A Cross-Cultural Study on Pragmatic Transfer in the EFL Learners' Speech Act of Refusal

This paper examines a cross-cultural pragmatic transfer of refusal by learners of English as a foreign language (EFL). The participants include 20 university students in Korea and Japan. The data consists of responses to a total of 12 items of written discourse completion test per participant; six items in English as a foreign language (FL) and six items in the students' native language (NL). The task consisted of four situations for refusals; request, offer, suggestion, and invitation. The data for refusals both in FL and NL were analyzed according to frequency and sequence of refusal strategies and interlocutor's social status. The classification of refusal strategies is based on the study by Beebe, Takahashi, and Uliss-Weltz (1990). Results showed Korean and Japanese EFL learners shared similarities in the frequency and choice of refusal strategies. Learners from both countries used apology and excuse most frequently. Also, there were instances of differences in the effects of pragmatic transfer between the FL and NL. Korean EFL learners had tendencies to make refusal using indirect methods in Korean in contrast to direct methods in English. Findings call for further research on pragmatic transfer of the varied English proficiency level and considering appropriate pragmatic teaching methods.