The Speech Act of Offering Advice in Learner English in Korean Context

Abstract

Taking a cross-cultural pragmatic approach, this paper compared the speech act of offering advice as realized by Korean L2 learners of English with that of English native speakers. The study investigated pragmatic transfer from L1 Korean while offering advice in L2 English. The study also aimed to examine whether Korean L2 learners’ perception of directness vs. indirectness in the realization of offering advice differs depending on their proficiency. The findings showed that Korean L2 learners of English were not as balanced as native English speakers in the use of indirect strategies of offering advice. The results also revealed that both Korean L2 learners and native English speakers are inclined to use similar strategies for the realization of offering advice. Findings call for further research on pragmatic transfer of the varied English proficiency level and considering appropriate pragmatic teaching methods.