A Pilot Study on Refusal to Suggestions in English by Japanese and Chinese EFL Learners

Zhou Geyang

広島大学大学院教育学研究科紀要. 第二部, 文化教育開発関連領域

Bulletin of the Graduate School of Education, Hiroshima University. Part. II, Arts and science education

This pilot study aims to find out the preferred semantic formulas and their sequences in refusal to suggestions in academic contexts corresponding to power variations by Japanese and Chinese EFL learners. Twenty-six Japanese, thirty-one Chinese and five native speakers of English responded to a written discourse completion test. It was found that in comparison with the native speakers of English, the Japanese utilized some semantic formulas which conveyed positive reactions to build up preparations for the coming refusal, showing an indirect way for refusal. The Chinese group was the second indirect in terms of this preparation. A feature shared by the Japanese and Chinese EFL learners was that they preferred the way that a statement of refusal followed a statement of justification, which was the reversed way that was preferred by the native speakers of English. The factor of power affected all the three groups to some extent; however it affected the Japanese most.

refusal to suggestions

Japanese and Chinese EFL learners

a pilot study

Education [ 370 ]

eng

広島大学大学院教育学研究科

[ISSN] 1346-5554

[NCID] AA11618725