Startseite A gendered study of refusal of request speech act in the three languages of Persian, English and Balouchi: a within language study
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A gendered study of refusal of request speech act in the three languages of Persian, English and Balouchi: a within language study

  • Moafian Fatemeh EMAIL logo , Yazdi Naji und Sarani Abdulah
Veröffentlicht/Copyright: 28. Juni 2018

Abstract

This study investigated the manifestation of refusal of request speech act among Persian, English and Balouchi speakers with a focus on gender. The role of interlocutors’ social status was also studied in this regard. To this aim, 180 participants (60 persons in each language including 30 females and 30 males) took part in the study. The instrument was a discourse completion task with six real life situations. To analyze the data, descriptive statistics and Chi-square were employed. The findings revealed both similarities and differences in the realization of refusal of request speech act between males and females in the three languages.

Funding statement: This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Appendices

Appendix A: The English DCT

Instructions: Please read the following 6 situations. In each situation you will be asked to write a response in the blank after “you.” Respond as you would in an actual conversation. Please bear in mind that you are supposed to refuse all these requests.

Situation 1: You are at the office in a meeting with your boss. It’s closing to the end of the day and you want to leave work.

Boss: If you don’t mind, I’d like you to spend an extra hour or two tonight so that we can finish up with this work.

You: ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Boss: That’s too bad. I was hoping you could stay.

Situation 2: You are an English teacher in a language school. One of your colleagues can’t attend one of his classes. The manager asks you to handle the class instead of him but you’ve already planned to do something.

Manager: Mrs Smith has a very important exam tomorrow and he is not well-prepared. Could you handle his class this afternoon please?

You: ………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Manager: Well, I have to look for someone else then.

Situation 3: You are a junior in college. You attend classes regularly and take good notes. Your friend often misses a class and asks you for the lecture notes.

Classmate: Oh God! We have an exam tomorrow but I don’t have notes from last week. I’m sorry to ask you this, but could you please lend me your notes once again?

You: ………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Classmate: O.K, then I guess I’ll have to ask somebody else.

Situation 4: Your friend asks to use your car to go to Duncan. Knowing that he is a careless and unskillful driver, you don’t want to lend him/her your car.

Your friend: Would you mind lending me your car to go to Duncan.

You: ………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Your friend: That’s too bad. I guess I have to take the bus.

Situation 5: You are the owner of a language institute. One of your teachers asks to speak to you in private.

Teacher: As you know, I have been here just over a year now, and I know you’ve been pleased with my work here, but to be quite honest, I really need an increase in pay.

You: ………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Teacher: Then I guess I’ll have to look for another institute.

Situation 6: You are a university professor. You have administered a linguistics midterm test but students have not got good scores .One of the students who represents others asks for another test.

Student: It seems that students have not performed well on the test. Could you administer another test please?

You: ………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Student:That’s too bad! So we have to study hard for the final exam.

Dear participant, thank you very much for your time and help.

Appendix B: The Gender Wise Frequency of the Refusal Strategies Used by the Persian Participants with Respect to the Interlocutors’ Social Status and the Results of Chi-Square Applied to the Data

Frequency (Males)Frequency (Females)Chi-Square (Males)Chi-Square (Females)
HigherEqualLowerHigherEqualLowerχ2dfPχ2dfP
I. Direct
IA000000
IB11223151222143.88020.1443.50020.174
IB22217163023221.12720.5691.52020.468
Total3440314245361.20020.5491.02420.599
II. Indirect
IIA46272052281411.67720.00323.57420.000
IIB700720
IIC6663575960510.67720.7130.85920.651
IID841129113.21720.2006.09120.048
IIE643144212.40020.002
IIF112801
IIG252124
IIH372026
III13385933.29420.193
III2000100
III301917031118.16620.000
III4131111
III5000000
III6001102
III7*060011
IIJ1010000
IIJ2010000
IIK1a000000
IIK1b000000
IIK1c000000
IIK1d000000
IIK2a000000
IIK2b000040
IIK2c000121
IIK2d023106
IIK2e000101
IIL*010001
IIM*000000
Total1431471271541271161.61220.4475.77820.056
III. Adjuncts to Refusals
IIIA5050010
IIIB 000000
IIIC030000
IIID013006
IIIE*310620
IIIF*052013317.38520.000
IIIG*302200
Total111012815190.18220.9134.42920.109
Total1881971702041871712.04320.3602.90720.234

Appendix C: The Gender Wise Frequency of the Refusal Strategies Used by the English Participants with Respect to the Interlocutors’ Social Status and the Results of Chi-Square Applied to the Data

Frequency (Males)Frequency (Females)Chi-Square (Males)Chi-Square (Females)
HigherEqualLowerHigherEqualLowerχ2dfPχ2dfP
I. Direct
IA000000
IB151416410105.88620.0533.00020.223
IB22014132317181.83020.4011.06920.586
Total2528292727280.31720.8530.02420.988
II. Indirect
IIA4234304939322.11320.3483.65020.161
IIB21012735.54520.062
IIC5143406159431.44820.4853.58320.167
IID557710170.47120.7904.64720.098
IIE221621
IIF400801
IIG124036
IIH100002
III1013045
III2000010
III321040756.50020.039
III4000061
III5000000
III60020112
III7*000010
IIJ1101100
IIJ2000100
IIK1a000000
IIK1b000000
IIK1c000000
IIK1d000000
IIK2a001001
IIK2b000000
IIK2c100000
IIK2d007025
IIK2e000000
IIL*000001
IIM*000000
Total112981001451421351.11020.5740.37420.829
III. Adjuncts to Refusals
IIIA000216
IIIB 001105
IIIC100000
IIID104201625.33220.000
IIIE*200020
IIIF*031140
IIIG*000000
Total436672721.05020.000
Total1411291351781761900.53320.7660.63220.729

Appendix D: The Gender Wise Frequency of the Refusal Strategies Used by the Balouch Participants with Respect to the Interlocutors’ Social Status and the Results of Chi-Square Applied to the Data

Frequency (Males)Frequency (Females)Chi-Square (Males)Chi-Square (Females)
HigherEqualLowerHigherEqualLowerχ2dfPχ2dfP
I. Direct
IA000000
IB12527252734340.10429491.03220.597
IB23221324220332.84720.2417.72620.021
Total6048576954671.41820.4922.09520.351
II. Indirect
IIA211733212713.07320.00120.58820.000
IIB100001
IIC63742857633720.98220.0007.08320.029
IID248128
IIE040130
IIF312001
IIG344001
IIH100001
III1048124
III2000000
III30101713616.22220.000
III4407001
III5000000
III6004000
III7*000010
IIJ1010010
IIJ2111001
IIK1a000000
IIK1b000000
IIK1c000000
IIK1d000000
IIK2a000000
IIK2b000001
IIK2c011000
IIK2d203000
IIK2e000000
IIL*003101
IIM*100000
Total99121899487705.20420.0743.64120.162
III. Adjuncts to Refusals
IIIA123001
IIIB 001000
IIIC100000
IIID004001
IIIE*100010
IIIF*51433509.36420.009
IIIG*203100
Total1016144621.40020.497
Total1691851601671471391.87220.3922.75520.252

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Published Online: 2018-06-28
Published in Print: 2021-03-26

© 2018 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

Heruntergeladen am 20.11.2025 von https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/iral-2017-0084/html
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