Indirect Refusals Research Articles

Speech Act Of Refusal On Vertical Line Levels In Japanese And Indian Cultures

This study aims to describe the refusal speech acts of Japanese and Indian people in the context of vertical relationship lines. The research employs a cross-cultural pragmatic approach with a qualitative descriptive paradigm method. Data collection was carried out using the Discourse Completion Task (DCT) method on native Japanese and Indian speakers. Data were analyzed using Brown and Levinson's politeness theory and Ochi Suzuki's refusal strategies, presented through a descriptive analysis model. The results indicate differences in the refusal speech acts of Japanese and Indian people within vertical relationship lines. Japanese people, in this context, tend to use indirect refusals, employing various methods to show respect and avoid offending the interlocutor. This is influenced by factors such as social status, social distance, kinship relations, and the speaker's age. Indirect refusals often involve expressions of apology and the use of different language forms. There are slight differences between male and female refusal speech acts in Japanese culture. Women are more careful in choosing words to refuse, showing a higher regard for the feelings of the speaker. In contrast, Japanese men tend to provide straightforward reasons for their refusals but still choose their words cautiously. In the case of Indian people within vertical relationship lines, the majority use direct refusals, as evidenced by their speech. Social factors such as social status and social distance also play a role. Both Indian men and women tend to deliver refusals straightforwardly, assertively, and directly (to the point).

Refusal Strategies by Young Jordanian Speakers in Arabic and English

This study aims to investigate refusal strategies used among Jordanian Arabic speakers and EFL learners of English in Jordan. Two Discourse Completion Tests (DCT), containing scenarios of refusal, were completed by 43 Jordanian Arabic speakers along with 37 EFL learners of English in Jordan. Data analysis reveals three main refusal categories used in the data: direct, indirect and adjuncts to refusals. Jordanian Arabic speakers used 7% direct refusals, 57% indirect refusals, and 36% adjuncts to refusals. In contrast, EFL learners used 13% direct refusals, 62% indirect refusals, and 25% adjuncts to refusals. Additionally, strategies such as insisting, insulting, praising the other, and invoking the name of God were observed. In conclusion, both groups preferred indirect refusal strategies over other types. It was also noted that EFL learners used more direct and indirect refusal strategies than Jordanian Arabic speakers but fewer adjuncts to refusals. Both groups produced similar strategies in response to the four types of situations, indicating that cultural background significantly influenced the way refusals were performed, despite the different languages used.

Instructional effects on L2 pragmatic comprehension: the case of indirect refusals and indirect opinions

ABSTRACT The current study examines the role of instruction in developing L2 learners’ ability to comprehend two types of implicatures: indirect refusals and indirect opinions. According to Taguchi (2005), these implicatures differ in the degrees of conventionality involved in producing them, hence requiring different degrees of processing effort on the learner’s part. Our second aim, therefore, is to examine which implicature type is more teachable. Two upper-intermediate classes of EFL learners were randomly assigned to the control and treatment conditions. The treatment group received meta-pragmatic instruction on the target implicatures and inferencing strategies while the control group followed a regular syllabus. The learning outcomes were measured by means of two parallel pragmatic listening tests before and after the study. An interview with eight learners was also conducted at the end of the study to examine the learners’ use of inferencing strategies. Results of the pragmatic listening tests suggested that while learners improved their comprehension of both types of implicatures, instruction produced a larger effect on indirect refusals. Findings from the interview also revealed more effective use of inferencing strategies by the learners after the treatment. The findings are discussed with implications for instruction in and research on pragmatic comprehension.

