Politeness Strategies in Permission-Asking Speech Acts: A Cross-Cultural Study of L1 and L2 English Speakers

Abstract

In interlanguage pragmatics, effective communication enhances pragmatic awareness and mutual understanding, while the art of asking permission enables the speaker to convey clear information, allowing the listeners to comprehend, respond and decide. This cross-cultural study investigates politeness strategies of asking permission (PSAs) utilized by native (British) and EFL learners from Turkish, Congolese and Moroccan backgrounds. A qualitative content analysis of (504) responses was employed to elicit the responses of all participants to identify developmental strategy patterns across all groups. The findings revealed a significant distinction between L1 (native British) and L2 (EFL learners) speakers of English: L1 speakers employed higher frequencies of negative politeness strategies as compared to other groups in all contexts (power, distance and imposition); EFL learners showed variations in the production of permission-asking speech acts (PSAs). They frequently used positive politeness strategies featuring solidarity markers and increased negative politeness use, suggesting contextual awareness across all groups while seeking permission in higher-status settings. Both L1 speakers and EFL learners demonstrate concern for social harmony and face-saving; they employ culturally distinctive strategies to achieve these shared communicative goals. This pattern reflects culturally embedded pragmatic variations by shaping learners’ choices based on L1 cultural nuances. This exploratory study contributes to cross-cultural pragmatics research by highlighting PSA production patterns across diverse learner populations and implicating intercultural training and providing empirical insights to inform culturally aware pedagogy in educational settings.