Too Many Words: Length of Utterance and Pragmatic Failure

1986 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 165-179 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shoshana Blum-Kulka ◽  
Elite Olshtain
Keyword(s):  
Speech Acts ◽  
Speech Act ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
Systematic Difference ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Pragmatic Failure ◽  
Native Speech ◽  
Utterance Length ◽  
Pragmatic Aspects

This paper investigates the theoretical and applied domains of pragmatic failure. With respect to theory, it further clarifies pragmatic failure both in native and non-native speech, and with respect to the applied domain compares request realizations of native and non-native speakers in terms of length of utterance. In discussing the results of this comparison, a number of hypotheses are put forward concerning the ways in which deviation from native norms of utterance length might be a potential cause for pragmatic failure.The data were collected within the CCSARP (Cross-Cultural Speech Act Realization Pattern) project involving seven different languages and dialects (Blum-Kulka & Olshtain, 1984). The data were collected from both native and non-native speakers of each of the languages. The analysis of responses across several languages revealed a systematic difference in length of utterance used to realize speech acts by non-native speakers as compared to native speakers. The types of pragmatic failure that might be linked to being a non-native speaker are examined, thus continuing a line of research focusing on the pragmatic aspects of interlanguage (Blum-Kulka, 1982; Thomas, 1983; Edmondson et al., 1984).

Lexical-Grammatical Pragmatic Indicators

1987 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 155-170 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shoshana Blum-Kulka ◽  
Edward A. Levenston
Keyword(s):  
Speech Act ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
Analytical Framework ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Interlanguage Pragmatics ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Pragmatic Failure ◽  
The Cross ◽  
The Difference

Our main aim in this paper is to explore the interlanguage pragmatics of learners of Hebrew and English. We focus on the use of pragmatic indicators, both lexical (please/bevaqaŝa; perhaps/ulay) and grammatical (e.g., the difference between could I borrow and could you lend), with particular reference to deviations from native-speaker norms in the speech of non-native speakers. The analysis follows the analytical framework developed for the Cross-Cultural Speech Act Realization Project (CCSARP). Data from two sets are analyzed: (a) native and non-native Hebrew, and (b) native and non-native English (with occasional reference to other CCSARP data sets). The results suggest that non-native speakers' misuse of pragmatic indicators can have serious interactional consequences, ranging from inappropriateness to pragmatic failure.

scholarly journals Cross-Cultural Pragmatic Failure From the Perspective of Politeness

2018 ◽  
pp. 102-114
Author(s):  
Ibtisam Mami ◽  
Radia Attaweel ◽  
◽  
Keyword(s):  
Speech Acts ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
English Department ◽  
Direct Relation ◽  
Cultural Attitudes ◽  
Pragmatic Failure ◽  
Pragmatic Aspects ◽  
Different Levels

The present paper attempts to outline the importance of familiarity of the politeness phenomenon amongst the fifth and seventh semester students of English Department, Misurata University and elaborate its influence on the socio-cultural attitudes and values in different contexts. It focuses on the teachability of pragmatic aspects of English in regard to the speech acts of requests and apologies from the perspective of politeness in the classroom in order to foster the students’ awareness of the phenomenon of politeness and the appropriate strategies according to the context. It also intends to explore the types of strategies of requests and apologies which they use in their English productions and to discover whether there are any significant differences between students’ requests and apologies strategies with respect to their academic levels. The participants are a total of (48) students from two different levels in the English Department. It was found out that students were not aware of the direct relation between language and the phenomenon of politeness. The results indicated that there were no significant differences between students’ requests and apology strategies and their academic levels. The results also revealed the teachability of English pragmatic aspects of both requests and apologies which has led to raising the students’ pragmatic ability in producing polite requests and apologies.

scholarly journals Persian favor asking in formal and informal academic contexts

Pragmatics ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 315-344 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hooman Saeli
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Speech Acts ◽  
Speech Act ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Main Thrust ◽  
Favor Asking ◽  
Sociocultural Interactions ◽  
Status Differences ◽  
Cultural Pragmatics

The investigation of speech acts has been of interest, especially in cross-cultural pragmatics, to many L1/L2 researchers for many years (Blum-Kulka, House and Kasper 1989). Favor-asking, as an important speech act, is centered upon having the other party of conversation do a specific act (Goldschmidt 1999). Although some research has been done on favor-asking in different contexts, studies on this speech act are still scarce, if any, in Persian settings. The main thrust of the current study was to investigate favor-asking among a sample of 20 native speakers of Persian (10 women and 10 men). The participants were selected from graduate students, since the employed oral DCT scenarios were designed to elicit favors asked from three different academic statuses: Higher, equal, and lower (professors, peers, and students, respectively). A total of 240 responses were then analyzed to identify the recurring patterns under the three open-coded categories of pre-favor, favor, and post-favor. The examination of the responses illustrated some variation triggered by gender and academic status differences, namely, the length of favors, frequency of some (sub)themes, and formality degree. Additionally, some relevant syntactic issues were explored (e.g. plural/singular pronouns/verbs), which contributed to the formality/informality of the favors, depending upon the contexts in which they were incorporated. Finally, some insights into Persian sociocultural interactions, favor-asking in particular, were provided.