PRAGMATIC COMPETENCE OF ADVANCED SERBIAN EFL LEARNERS: A STUDY OF REFUSAL STRATEGIES

The present study explores refusal strategies used by advanced Serbian EFL learners and compares them to refusal strategies produced by English and Serbian native speakers in a relevant study (ŽIVKOVIĆ 2021). The aim is to identify potential pragmatic difficulties learners might have as well as the potential transfer of pragmatic norms from their native language. The participants completed a written Discourse Completion Test which introduced twelve everyday situations to which the participants were expected to respond by making refusals to requests. The situations were generated based on different combinations of two sociological variables: social distance and power. The results showed that while the frequency of direct and indirect refusals was similar for all three groups of participants, there were some differences in terms of the frequency and content of particular strategies. For instance, the EFL learners tended to overuse statements of regret/apology. They also provided more family-oriented excuses and used explanations that were less specific than the ones produced by the English native speakers. Furthermore, they produced fewer expressions of willingness and gratitude/appreciation. Apart from describing similarities and differences between the participants’ refusal strategies, the results also highlight the importance of incorporating pragmatics in EFL classrooms and working on learners’ pragmatic competence even when it comes to high-proficiency learners.

Expressions of indirect refusal in Vietnamese (compared with Russian)

In Pragmatics, verbal behavior is a behavior that is most interested by many linguists. One of the behaviors is the act of rejection, the universal behavior of all languages. In intercultural conversations, the act of rejection is a very important behavior. Politeness in communication is a general principle in the social interaction of each culture. It is not easy to be polite when performing the acts of refusing without losing the other person's face. Refusal is a common act in communication, especially in intercultural communication. In the case that the proposed invitations, suggestions or requests, etc. are not suitable to receive, refusal in a proper manner is needed. Moreover, choosing the form of indirect refusal is an effective way of responding. They both express the declination of requests and the face saving for the listener. Based on literary works either published or uploaded onto the internet, this study focuses on formulas expressing indirect refusals in Vietnamese (compared with Russian). Thereby, contributing to the efficiency enhancement of the learning of this speech act used for both Vietnamese learners of the Russian language and Russian-speaking learners of the Vietnamese language.

Lithuanian Refusals and Politeness

This study investigates Lithuanian refusals to comply with requests. Refusals are face-threatening speech acts. They can endanger social relationships, and therefore require mitigation by employing politeness means. The aim of the study is to find out strategies, sub-strategies, internal and external modifications of Lithuanian refusals. The research data was collected from students using an open-ended discourse completion test and consists of 1046 refusals. Summarizing the results, it can be stated that Lithuanians opt for indirect refusals. When refusing directly, the least straightforward strategy – stating the inability to comply with a request – is used, especially by women. Refusals (especially the direct ones) are often mitigated with external modifications that were again more frequent in women’s responses. Socioculturally, the most acceptable and thus polite way to refuse in Lithuanian is to apologize and provide reasons. Overall, there is a clear tendency to express positive politeness when refusing.

Refusal Strategies Performed by Speakers of Different Ages

This pragmatic research was conducted to identify and classify the refusal strategies performed by two groups of speakers of different ages. It was also conducted to investigate the differences and similarities in the strategies. The first group consisted of 20 speakers aged 17-27 years old and the second group consisted of 20 speakers aged 40-50 years old. There were 240 refusals performed as the data of this research which were classified according to the classification proposed by Felix-Bradesfer (2008). This research foundthat there were 9 direct refusals, 45 indirect refusals, and 66 adjuncts to refusals performed by the younger speakers. There were 7 direct refusals, 49 indirect refusals, and 64 adjuncts to refusals that were performed by the older speakers. This research also found that there were more similarities than differences on the refusal performed by the two groups.

Refusal Strategies in Two <i>Harry Potter</i> Movies

This research investigates refusal acts and the strategies used in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets movies. It aims to identify what types of refusal acts are used by the characters in the movies and how they are expressed throughout the movies. The data were obtained from the two movies. A total of 91 refusals and 12 adjuncts were found in the movies. The results indicate that indirect refusals were more commonly used (65%) than direct refusals (35%). However, the direct strategy negative willingness/ability is the most commonly used (26%), followed by the indirect strategies Attempt to dissuade interlocutor (21%) and Reason/Explanation (18%). The findings seem to suggest that the characters in the Harry Potter movies tend to express their refusals indirectly, especially through persuasion and explanation.

