Rapport management in strong disagreement: an investigation of a community of Chinese speakers of English

Abstract

Little research has focused on strong disagreement since it is generally believed to be impolite and dispreferred (Pomerantz 1984). This study employs Spencer-Oatey's (2002, 2005, 2008) rapport management model to investigate strong disagreement because it emerged as salient in natural conversations. Data were derived from approximately 49 hours of conversational interactions among 62 non-familial equal-status Chinese speakers of English at two unorganized English Corners in a southeastern city of mainland China. The study shows that strong disagreement was used to preserve rights, conduct facework and achieve interactional goals. Despite a few potentially face-threatening ones, all the instances of strong disagreement served to maintain or enhance, rather than damage, the rapport of the participants. Strong disagreement did not lead to negative evaluations. It seemed to be perceived as appropriate. This might have resulted from the way strong disagreement was expressed, the link between perception and behavior, the value of face and rapport to the participants, their English proficiency and pragmatic awareness, interactional goals and identity construction. The findings support the few studies that have found disagreement to serve positive functions in conversational interaction. They could be a valuable resource for research on pragmatic features of EFL learners.