Iranian EFL Learners’ Interlanguage Request Modifications: Use of External and Internal Supportive Moves

Abstract

The present study investigated the interlanguage pragmatic knowledge of Iranian English learners at three levels of English language proficiency. The study focused on learners’ ability to perform the speech act of request and their performance was compared with American native speakers of English to see to what extent they approximated native speakers in using external and internal modifications. A Discourse Completion Task (DCT) including 12 situations was employed to elicit performance data from 120 participants, 90 Iranian EFL learners and 30 American native speakers of English. The data were categorized using an adapted version of the Cross-Cultural Speech Act Realization Project (CCSARP) classification. The study found that Iranian English learners overused external modifications and underused internal modifications compared to American native speakers. However, they showed pragmatic development toward native speaker norms with increase in language proficiency level. Advanced learners approximated native speakers both in the frequency of use and linguistic form of external modifications with regard to preparator, getting pre-commitment, promise of reward, sweetener, grounder, appreciations, confirmatory, and pre-pre strategies. However they did not approximate native speakers in the frequency of use of external modifications with regard to disarmer and apology strategies, and both in frequency of use and linguistic form of imposition minimizer strategy. In addition, advanced learners approximated native speakers both in the frequency of use and linguistic form of internal modifications with regard to conditional and understater strategies; and in the linguistic form of play down, politeness marker, consultative device, and upgrader strategies. However they did not approximate native speakers both in the frequency of use and linguistic form of downtoner strategy.