A Systematic Literature Review of Apology and Request Strategies in the EFL Context

Pikul Kulsawang, Eric A. Ambele

Abstract


This study aims to examine the diverse strategies employed in apology and request, investigate the influence of cultural factors, social power, and social distance on these strategies, and explore the existing limitations and gaps in the literature for future research. Data collection is conducted using the qualitative technique. Qualitative content analysis is employed for data analysis. The SLR process provides a structured framework for analyzing various strategies employed in speech acts and investigates the impact of cultural variables and social distance on these strategies. Through the implementation of a predetermined review procedure, a total of 16 papers published between 2018 and 2022 were identified and analyzed.  The findings demonstrated that many studies examined apologies and requests using different strategies and sub-strategies. Notably, politeness usage by Indonesian English teachers reflected social power dynamics, while linguistic strategies among Thai students and EFL learners were shaped by social distance. Thai study underscored the importance of cultural immersion, variations among interactants, and teaching factors in pragmatic competence. The PRISMA-guided systematic review effectively synthesized existing literature. The gaps, novel insights, and unresolved issues identified provided a roadmap for researchers to propel the field forward. This systematic review contributed a snapshot of current knowledge, charted a course for future investigations, identified gaps, and leveraged the strengths of systematic approaches.

Keywords


apology, EFL context, request, speech acts strategies

Full Text:

Download PDF

References


Aijmer, K. (2019). Ooh, whoops, I'm sorry! Teenagers' use of English apology expressions. Journal of Pragmatics, 142 (2019), 258–269.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2018.10.017

Al-Jarbou, A. (2002). Judicial Review of Administrative Actions: A Comparative Study between the United States and Saudi Arabia. Ph.D. Thesis, University of Virginia.

Ali, K. (2015). Spoken discourse. A model for analysis. London: Longman.

Alsulayyi, K., & Marzouq, N. (2016). Apology Strategies Employed by Saudi EFL Teachers. Advances in Language and Literary Studies, 7(6), 70–83.

Austin, J. L. (1962a). Language and action. University Press.

Austin, J. L (1962b). How to do things with words. Oxford University Press.

Berowa, C.A. (2022). Contrasting EFL Politeness Strategies in Business Email Communications: China, Hongkong and The Philippines. JEE (Journal of English Education, 8(2), 142–162. https://doi.org/10.30606/jee.v8i2.1523

Bilfirdausi, A.S. (2019). I’m Sorry for My Bad English: Why Does EFL Learner Say It? Advances in Language and Literary Studies (ALLS), 10(3), 101-104. https://doi.org/10.7575//aiac.alls.v.10n.3p.101

Boonsuk, Y., & Ambele, E. (2019). Refusal as a Social Speech Act among Thai EFL University Students. Arab World English Journal (AWEJ), 10(2), 213-224. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol10no2.17

Brown, P., & Levinson, S. (1978). Some Universals in Language Usage Politeness. Cambridge University Press.

Brown, P., & Levinson, S. (1987). Universals in Language Usage: Politeness Phenomena. Questions and Politeness: Strategies in Social Interaction, ed. by E. Goody. Cambridge University Press.

Brown, P., & Yule, G. (1983). Universals in language usage: politeness and phenomena. Cambridge University Press.

Chiravate, B. (2019). An Interlanguage Study of Thai EFL Learners’ Apology. English Language Teaching, 12(5), 116-129. DOI: 10.5539/elt.v12n5p116

Darong, C.H., Kadarisman A. E., & Basthomi, Y. (2020). Politeness Markers in Teachers’ Request in Classroom Interactions. Journal of Literature and Language Teaching. 11(2), 217-233. DOI: 10.15642/NOBEL.2020.11.2.217-233

Elasfar, M.A.M., & Mustafa, H.R.B. (2021). A systematic literature review: Apology and request strategies in English by Libyan university students. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 17(2), 1058-1074. Doi: 10.52462/jlls.74

Eliza, T. (2019). Pragmatic Transfer in Apology Employed by English Education Students of Islamic State University (UIN) Raden Fatah. Journal of English Education, 7(2), 151–158.

Felix-Brasdefer, K. (2005). Indirectness and Politeness in Mexican Requests. Selected Proceedings of the 7th Hispanic Linguistics Symposium, ed. David Eddington, 66-78. Somerville, MA: Cascadilla Proceedings Project.

Fraser, B. (1980). On apologizing. In F. Coulmas (Ed.), Conversational routine.

Explorations in standardized communication situations and prepatterned speech, 259-271. The Hague: Mouton de Gruyter.

Goffman, E. (1967). Interaction Ritual: Essays on Face-to-Face Behavior. Doubleday Anchor.

Goffman, E. (1981). Relations in Public: Microstudies of Public Order. Basic Books.

Griffiths, P. (2006). An Introduction to English Semantics and Pragmatics. Edinburgh University Press Ltd.

Hamza, A. (2007). Cross-Cultural Linguistic Politeness: Misunderstanding between Arabs and British Speakers of English. Sheffield Hallam University.

Huwari, F.I. (2018). A study of Apology Strategies in English: A case study on Jordanian and EFL Undergraduate Students at Zarqa University. Arab World English Journal (AWEJ), 9(1). https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol9no1.24

Idris, A. M., & Noornisa, I. I. (2023). Request Modifications by Malay Speakers of English in the Workplace: A Contrastive Pragmatic Analysis. Studies in English Language and Education, 10(2), 981-999. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v10i2.26464

Istifci, E. (2009). Pragmatic Competence and Relevance. John Benjamins Publishing Company.

Kanchina, Y., & Deepadung, S. (2019). Request Modifications Used by Chinese Learners and Native Speakers of Thai. Journal of the Southeast EFL Linguistics Society, JSEALS, 12(1), 83–112.

