Abstract: Refusing is a common speech act; nonetheless people from different cultural backgrounds employ different refusal strategies. The present study compares refusal strategies used between native speakers of Javanese in Indonesia and native speakers of British English in the United Kingdom. Empirical data were elicited by means of discourse completion tasks. The findings showed that Javanese and British native speakers favoured indirect refusal... [...] Read more

Abstract: Pragmalinguistic (PML) failure complicates intercultural communication in both productive and receptive modes. This paper attempts to unravel the persuasive strategies used by Albanians writing in Greek and further record the overall suitability score they received when assessed by Greek teachers (n=176). A protocol sample of extracted persuasive strategies was created to be used for further investigation, with respect to their suitability.... [...] Read more

Abstract: This study examines the sociopragmatic functions of ostensible commissive speech acts in Saudi spoken Arabic, focusing on invitations and offers. Using a mixed-methods approach that combined participant observation and recall interviews, we analyzed 58 naturally occurring instances through the lenses of speech act theory, politeness theory, and the joint pretense model. The findings reveal eight core communicative functions: signaling... [...] Read more

Abstract: This study examines how Vietnamese postgraduate students interpret (im)politeness during clinical consultations with doctors in English-speaking countries. Drawing on narrative reflective reports from 14 Vietnamese university academics who completed their doctoral studies in TESOL and Applied Linguistics abroad, the research analyzes participants’ retrospective accounts of critical medical encounters in which they evaluated native... [...] Read more