Apology Strategy use in L2 English

Abstract

This study examined intercultural pragmatic competence in the realization of apologies by B2 level Turkish learners of English (n=103). The aim was to explore the way task type and gender influence the level of directness in the use of apology strategies in English within the Speech Act and Politeness Theory. The participants were asked to complete a written discourse completion task and a multiple-choice discourse elicitation task. The qualitative data was analysed using categories of apology strategies identified in the framework proposed by Olshtain and Cohen (1983). Responses obtained from the multiple-choice discourse elicitation task constituted the quantitative data. A binomial generalised linear mixed-effects model was developed by taking gender (male vs. female) and task (production vs. recognition) as the main factors and directness (direct vs. indirect) of apologies as the outcome variable. The findings showed that only task type was a key predictor of directness in the apology strategies employed, with both male and female learners favouring indirect apology strategies such as explanations and efforts to repair the offense primarily while responding to the given apology scenarios. For pragmatically effective communication in the target language, contextualized and reflective learning opportunities can be encouraged in second language classrooms.