Sociopragmatic competence in American and Chinese children’s realization of apology and refusal

Abstract

This study explores the cross-cultural difference in the change of sociopragmatic competence by collecting perception and production data from native English-speaking children and native Mandarin Chinese-speaking children. The study focused on the development of interlocutor sensitivity in the realization of speech acts of apology and refusal. The participants consisted of four groups: American 1st-grade, American 8th-grade, Chinese 1st-grade and Chinese 8th-grade students. The children’s interlocutor sensitivity was examined through the following aspects: (1) their perception of severity of the offense, (2) their perception of the “need to be more polite” when apologizing to or refusing a familiar interlocutor or an interlocutor with higher social status, and (3) the use of apology and refusal strategies. The results showed that cross-cultural differences exist in the change pattern of interlocutor variation.