The Relationship between the Addressee’s Social Dominance and Request Strategies Usage by Iranian Teenage Students

Document Type : Research

Authors

1 Professor in General Linguistics, University of Sistan and Bauchestan, Zahedan, Iran

2 Assistant professor in General linguistics, University of Sistan and Baluchestan, Zahedan, Iran

3 MA in General Linguistics, University of Sistan and Baluchestan, Zahedan, Iran

Abstract

The study of request speech act has been considered by many researchers in various cultures and communities. In line with the goals of these studies, the cuurent article aims to extract and categorize the request speech act strategies used by Iranian teenager students (ITS) based on Cross Cultural Speech Act Realization Project (CCSARP) coding scheme proposed by Blum-Kulka, House and Kasper (1989) with regard to the relationship between the social dominance (power) of the addressees on the type and number of request strategies. The data were collected via Discourse Completion Test (DCT) and role-play filled and performed by 100 Birjandi high school students of Persian (50 girls and 50 boys). The results of the Chi-square test and also the two data collection methods employed showed that there was a significant relationship between the addressee’s social dominance and the type and number of request strategies used by ITS. In addition,“Alerters”, “preparatories” and “grounders” were the most employed strategies by the participants in both DCTs and role-plays. Besides, the lower social dominance of the speaker towards the addressee resulted in the application of complex strategies. So, it seems, with regard to politeness, Iranian cultural system to be hierarchical. Moreover, regarding the use of the request strategies by ITS, the findings didn’t show any difference between the two corpora, i.e., the data gathered via DCTs and role-plays.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Appendix

Request situations

Situation 1. Making a copy of some sample questions

It’s exam time, and you want to copy sample questions using the copy machine, but you don’t know how it works. At the same time, one of your classmates whom you are not so intimate, is passing there. You want to ask for help (+SD X=Y).

You: ……………………………………………………………………………………….

Your classmate (whom you are not intimate with): Yes, just do it a little faster, now the class begins.

Situation 2. Borrowing the mathematics notebook

You were sick and did not take part in the math class. You want to request one of your classmates to see if she would give you the answers to the questions (-SD X=Y).

You: …………………………………………………………………………………………..

Your classmate: Yes, of course. Just do not forget to bring it back until tomorrow. I have not still done my next session’s homework. 

Situation 3. Handing in the library books

You have been appointed as the principal of the school in Modam Project day[1] and have decided to ask the students to return the books they have borrowed from the library (+SD X>Y)

You (as the principal of the school):………………………………………………………….

The students: Yes! Is there a puunishment if we bring it until the end of the week?

 Situation 4: Going to a camp

It’s the last days of the exams, and the summer holidays are coming closer. You would like to go to a camp with your classmates. You decide to talk to the school principal (+SD X<Y).

You:………………………………………………………………………………………

Principal of the school: We agree as well. But holding a camp needs the officials permission, and we are not allowed to decide alone.

Situation 5: Handing in the homework follow-up practices

The teacher of “professions and skills” course asks you to hand in your homework follow-up practices in a week, but the opportunity has ended, and you have not still completed your homework. You want them to give you another chance (-SD X<Y).

You:……………………………………………………………………………………..

The teacher: Ok! I can give you another chance until the next session, but if you don’t hand in your homework on time, you will not obtain the score of the homework follow-up practices.

Situation 6: Cleaning the study hall

You are studying in the study hall, at the same time, the school janitor enters and moves the tables and chairs for cleaning. You want to ask them to do this later (-SD X>Y).

You:………………………………………………………………………………………..

The school janitor: Sorry, I remove just these and leave the rest. I will move them later.

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

 

[1] A special day in which the students, themselves, would administer differenet parts of the school

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ZABANPAZHUHI (Journal of Language Research)
Volume 15, Issue 49 - Serial Number 49
February 2024
Pages 149-186

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