Refusals
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Zohreh R. Eslami
Abstract
Refusal can be a difficult speech act to perform. As a disprefered response, it is complicated in form and it usually involves various strategies to avoid offending one’s interlocutor. For second language learners with linguistic limitations, performing refusals successfully may require a higher level of pragmatic competence than other target language speech acts. Thus there is a need for pragmatic instruction in order to help learners interpret and realise this speech act successfully. Based on previous research on the speech act of refusal and studies in instructional pragmatics, this chapter proposes a teaching approach that includes both awareness raising and production activities. The instructional strategies involve learners in translation, data collection, data analysis, reflection, and role-play activities.
Abstract
Refusal can be a difficult speech act to perform. As a disprefered response, it is complicated in form and it usually involves various strategies to avoid offending one’s interlocutor. For second language learners with linguistic limitations, performing refusals successfully may require a higher level of pragmatic competence than other target language speech acts. Thus there is a need for pragmatic instruction in order to help learners interpret and realise this speech act successfully. Based on previous research on the speech act of refusal and studies in instructional pragmatics, this chapter proposes a teaching approach that includes both awareness raising and production activities. The instructional strategies involve learners in translation, data collection, data analysis, reflection, and role-play activities.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgements ix
- List of contributors xi
- Preface xiii
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Section I. Theoretical groundings
- Pragmatics and speech act performance 3
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Section II. Empirical foundations
- The effect of individual-level variables on speech act performance 23
- Data collection methods in speech act performance 41
- Conversation analysis and speech act performance 57
- Culture and its effect on speech act performance 75
- Study abroad and its effect on speech act performance 91
- Speech act performance in workplace settings 109
- The effect of pragmatic instruction on speech act performance 127
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Section III. Methodological innovations
- Apologies 145
- Complaints 163
- Compliments and responses to compliments 179
- Disagreement 199
- Refusals 217
- Requests 237
- Suggestions 257
- Index 275
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgements ix
- List of contributors xi
- Preface xiii
-
Section I. Theoretical groundings
- Pragmatics and speech act performance 3
-
Section II. Empirical foundations
- The effect of individual-level variables on speech act performance 23
- Data collection methods in speech act performance 41
- Conversation analysis and speech act performance 57
- Culture and its effect on speech act performance 75
- Study abroad and its effect on speech act performance 91
- Speech act performance in workplace settings 109
- The effect of pragmatic instruction on speech act performance 127
-
Section III. Methodological innovations
- Apologies 145
- Complaints 163
- Compliments and responses to compliments 179
- Disagreement 199
- Refusals 217
- Requests 237
- Suggestions 257
- Index 275