남북한 거절 전략 비교 연구

This study aims at investigating the similarities and differences of refusal speech act between Korean speakers from South Korea and North Korea. By analyzing the data which was collected from 74 South Korean participants and 73 North Korean refugees who had been divided into two groups and being asked to fill out a questionnaire and a discourse completion test, the similarities and differences in terms of evaluation of direct and indirect refusal, burden level caused by refusal, and way of expressing refusal between these two groups are compared. Through the analysis, it shows that there is a significant difference of the evaluations of indirect refusal between participants from South Korea and North Korea. While most of the participants from South Korea had regarded indirect refusal as a considerate and courteous act, participants from North Korea had also perceived it negatively. Although the uncomfortable feelings caused by refusal were similar, the North Korean participants` way of expressing refusal was generally more direct than that of South Korean participants, which means that North Koreans use more direct refusals than South Koreans while South Koreans may prefer indirect refusals, and that may make the North Koreans seem to be relatively less polite. In addition, words being used for expressing direct refusals are also different between participants from South Korea and North Korea.

간접거절화행에 나타난 공손표현 양상에 관한 연구 : 태국인 한국어 학습자를 중심으로

A Study on the Indirect Refusal in Speech: Focusing on the Polite Expressions of Thais Learning the Korean Language. The Korean Language and Literature, Vol.138.BR This paper, which considers strategies employed in indirect refusals in speech in both Thai and Korean, aims to reveal the characteristics of polite expression in Korean by examining indirect refusals in speech among Thais who learn Korean. An 8-question survey was administered to 30 Thais learning Korean. Data analysis showed that it is necessary to describe the following in greater detail: what Thai learners think of as politeness in dialogue, their strategies inemploying In direct refusal in speech, and their use of polite expressions. The degree of politeness for these learners is significantly related to their Korean language abilities, their closeness with the listener, the sense of burden they feel, and the power relations between the speaker and listener, among other factors. This study adds additional depth to existing studies. It was reaffirmed that in the study of politeness among learners of a foreign language, situational and socio-linguistic characteristics are highlighted.BR

The \u2018experimental public\u2019 in longitudinal health research: views of local leaders and service providers in rural South Africa

BackgroundThe concept of ‘experimental public’ has been recently applied to publics involved in clinical trials. This term could also be applied to publics involved in longitudinal research such as health and demographic surveillance systems. The ethics of practice and public engagement with these experimental publics are of key importance and include issues of informed consent, confidentiality, collection of body tissue samples and fair local benefit.MethodsIndividual (n = 11) and focus group (n = 5) qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with 56 local leaders and service providers regarding their views about research activities in a longitudinal health research study site run by the MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt) in rural South Africa. Deductive and inductive thematic analysis was undertaken using NVivo software to identify the emergent themes.ResultsThere was an understanding of the usefulness of collecting demographic data, but reasons for gathering other contextual data such as on food security, as well as the reasons for collection of blood was less clear. While appreciation was expressed for feedback of individual results such as blood pressure levels during home-based data collection, there were requests for more results from biomarkers, and for these to be given at home, rather than at the clinic. There were reports of indirect refusals, and offers by leaders to assist in reducing refusal rates. There were concerns about confidentiality, especially in the publication of results. Some leaders would have liked to receive more individual level data for planning of services, although they understood this would breach confidentiality. Service providers were concerned about the withdrawal of some services post intervention trials.ConclusionsThis experimental public has, over time, developed a nuanced understanding of the reasons for research and the procedures undertaken. Discussions concerning fair benefit ranged from requests for more individual clinically-relevant results for participants, to understanding how research results could assist in planning of public health services at local and national levels. The concerns illustrate the complexity of the ethics of practice which has implications for policy, practice and governance for those working in longitudinal health research sites globally.

The pragmatics of requests and refusals in multilingual settings

ABSTRACTThis study investigated the mode of directness of requests and refusals and the background variables that explain this production in two trilingual populations in Israel (i.e. native speakers of Arabic for whom English is an L3, and Hebrew, an L2, and native speakers of Hebrew for whom English is an L2 and another language is their L3). Data were collected using language background questionnaires and a Discourse Completion Task. The findings revealed that both groups preferred indirect over direct requests but the L1 Hebrew participants produce it more than the Arabic L1 cohorts. There was no difference between the two groups in the production of either direct or indirect refusals. Explanatory background variables as exposure to English, language use for specific purposes and language proficiency were linked with the level of directness in the non-native English productions of both populations.

