BE36 LNDG MHR EXPERIENCED CONFUSION WITH ATC INSTRUCTION.

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AFTER SWITCHING FREQS TO APCH; THE CTLR ASKED WHAT APCH I WANTED; AND WHAT MY INTENTIONS WERE. I REPLIED THAT; BECAUSE I WAS ABOVE THE CLOUD DECK; I WOULD LIKE THE ILS RWY 22R APCH TO A FULL STOP LNDG. THE CTLR CONTINUED ME ON A PREVIOUSLY ASSIGNED RADAR VECTOR OF 340 DEGS; AND REQUESTED I DSND AND MAINTAIN 3000 FT. AFTER BREAKING THROUGH THE BASE OF CLOUDS AT APPROX 4000 FT; I INFORMED THE CTLR THAT I WAS BELOW THE CLOUDS AND HAD THE ARPT IN SIGHT. I WAS THEN ASSIGNED A NEW HDG; WITH A COMMENT SOMETHING LIKE; 'TURN L; HDG OF 310 DEGS TO JOIN THE TFC PATTERN FOR MATHER ARPT.' I WAS IN VMC AND HAD THE IMPRESSION FROM THE CTLR'S COMMENT ABOUT JOINING THE TFC PATTERN THAT I WAS CLRED FOR A VISUAL APCH TO MATHER. I DID NOT; HOWEVER; HEAR THE MAGIC WORDS; 'CLRED FOR THE VISUAL APCH; MATHER ARPT;' UNTIL AFTER THE CTLR QUESTIONED MY ALT. I REPLIED '2700 FT.' I DID NOT THINK I STILL HAD THE ALT RESTR; BUT APPARENTLY THAT WAS THE CTLR'S INTENTION; AS HE CLARIFIED ON FREQ. INSTEAD; I HAD BEEN CONTINUING A 500 FPM VFR DSCNT INTO MATHER. WHEN I REPLIED THAT I WOULD CORRECT MY ALT TO 3000 FT; THE CTLR REPLIED THAT HE WAS READY TO CLR ME FOR THE VISUAL ANYWAY. I FOUND THE LANGUAGE; 'TO JOIN THE TFC PATTERN' MISLEADING. IN THE CONTEXT OF ROUTINE IFR FLT; I RECEIVE RADAR VECTORS TO 'JOIN' VICTOR XYZ. THE IMPLICATION IS THAT I AM TO FLY THE ASSIGNED HDG TO THAT AIRWAY AND THEN CONTINUE FLT ON THE AIRWAY. IN MY MIND; GETTING A VECTOR IN VMC TO JOIN THE TFC PATTERN AT MATHER MEANT I SHOULD CONTINUE ON THE ASSIGNED HDG AND JOIN THE TFC PATTERN AT 1000 FT. I ALSO FOUND THE CTLR'S APPARENT DESIRE TO AVOID AN ILS APCH COMPROMISED SAFETY OF FLT. I AM NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE AREA; MAKING IDENT OF THE FIELD WITH LOW CEILINGS DIFFICULT. IF I HAD BEEN GIVEN VECTORS TO JOIN THE ILS RWY 22R APCH; WE WOULD NOT HAVE HAD THIS CONFUSION.