A Socio-Pragmatic Analysis of Appropriateness in a Speech Act of Apology in English

Abstract

Studies in interlanguage pragmatics have shown that L2 learners’ proficiency has an influence on the occurrences of L1 pragmatic transfer. This paper is designed to study the issues related to the pragmatic aspects of the use of apology strategies in English and the pragmatic transfer. To carry out this research, the qualitative research design is employed. Focus Group Discussion questionnaire is used to elicit data (recorded) from the EFL university students in Pakistan. The results of the study reveal that all the participants reported that they do not translate apology strategies from their L1 cultural norms, except one respondent who replied that he/she use apology strategies having in mind L1 social norms. Anyhow, they all agree that they use apology strategies while keeping in mind the interlocutor’s social status. The study further indicates that Urdu-speaking learners of English in universities use apology strategies according to the severity of the offence. If the situation is severe they use intensifiers and indirect apology strategy and if situation is not severe, they use explicit apology strategy. The results of this study might be of pedagogical help and important for teachers, policy makers, curriculum developers, material designers, students, and researchers.

Keywords: interlanguage pragmatics, pragmatic transfer, cultural norms, pedagogical help, Pakistan