Cross-Cultural Pragmatics: Strategy Use in Egyptian Arabic and American English Refusals

Abstract

This study investigated similarities and differences between Egyptian Arabic and American English refusals using a modified version of the discourse completion test (DCT) developed by Beebe et al. (1990). Thirty US interviews resulted in 298 refusals and 25 Egyptian interviews resulted in 250 refusals. Each refusal was divided into its component strategies. Data were analysed to compare the average frequencies of direct and indirect strategies, the average frequencies of specific indirect strategies, and the effect of interlocutor status on strategy use across groups. Results indicate that both groups use similar strategies with similar frequency in making refusals. The findings, however, suggest that although methods such as the DCT may be appropriate for collecting pragmalinguistic data, they fail to reveal the sociopragmatic complexities of face-threatening acts such as refusals.