A Cross-Cultural Study of Apology Speech Act Realizations

Abstract

Different cultural backgrounds may perform different semantic formulas. This study aimed to investigate the occurrences of apology speech acts in two dimensions of semantic formulas: frequency and pattern. The participants for this study were 32 English native speakers and 32 Thai EFL learners, in a total of 64. Participants responded to 10 apologizing in a written discourse completion task (DCT) that simulated apology-provoking situations. The responses from the DCTs were coded according to the apology taxonomy. The data were then analyzed according to the frequency and pattern of the semantic formulas used by the two different groups of participants. The findings revealed that the three most frequently used semantic formulas of two groups were "Expression of apology", "Offering repair", and "Explanation", respectively. Also, the three most patterns of semantic formulas found in the two groups were "Expression of apology + Offering repair", followed by "Expression of apology + Explanation", and "Expression of apology + Offering repair + Showing concerns", respectively.The findings suggest opportunities for building cross-cultural communications across continents. The results have implications for teaching and learning of English as an L2 in the cross-cultural contexts.Index Terms-Apology strategy, cross-cultural study, social status, speech act.

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