Refusal Strategies Used by Chinese and American College Students

中國與美國大學生使用拒絕策略之情形

10.7060/KNUJ-HA.200712.0085

鍾曙華(Sue-Hua Aurora Chung)

拒絕策略 ； 禮貌慣用語 ； 文化價值觀 ； refusal strategies ； semantic formulas ； cultural values

高雄師大學報：人文與藝術類

23期（2007 / 12 / 01）

85 - 107

英文

這篇文章主要探討來自於台灣的大學生以英語表達拒絕，以及探討美國與台灣的大學生，如何以他們的母語表達拒絕的情形。資料蒐集來自於問卷調查、觀察以及訪談。研究中發現文化價值觀、親疏遠近、權力、以及聽者所感受的威脅，或者不同情境等因素，會影響其拒絕策略的選擇。台灣的參與者，對於不太熟悉的對象，無論其階層地位，傾向於用較為間接的言談。而美國的參與者，對於不熟悉的對象，則會用較為直接的言談，此外位居高位者，對他們的部屬，也會用較為直接的言談。

This study aims to explore politeness strategies used by Chinese learners of English when making a refusal in English. In addition, this study is an exploration of the politeness strategies used by American English speakers and Chinese speaking in Chinese when making refusals in their native language. The data were collected through a written questionnaire, observations and interviews. The findings suggest that cultural values, social distance, power, level of face threat to the addressee, situational factors, rights and obligations between the interlocutors seem to play roles in the choice of refusal strategies. The Chinese participants tended to use more indirect speech to unfamiliar addressees, whether they were equals or unequals. The Americans tended to use more direct speech toward distant addressees. In addition, American participants in positions of superiority, to a small degree, tended to use more direct speech to their subordinates.

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