scholarly journals Polite Requests of Indonesian Learners of FLE and French Native Speakers: An Interlanguage Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 216-226
Author(s):  
Elvi Syahrin ◽  
Tengku Silvana Sinar ◽  
Eddy Setia ◽  
Nurlela Nurlela
Keyword(s):  
Social Relationship ◽  
Speech Act ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Baseline Data ◽  
Written Discourse ◽  
Advanced Level ◽  
Completion Test ◽  
The Cross

This study anchored in the field of Interlanguage Pragmatic (ILP). The approach taken is speech act based. The investigation focuses on realization of polite requests produced by Indonesian learners of Français langue étrangère (FLE) (henceforth abbreviated as ILF) and native speakers of French (henceforth abbreviated as NSF). The model used for the investigation is the Cross-Cultural Speech Act Realization Project (CCSARP) model formulated by Blum-Kulka et al. (1989), modified by Warga (2005) and Bae (2012). The model applied to the analysis of the data is based on three politeness systems of social relationship between speaker and addressee proposed by Scollon and Scollon (2001). Data was be collected by using Written Discourse Completion Test (WDCT). Six out of twelve request situations formulated by Reiter (2000) categorized into each politeness system were selected to be analyzed. The WDCT were tested to 20 ILF; 1 learner of Universitas Negeri Medan and 19 learners of Universitas Negeri Jakarta. The 20 participants are those who are certified of Diplôme d'études en langue française (DELF) of B2 level (advanced level). As the baseline data of the study, the e-mailed data of 20 NSF were also collected. The study found that there is a preference of Indonesian learners of FLE and native speaker of French to use Conventional Indirect strategy in their requests. This strategy, even realized in slightly different number of use, was highly used and considered to be the most polite request by the two groups.

scholarly journals Comparing Speech Act Usages in Ellen Show Interview between A Non-Native Speakers and A Native Speakers

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 32-40
Author(s):  
Alisha Rahma Putri ◽  
Hendi Pratama
Keyword(s):  
Social Status ◽  
Speech Acts ◽  
Speech Act ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Real Situation ◽  
Expressive Speech ◽  
Future Action ◽  
The Social ◽  
Qualitative Descriptive

The aim of the study is to find out the type of illocutionary speech acts that used by native speakers and non-native speakers in Ellen Show.  It also analyzes the identifier and the cross-cultural pragmatic background of the speeches. The subjects of the study are BTS as non-native speakers, One Direction and Ellen as native speakers. The study uses qualitative descriptive methods. The result indicated only four types of illocutionary speech acts that found in the videos, representatives, directives, commissive, and expressive. The proposition is dominated by representative’s speech acts with 59.7%, and the second is expressive speech acts with 30.1%. While commissive 5.3% and the last, directives speech acts are 4.9%. The each types of illocutionary speech acts have different identifier. First, expressive speech acts have based of the real situation, giving information, and giving opinion. Second, directives speech acts have direct, request or demand, and suggest or advice. Third, commissive speech acts has expecting future action and promising future action. And the last, expressive speech acts have emotion and attitude. Directives speech acts was not found because Ellen as a host of the show did not change the social status of the guests. Keywords: Illocutionary Speech Acts, Native Speakers, Non-native Speakers, Searle

PEMAKNAAN TINDAK TUTUR DIREKTIF GURU PENUTUR ASLI DAN NON PENUTUR ASLI DALAM PEMBELAJARAN BAHASA INGGRIS

JURNAL SPHOTA ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 49-56
Author(s):  
I Gusti Ayu Vina Widiadnya Putri ◽  
I Dewa Ayu Devi Maharani Santika ◽  
Komang Dian Puspita Candra
Keyword(s):  
Speech Acts ◽  
Speech Act ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
Teaching English ◽  
Affective Meaning ◽  
Directive Speech Acts ◽  
Observation Method ◽  
Affective Meanings ◽  
Directive Speech

This study aims to describe the meaning of the directive illocutionary speech acts used by Native Speakers and Non-Native Speakers in teaching English at the Denpasar Children Center School. The data sources of this study are the utterance of native speaker and non-native speaker. Data obtained by using observation method with uninvolved conversation observation technique and record techniques. Data containing illocutionary speech acts then analyzed descriptively qualitatively based on theories of speech act proposed by Searle (1969) and Leech (1974) about meaning. The results showed that the directive speech acts used by native speakers and non-native speakers were requirements, requestives, questions, prohibitive, permissives and advisories. The meanings of directive speech acts spoken by native speakers and non-native speakers are analyzed from the context of the conversation. The meaning of speech acts for the native speaker tends to be connotative and sometimes contains affective meaning. Whereas the meaning of speech acts of non-native speaker tend to use a combination of connotative, denotative, and affective meanings.