I’m Sorry, I’ve got Something to Do: A Study of EFL Learners’ Refusal Strategies

The present study aimed at investigating the English refusal strategies chosen by EFL learners in one public university in Banten regarding social status. A Discourse Completion Task consisting of two situations was employed to gather the data. The data taken were classified and analyzed based on Beebe, et.al (1990). The research result showed that most EFL learners chose indirect strategies to refuse by giving reasons and explanation followed by statements of regret. In relation with social status, in giving indirect refusals as the addition of giving reasons and regret, the EFL learners tended to provide alternatives to the request given by their friends or equal status. However, they tended to provide positive opinions to refuse a request given by someone with higher status. Keywords: refusals, request, social status

Comprehension of Indirect Meaning in Spanish as a Foreign Language

AbstractThis study investigated comprehension of indirect meaning among learners of L2 Spanish via an original computer‐delivered multimedia listening test. The comprehension of implied speaker intention is a type of indirect communication that involves the ability to understand implied intention by using linguistic knowledge, contextual cues, and the assumption of relevance (Taguchi, 2005, 2011). Since inferential processing involves parallel processing of all available signals, both linguistic and nonlinguistic, to interpret the indirect utterance (Sperber & Wilson, 1995), it is essential to incorporate multimedia input. By creating a multimedia comprehension test in Spanish, the study examined theoretical claims about inferential mechanisms and their applicability to L2 comprehension. Thirty‐two L2 Spanish learners in intermediate/advanced Spanish classes at a private U.S. university and 21 native Spanish speakers completed a listening test that assessed comprehension of three types of indirect meaning: indirect refusals, indirect opinions, and irony. These item types differed in terms of the degree of conventionality encoded and the extent of inferencing required for comprehension. Participants’ comprehension was analyzed for accuracy and comprehension speed. Results revealed a significant difference in L2 Spanish learners’ comprehension accuracy scores and response times across the three item types. Irony was the most difficult to comprehend for L2 Spanish learners. Conventionality did not facilitate comprehension because indirect refusals and opinions had the same accuracy scores. In terms of response times, indirect opinions were faster to comprehend than indirect refusals and irony items. Posthoc retrospective verbal interviews revealed that learners used a wide a range of verbal, nonverbal, and contextual cues to make inferences of indirect meaning.

Invitation refusals in Cameroon French and Hexagonal French

AbstractDescriptions of regional pragmatic variation in French are lacking to date the focus has been on a limited range of speech acts, including apologies, requests, compliments and responses to compliments. The present paper, a systematic analysis of invitation refusals across regional varieties of French, is designed to add to the research on intralingual regional pragmatic variation in French. Using questionnaire data collected in France and Cameroon, this paper examines the strategies employed by French speakers in Cameroon and in France to decline an invitation to a friend’s birthday party, an invitation by a classmate to have a drink and an invitation to attend a talk given by a professor’s colleague. The findings reveal some parallels in both varieties of French with respect to the preference for face-saving refusal strategies (indirect refusal and adjuncts to refusals and internal modification devices). However, many differences emerged with respect to the choices of indirect refusals. Also, the Cameroonian participants tend to produce more complex utterances and to use more relational address forms than the French.

Comprehension of conversational implicature in L2 Chinese

This study examined the ability to comprehend conventional and non-conventional implicatures, and the effect of proficiency and learning context (foreign language learners vs. heritage learners) on comprehension of implicature in L2 Chinese. Participants were three groups of college students of Chinese: elementary-level foreign language learners (n=21), advanced-level foreign language learners (n=25), and advanced-level heritage learners (n=25). They completed a 36-item computer-delivered listening test measuring their ability to comprehend three types of implicature: conventional indirect refusals, conventional indirect opinions, and non-conventional indirect opinions. Comprehension was analyzed for accuracy (scores on a multiple-choice measure) and comprehension speed (average time taken to answer items correctly). There was a significant effect of implicature type on accuracy, but not on comprehension speed. A significant effect of participant group was observed on accuracy, but the effect was mixed on comprehension speed.

