On Gender and Apology: Case of Algerian Arabic
https://doi.org/10.24833/2687-0126-2023-5-1-23-37
Abstract
The present study explores the impact of gender on the use of apology strategies by Algerian speakers. Specifically, the research aims to identify the apology strategies utilized by male and female Algerian participants and to examine the potential influence of gender on such usage. The study employed a discourse completion task (DCT) as its methodological tool for data collection. The DCT included nine scenarios in which participants were required to provide an apology. Sixty participants, consisting of 30 males and 30 females, were recruited for the study. Both qualitative and quantitative analyses were employed to examine the data collected. To facilitate the analysis, a modified version of Blum-Kulka and Olshtain’s (1984) framework was applied, given its widespread usage and convenience in similar studies. The findings of the study indicate that male and female Algerian participants employed seven primary apology strategies, and gender influenced the frequency of their usage. These findings provide new insights into the role of gender in the choice of apology strategies in Algerian Arabic.
About the Author
N. DerkiAlgeria
Noureddine Derki holds a Ph.D. in English Linguistics from the University of Jordan. He currently occupies the position of an Associate Professor at Mustapha Stambouli University of Mascara
Mascara
References
1. Abu-Humeid, A., & Altai, A. (2013). Refusal Strategies Used by Iraqi EFL University Students. British Journal of Science, 8(1), 58-86.
2. Alfattah Mohammed, H. A. (2010). Apology Strategies of Yemeni EFL University Students. University of Mysore, Mysore, India, 27.
3. Bataineh, R. F. (2013). On Congratulating, Thanking, and Apologizing in Jordanian Arabic and American English. Journal of Intercultural Communication, 15.
4. Bataineh, R. F., & Bataineh, R. F. (2008). A cross-cultural comparison of apologies by native speakers of American English and Jordanian Arabic. Journal of Pragmatics, 40(4), 792-821.
5. Bergman, M. and Kasper, G. (1993) Perception and Performance in Native and Non-Native Apology. In: Gabrielle, K. and Shohona, B., Eds., Interlanguage Pragmatics, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 82-117.
6. Blum-Kulka, S., Olshtain, E. (1984). Requests and apologies: a cross-cultural study of speech act realization patterns (CCSARP). Applied Linguistics 5(3), 196–213.
7. Brown, P., & Levinson, S. C. (1987). Politeness: Some universals in language usage. Cambridge University Press.
8. El-Dakhs, D. A. (2018). Investigating the apology strategies of Saudi learners of English Foreign language learning in focus. Prince Sultan University, 9(4), 598-625.
9. Fraser, B. (1981), Insulting Problem in a Second Language. TESOL Quarterly, 15, 435-441.
10. Green, M. (2017). Speech Acts. England: Oxford Research Encyclopedia.
11. Harb, M. A. (2016). On Gender and Apology Strategies: the Case of Arabic. De Gruyter, 42, 224-265.
12. Holmes, J. (1989). Sex differences and apologies: One aspect of communicative competence. Applied Linguistics, 10, 194-213.
13. Janjua, F. & Majeed, A. (2014). Apology strategies and gender: A Pragmatic study of apology speech acts in the Urdu language. Merit Research Journal of Education and Review, 8, 54-61.
14. Jebahi, K. (2011). Tunisian university students’ choice of apology strategies in a discourse completion task. Journal of Pragmatics, 43(2), 648-662.
15. Jibreen, K., & Shabeeb, M. (2008). The Speech Act of Compliment: A Theoretical View. University of Al-Qadisiya, 11(4), 7-20.
16. Kitao, S. K. (2013). Apologies, Apology Strategies, and Apology Forms for Non-Apologies in a Spoken Corpus. Journal of Culture and Information Science, 13.
17. Lee, H. E. (2014). The Effectiveness of apologies and thanks in favor asking messages: a cross-cultural comparison between Korea and the United States. International Journal on Intercultural Relations, 43, 335-348.
18. Nureddeen, F. A. (2008). Cross-cultural pragmatics: Apology strategies in Sudanese Arabic. Journal of Pragmatics, 40, 279-306.
19. Olshtain, E., & Cohen, A. (1983). Apology: A speech act set. In N. Wolfson, & E. Judd (Eds.), Sociolinguistics and language acquisition (pp. 18-36). Rowley, MA: Newbury House.
20. Salehi, R. (2014). A Comparative Analysis of Apology Strategy: Iranian EFL Learners and Native English Speakers. Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences, 98, 1658-1665.
21. Searle, J. (1969). Speech Acts: An Essay in the Philosophy of Language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
22. Sinan, A. (2004). Pragmatic Analysis of Speech Acts of Arab EFL University Students. National Information Center, Yemen: National Information Center.
23. Sugimoto, N. (1997). A Japan-U.S. comparison of apology styles. Communication Research, 24, 349− 370.
24. Ugla, R.L., & Abidin, M. J. Z. (2016). A Study of Apology Strategies Used by Iraqi EFL University Students. International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education (IJERE), 5(1), 32-38.
25. Yallah, M. S. (2015). Shifting Responsibility Strategies: Apology in Saudi Arabia. Journal of arts, literature, humanities, and social sciences, Université Mohamed Khider Biskra, 7(2), 3-32.
Review
For citations:
Derki N. On Gender and Apology: Case of Algerian Arabic. Professional Discourse & Communication. 2023;5(1):23-37. https://doi.org/10.24833/2687-0126-2023-5-1-23-37