Speech act sets of refusal and complaint: a comparison of native English speakers

This paper discusses the differences between native and non-native English speakers' production of refusals and complaints. It is hoped that this study, with subjects who represent a wide range of first languages, will provide a more broad understanding of the discrepancies that can exist between native and non-native complaints and refusals, rather than those specific differences that tend to exist between American speakers and speakers with a particular first language, as were reported in the studies by Olshtain and Weinbach (1987), Beebe, et al (1990), Chen (1996), and Murphy and Neu, who worked with Hebrew, Japanese, Chinese, and Korean speakers, respectively. The discovery of more general patterns of pragmatic failure as produced by a group of subjects from varying first language backgrounds could be helpful to American ESL educators who must address the needs of classrooms comprised of students from around the world.