Date of Award
8-1-2016
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
Applied Linguistics
First Advisor
Fuller, Janet
Abstract
This study examines the speech act of refusal among Saudis. Specifically, it investigates the refusal strategies implemented by Saudis in Saudi Arabian Social settings. Data was gathered using Discourse Completion Task (DCT). Thirty Saudi male and female students, graduate, undergraduate, and ESL students participated in this study creating 180 natural responses. The responses were coded and classified according to the classification of refusals proposed by Beebe, Takahashi, and Uliss- Weltz. The results revealed that Saudi females and males choose to use indirectness more than directness when refusing an invitation. Even when using direct strategies, indirect strategies accompany the direct once to mitigate the threat of directness. The results also showed a great deal of implementing adjuncts as part of Saudis refusal statements. The result showed that Saudis use one new strategy, refusal-functioning acceptance, and one new adjunct, pray.
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