings further illustrate how these strategies promote understanding without undermining professional identity or institutional authority. Theoretically, the study positions medical discourse as flexible and stratified rather than strictly hierarchical, thereby extending work on register theory and professional communication. Practically, it points to implications for medical training and intercultural clinical communication, suggesting that code-meshing should be regarded as a key professional skill in today’s multilingual healthcare settings.