Home General Interest Chapter 13. A cross­sectional study of Syrian EFL learners’ pragmatic development
Chapter
Licensed
Unlicensed Requires Authentication

Chapter 13. A cross­sectional study of Syrian EFL learners’ pragmatic development

Towards a taxonomy of modification in interlanguage requests
  • Ziyad Ali and Helen Woodfield
View more publications by John Benjamins Publishing Company
To Publisher Page
Current Issues in Intercultural Pragmatics
This chapter is in the book Current Issues in Intercultural Pragmatics

Abstract

This study investigates developmental patterns in the requestive behaviour of Syrian learners of English as a foreign language (SEFL). Employing a written discourse completion task (WDCT), off-line production of English requests in 12 contextually varied (equal-status and unequal-status) situations was collected from 150 learners at three proficiency levels and 20 English native speakers (ENS) and analysed quantitatively and qualitatively for internal and external modifications. The quantitative analysis showed that, consistent with previous research (e.g. Barron 2003), both linear and non-linear developments may be typical for Syrian learners’ acquisition of English request modification, whereas the qualitative analysis revealed that learners exhibited a range of new external modification patterns which suggests a need to revise existing taxonomies for such L1 (Arabic) speakers.

Abstract

This study investigates developmental patterns in the requestive behaviour of Syrian learners of English as a foreign language (SEFL). Employing a written discourse completion task (WDCT), off-line production of English requests in 12 contextually varied (equal-status and unequal-status) situations was collected from 150 learners at three proficiency levels and 20 English native speakers (ENS) and analysed quantitatively and qualitatively for internal and external modifications. The quantitative analysis showed that, consistent with previous research (e.g. Barron 2003), both linear and non-linear developments may be typical for Syrian learners’ acquisition of English request modification, whereas the qualitative analysis revealed that learners exhibited a range of new external modification patterns which suggests a need to revise existing taxonomies for such L1 (Arabic) speakers.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Introduction 1
  4. Part I. The socio-cultural turn in pragmatics
  5. Chapter 1. Determinacy, distance and intensity in intercultural communication 9
  6. Chapter 2. “Western” Grice? 33
  7. Part II. Lingua franca communication
  8. Chapter 3. Why is miscommunication more common in everyday life than in lingua franca conversation? 55
  9. Chapter 4. “Burn the antifa traitors at the stake…” 75
  10. Part III. Business communication
  11. Chapter 5. The interpersonal pragmatics of intercultural financial discourse 105
  12. Chapter 6. Face-threatening e-mail complaint negotiation in a multilingual business environment 129
  13. Part IV. Cultural perceptions
  14. Chapter 7. Auto- and hetero-stereotypes in the mutual perception of Germans and Spaniards 159
  15. Chapter 8. The interactive (self-)reflexive construction of culture-related key words 181
  16. Chapter 9. “It’s really insulting to say something like that to anyone” 207
  17. Part V. Translation
  18. Chapter 10. Identities and impoliteness in translated Harry Potter novels 231
  19. Chapter 11. Presuppositions, paralanguage, visual kinesics 255
  20. Part VI. Pragmatic development
  21. Chapter 12. Development of pragmatic routines by Japanese learners in a study abroad context 275
  22. Chapter 13. A cross­sectional study of Syrian EFL learners’ pragmatic development 297
  23. Chapter 14. The pragmatic competence of student-teachers of Italian L2 323
  24. Chapter 15. Adaptive management and bilingual education 347
  25. Index 367
https://doi.org/10.1075/pbns.274.14ali

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Introduction 1
  4. Part I. The socio-cultural turn in pragmatics
  5. Chapter 1. Determinacy, distance and intensity in intercultural communication 9
  6. Chapter 2. “Western” Grice? 33
  7. Part II. Lingua franca communication
  8. Chapter 3. Why is miscommunication more common in everyday life than in lingua franca conversation? 55
  9. Chapter 4. “Burn the antifa traitors at the stake…” 75
  10. Part III. Business communication
  11. Chapter 5. The interpersonal pragmatics of intercultural financial discourse 105
  12. Chapter 6. Face-threatening e-mail complaint negotiation in a multilingual business environment 129
  13. Part IV. Cultural perceptions
  14. Chapter 7. Auto- and hetero-stereotypes in the mutual perception of Germans and Spaniards 159
  15. Chapter 8. The interactive (self-)reflexive construction of culture-related key words 181
  16. Chapter 9. “It’s really insulting to say something like that to anyone” 207
  17. Part V. Translation
  18. Chapter 10. Identities and impoliteness in translated Harry Potter novels 231
  19. Chapter 11. Presuppositions, paralanguage, visual kinesics 255
  20. Part VI. Pragmatic development
  21. Chapter 12. Development of pragmatic routines by Japanese learners in a study abroad context 275
  22. Chapter 13. A cross­sectional study of Syrian EFL learners’ pragmatic development 297
  23. Chapter 14. The pragmatic competence of student-teachers of Italian L2 323
  24. Chapter 15. Adaptive management and bilingual education 347
  25. Index 367
Sign up now to receive a 20% welcome discount
Institutional Access
How does access work?
Winner of the OpenAthens UX Award 2026
Winner of the OpenAthens UX Award 2026
Have an idea on how to improve our website?
Please write us.
© 2026 De Gruyter Brill
Downloaded on 4.3.2026 from https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1075/pbns.274.14ali/html
Scroll to top button