The Effect of L2 Proficiency and Study‐Abroad Experience on Pragmatic Comprehension

This cross‐sectional study examined the effect of general proficiency and study‐abroad experience on pragmatic comprehension in second‐language English. Participants were 25 native English speakers and 64 Japanese college students of English divided into three groups. Group 1 (n = 22) had lower proficiency and no study‐abroad experience. Group 2 (n = 20) and Group 3 (n = 22) had higher proficiency than Group 1 but differed in their study‐abroad experience. Group 2 had no study‐abroad experience, but Group 3 had a minimum of 1 year of study‐abroad experience in an English‐speaking country. They completed a pragmatic listening test measuring their ability to comprehend conventional and nonconventional implicatures. Group performance was compared for the comprehension accuracy scores and response times. There was a significant effect of proficiency on response times but no effect of study‐abroad experience. Comprehension accuracy scores revealed mixed findings. It was advantageous for students to have study‐abroad experience in the comprehension of nonconventional implicatures and routine expressions but not in indirect refusals.

An exploratory study of the interlanguage pragmatic comprehension of young learners of English

This paper describes the developmental pattern of the interlanguage pragmatic comprehension of young learners of English based on their performance in a multiple-choice comprehension exercise consisting of five direct and indirect speech acts (requesting, apology, refusal, compliment and complaint) in contextualised dialogues, supplemented with information on their processing strategies as elicited from their verbal protocols. The findings contribute to the literature on the interlanguage developmental pragmatics of young learners, an area on which research literature is scarce. Three groups of seven-, nine- and twelve year-old Cantonese learners of English participated. The overall mean comprehension scores of the three groups increased steadily, but the difference in the scores across groups was only statistically significant between the seven- and nine-year-olds. All of the learners performed well in the comprehension of direct speech acts, but the seven- and nine-year-old learners encountered problems in comprehending indirect speech acts, particularly indirect refusals, compliments and complaints. Their performance and processing strategies provide some evidence for the development of direct and indirect speech act comprehension in learning a second language - from relying on literal meaning or the semantic congruence between meaning and expression to other strategies, such as speaker intention and contextual clues, as they transit from early to middle childhood.

Pragmatic Comprehension in Japanese as a Foreign Language

This study developed an original instrument that measures pragmatic comprehension in Japanese as a foreign language (JFL). It examined the ability to comprehend implied meaning encoded in conventional and nonconventional features and the effect of proficiency on comprehension. There were 63 college students of Japanese at 2 proficiency levels who completed a listening test measuring their ability to comprehend 3 types of implied meaning: indirect refusals, conventional indirect opinions, and nonconventional indirect opinions. Comprehension was analyzed for accuracy (scores on a multiple‐choice measure) and comprehension speed (average time taken to answer items correctly). There was a significant effect of item type on accuracy but not on comprehension speed. A proficiency effect was observed on accuracy but not on comprehension speed. Analyses of error data and introspective verbal reports revealed the nature of comprehension difficulty among JFL learners.

THE ROLE OF LEARNING ENVIRONMENT IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF PRAGMATIC COMPREHENSION

This study examines the role of environment in the development of pragmatic comprehension. It tracks two groups of Japanese students of English: 60 students in a college in Japan (English as a foreign language [EFL] learners) and 57 students in a college in the United States (English as a second language [ESL] learners). The learners completed a computerized listening task that measured their ability to comprehend two types of implied meaning: indirect refusals (k= 24) and indirect opinions (k= 24). The task was given to each group twice, before and after the students received approximately 120–130 hr of classroom instruction. Comprehension was analyzed for accuracy (scores) and speed (average time taken to answer each item correctly). Results showed that, in both learner groups, accuracy and comprehension speed improved significantly over time. For the EFL group, the magnitude of effect was much less for speed than for accuracy. In contrast, ESL learners showed significant improvement in comprehension speed, with a sizable effect size, but only marginal improvement in accuracy.