A Cross-cultural Comparative Study of Requests Made in Chinese by South Korean and French Learners

Abstract

This study aims to examine the differences of pragmatic strategies of requests made in Chinese by South Korean and French learners, in comparison to those made by Chinese native speakers (CNS). Using a Discourse Completion Test (DCT) questionnaire as the research tool, 20 Chinese, 20 French students and 20 South Korean students from the Shanghai International Studies University (SISU) were randomly selected to complete the questionnaire. The response data from the Chinese student questionnaires were used as the baseline data for comparison as well as generating a modified coding scheme. The results show that Chinese speakers and South Korean learners tend to be more direct by using “query preparatory” and “mood derivable” as head acts, while French learners tend to be indirect by primarily using “query preparatory.” In terms of sociopragmatics, the results show that Korean learners and Chinese tend to be hierarchical and collectivistic, while French students are prone to be egalitarian and individualistic. L2 transfer, inductive/deductive mindset, unfamiliarity, and varied perceptions of politeness could be possible reasons for the differences in request strategies. This study concludes with suggestions for future research and pedagogy.