Speech Acts Bibliography:
Invitations

 

 

Félix-Brasdefer, J. C. (2003). Declining an invitation: A cross-cultural study of pragmatic strategies in American English and Latin American Spanish. Multilingua, 22, 225-55.

This article provides a cross-cultural analysis of preference for and use of politeness strategies when declining an invitation by native Spanish-speakers and advanced non-native speakers of Spanish whose native language is American English. All subjects were graduate students at a major American university (N=30; 15 male and 15 female). The subjects were divided into three groups (10 NS of Spanish speaking Spanish [SPN-SPN], 10 Americans speaking Spanish [ENG-SPN], and 10 NS of English speaking English [ENG-ENG]). They each completed five, open role plays containing three invitation refusals and two distracters. The data was analyzed in terms of strategies used as well as degree of politeness. The analysis demonstrates a significant difference between the ENG-ENG group and the SPN-SPN as well as some differences from the ENG-SPN group. Similar strategies were used by all three groups with the difference lying in the frequency and preference of their use. Results show that the ENG-ENG group tended to be more direct than the SPN-SPN group with the ENG-SPN group falling in the middle. This level of directness was also affected by the social constraints of the situation. Both positive and negative pragmatic transfer was found and many of the advanced learners lacked some L2 socio-cultural knowledge when declining the invitation. Pedagogical implications of the study are discussed.

García, C. (1996). Teaching speech act performance: Declining an invitation. Hispania, 79, 267-79.

The author explores the teaching of speech acts through inviting and declining an invitation. The author advocates that instructing about frames of participation, underlying preferred politeness strategies, and linguistic strategies is essential to pragmatic development. The importance of using empirical data for instruction is discussed and pedagogical suggestions are made based on Cohen & Olshtain (1991) and DiPetro (1987). Examples of each of the five stages of pragmatic instruction are given—(1) Diagnostic Assessment, (2) Model Dialogue, (3) Evaluation of Situation, (4) Role play Activities, and (5) Feedback, Discussion, Conclusion.

García, C. (1999). The three stages of Venezuelan invitations and responses. Multilingua, 18, 391-433.

This study compares politeness strategies utilized by males (n=10) and females (n=10) when inviting and responding to an invitation. The subjects were all native Venezuelan Spanish-speakers with varying educational levels and occupations. The average age of the males was 41 and the females was 35. Each subject participated in two role plays: one in which they invited a friend to attend a birthday party and a second scenario in which they refused a friend’s invitation to a party. In each role play, the participants interacted with the same interlocutor, a 40-year-old female they knew. Following the role plays, the participants completed a questionnaire regarding their perception of the interaction, interlocutor, and level of politeness. An analysis of the data shows that the invitation sequences involved three distinct stages: (1) invitation-response, (2) insistence-response, and (3) wrap-up. In terms of gender analysis, a number of differences occurred. Females tended to be more verbose and more deferential than their male counterparts when inviting, and they used solidarity politeness strategies only when parting. When refusing invitations, both groups used deferential strategies (males more than females). In general, the author categorized the Venezuelan participants as belonging to a positive politeness culture, preferring friendliness over imposition.