Kecskes, I. (2014). Intercultural Pragmatics. Oxford University Press.

Khairunnisa, K. (2020). International Modification in Requesting Used by EFL Learners. 24-36.

Khamkhien, A. (2022). Speech acts or speech act sets of refusals: Some evidence from Thai L2 learners. Novitas-ROYAL (Research on Youth and Language), 16(1), 97–121. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1343047.pdf

Khanapornvorakarn, S., & Gadavanij, S. (2022). Intercultural Pragmatic Analysis of “Sorry” in Inflight Service Refusals by Flight Attendants: A Case Study of a Thai Airline. PASAA, 63(9), 148-177.

Khorshidi, S., Mobini, F., & Nasiri, M. (2016). Iranian English Teaching Applicants’ Request and Apology Speech Acts: Special Focus on Language Proficiency. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 7(3). DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17507/jltr.0703.14

Leech, G. N. (1983). Principles of Pragmatics. Longman.

Mahmud, M., Abduh, A., & Akil, M. (2018). Promoting a balance of harmony and authority in Indonesian research seminars through politeness strategies. XLinguae, 12(2), 80-98. DOI: 10.18355/XL.2019.12.02.08

Masaeed, K. A., Waugh, L. R., & Burns, K. E. (2018). The development of interlanguage pragmatics in L2 Arabic: The production of apology strategies. System, 74 (2018), 98–108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2018.03.001

Nugroho, A., & Rekha, A. (2020). Speech Acts of Requests: A Case of Indonesian EFL Learners. JELTL (Journal of English Language Teaching and Linguistics), 5(1), 1-16. DOI:10.21462/jeltl.v5i1.371

Olshtain, E. (1989). Developing A Measure of Sociocultural Competence: The Case of Apology 1. Language Learning, 31(1), 113–34.

Page, M.J., Shamseer, L., & Altman, D.G. (2020). Epidemiology and reporting characteristics of systematic reviews of biomedical research: a cross-sectional study. PLoS Med2016;13:e1002028. . doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1002028 pmid:27218655

Pan, Z. (2022). A Corpus-Based Study on Politeness Used by L1 Thai EFL Learners. International Journal of Linguistics. 14 (6), 28–47.

Parker, F., & Riley, K. (1994). Study in second language acquisition. Studies in Second Language Acquisition. 17(1), 112 – 113.

Rastegar., S, & Yasami, F. (2014). Iranian EFL Learners’ Proficiency Levels and Their Use of Apology Strategies. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences. 98(34), 1535 – 1540. DOI:10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.03.575

Rue, Y., Zhang, G., & Shin, K. (2007). Request Strategies in Korean. Proceeding KSAA conference. 113–119.

Rustandi, A. (2018). The University Students’ Expressions of Politeness Strategies on Students’ Request in Classroom Interaction in Indonesian Context. International Journal of English and Education, 7(1), 11–21.

Sampson, M., McGowan, J., Tetzlaff, J., Cogo, E., & Moher, D. (2008). No consensus exists on search reporting methods for systematic reviews. 61(8):748–54.

Searle, J. R. (1969). A classification of illocutionary acts. Language in Society, 5(9), 1-23.

Shams, R., & Afghari, A. (2011). Effects of Culture and Gender in Comprehension of Speech Acts of Indirect Request. English Language Teaching. 4(4), 279-287. Doi:10.5539/elt.v4n4p279

Tabatabei, L., & Farnia, M. (2015). Learners’ English Proficiency and their Pragmatic Competence of Refusal Speech Acts. Beyond Words, 3(1), 53-57. DOI: 10.33508/bw.v3i1.677

Taguchi, N. (2023). Technology-enhanced language learning and pragmatics: Insights from digital game-based pragmatics instruction. Language Teaching. 57(1).

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444823000101

Taguchi, N. & Kim, Y. (2016). Collaborative dialogue in learning pragmatics: Pragmatic-related episodes as an opportunity for learning request-making. Applied Linguistics, 37 (3): 416–437.

Tai, H. Y. (2021). The Effects of L2 Proficiency on Pragmatic Comprehension and Learner Strategies. Educ. Sci, 11(4). DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11040174

Thomas, J. (1983). Cross-cultural Pragmatic Failure. Applied Linguistics, 4(5), 91–112. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/4.2.91

Tsepilovaa, A., & Mikhal, L.V. (2015). Working with Formulaic Language as a Way to Evaluate and Improve EFL Non-Linguistics Students’ Pragmatic Skills in a Culture-Specific Contextual Situation. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences. 200 ( 2015 ), 550 -556. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.08.022Get rights and content

Yuh, C. F., & Wei, R. (2020). Sociopragmatic competence in American and Chinese children’s realization of apology and refusal. Journal of Pragmatics, (2020), pp. 27-39. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2020.04.013

Zhang, Y., Wang, F., Wannaruk, A., & Suranaree, J. (2019). Pragmatic Competence in Business Context: A Case Study of Thai EFL University Students. Soc. Sci. 13 (2),1-24. https://doi.org/10.55766/RQSP1038

Ziran, H. (2004). Reverse Thinking on Foreign Language Teaching and Learning. Foreign Language World. 4(6), 96–115.




DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.21093/ijeltal.v9i1.1601

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.



Creative Commons License
IJELTAL (Indonesian Journal of English Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics) by http://ijeltal.org is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.


 

Abstracting and Indexing

                       

 




Contact Us: IJELTAL (Indonesian Journal of English Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics;

Address: Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Universitas Islam Negeri Sultan Aji Muhammad Idris Samarinda

Jl. H.A.M. Rifadin, Samarinda, Kalimantan Timur, Indonesia. Email: ijeltalj@gmail.com