Strategies of apologizing in Lombok Indonesia

Abstract

This article investigates the use of different semantic formulas in apologizing in Lombok Indonesia in six different situations, varying in status and solidarity relationships between participants, based on discourse completion test data. Comparisons are drawn with findings in other studies for other cultures. This study shows that in situations of moderate offense Indonesians use multiple strategies, primarily overt apology, and that like many other cultures, frequency of overt apology often varies according to the status of the addressee. However, it can also be influenced by culture-specific factors.When giving explanations, Indonesians frequently give specific ones. No significant gender differences in strategy choice were observed. Indonesians name the offense not as a strategy of apology but to clarify, when needed, what they are apologizing for, and in general avoid overtly accepting responsibility for a situation. This paper argues that the category of taking on responsibility, as defined in the Cross-Cultural Study of Speech Act Realization Patterns (CCSARP) manual, and utilized by many researchers, is problematic, and in need of reconsideration, and that many expressions that have been considered taking on responsibility are actually used for quite different purposes.