scholarly journals Apology Strategy in English By Native Speaker

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mezia Kemala Sari
Keyword(s):  
Social Distance ◽  
Speech Acts ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
Social Situation ◽  
Descriptive Study ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
The Social ◽  
Completion Test ◽  
Coding Manual

This research discussed apology strategies in English by native speaker. This descriptive study was presented within the framework of Pragmatics based on the forms of strategies due to the coding manual as found in CCSARP (Cross-Cultural Speech Acts Realization Project).The goals of this study were to describe the apology strategies in English by native speaker and identify the influencing factors of it. Data were collected through the use of the questionnaire in the form of Discourse Completion Test, which was distributed to 30 native speakers. Data were classified based on the degree of familiarity and the social distance between speaker and hearer and then the data of native will be separated and classified by the type of strategies in coding manual. The results of this study are the pattern of apology strategies of native speaker brief with the pattern that potentially occurs IFID plus Offer of repair plus Taking on responsibility. While Alerters, Explanation and Downgrading appear with less number of percentage. Then, the factors that influence the apology utterance by native speakers are the social situation, the degree of familiarity and degree of the offence which more complicated the mistake tend to produce the most complex utterances by the speaker.

The Business of Pragmatics. The Case of Discourse Markers in The Speech of Students of Business English and English Linguistics

2011 ◽  
Vol 161 ◽  
pp. 10-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lieven Buysse
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Discourse Markers ◽  
Business English ◽  
Foreign Language Learners ◽  
Native Speech

Abstract This paper investigates how foreign language learners use discourse markers (such as so, well, you know, I mean) in English speech. These small words that do not contribute much, if anything at all, to the propositional content of a message but modify it in subtle ways, are often considered among the last elements acquired in a foreign language. This contribution reports on close scrutiny of a corpus of English-spoken interviews with Belgian native speakers of Dutch, half of whom are undergraduates majoring in Commercial Sciences and half of whom are majoring in English Linguistics, and sets it off against a comparable native speaker corpus. The investigation shows that the language learners exhibit a clear preference for “operative discourse markers” and neglect or avoid “involvement discourse markers”. It is argued that in learner speech the former take on functions typically fulfilled by the latter to a greater extent than in native speech, and that in some cases the learners revert to a code-switching strategy to cater for their pragmatic needs, bringing markers from Dutch into their English speech. Finally, questions are raised as to the place of such pragmatic devices in foreign language learning.

Kommunikationsprobleme Von "Near Native Speakern" Deutsch

1986 ◽  
Vol 25 ◽  
pp. 37-46
Author(s):  
Erika Niehaus
Keyword(s):  
Speech Acts ◽  
Speech Act ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Social Situation ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Social Aspect ◽  
Social Strategies ◽  
The Social ◽  
Indirect Speech Act

Communication has at least two different aspects: the propositi-onal aspect and the social aspect. Any utterance in a face-to-face-interaction therefore has the function to give information and to indicate how the ralation to the other participant is interpreted. In order to establish his communicative goal, the speaker has to analyse the social situation and the preceding context. Depending on this interpretation he selects between the different verbal patterns to perform a certain speech act. This involves for instance the choice of direct/indirect speech act realizations, the selection of certain linguistic elements (modality markers) for downtoning or upgrading the illocutionary force of speech acts. The contrastive analysis of the realizations of the speech act REQUEST in three different dialogue batteries elicited via role play from Dutch learners of German, native speakers of Dutch and native speakers of German has shown 1. that Dutch native speakers use modality markers in different communicative functions than German native speakers, 2. that Dutch learners of German mostly choose the same social strategies when speaking the target language as they do when speaking the mother tongue, 3. that the learners are not always able to establish their modal goal, that is, the are not able to communicate their intentions on an interpersonal level. The reason for this seems to be that in the Netherlands the teaching of German as a second language is mainly a matter of teaching grammatical rules and linguistic expressions without taking into consideration that the meaning of these expressions is pragmaticalley conditioned and that their usage is motivated by the relevant characteris-tics of such social situations.

scholarly journals A Cross-Cultural Approach to Speech-Act-Sets: The Case of Apologies

2014 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvie Válková
Keyword(s):  
Set Theory ◽  
Speech Acts ◽  
Speech Act ◽  
Speech Act Theory ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Human Interaction ◽  
Cultural Norms ◽  
Language Community ◽  
Cultural Approach ◽  
Corpus Data

AbstractThe aim of this paper is to contribute to the validity of recent research into speech act theory by advocating the idea that with some of the traditional speech acts, their overt language manifestations that emerge from corpus data remind us of ritualised scenarios of speech-act-sets rather than single acts, with configurations of core and peripheral units reflecting the socio-cultural norms of the expectations and culture-bound values of a given language community. One of the prototypical manifestations of speech-act-sets, apologies, will be discussed to demonstrate a procedure which can be used to identify, analyse, describe and cross-culturally compare the validity of speech-act-set theory and provide evidence of its relevance for studying the English-Czech interface in this particular domain of human interaction.

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