Second language pragmatic competence in digitally mediated communication: Exploring requests and refusals

Anastasia Kulyagina; Ariadna Sánchez-Hernández

doi:10.30827/portalin.vi45.33005

Authors

Anastasia Kulyagina University of Vic - Central University of Catalonia (Corresponding author) https://orcid.org/0009-0000-1256-2068
Ariadna Sánchez-Hernández Complutense University of Madrid

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30827/portalin.vi45.33005

Keywords:

pragmatic competence, requests, refusals, digitally mediated communication, English as a Foreign Language

Abstract

The present study investigates second language (L2) pragmatic strategies of requests and refusals used by English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students in digitally mediated communication (DMC). It is a cross-sectional study that employed a mixed-method approach. The participants were 93 first-year undergraduate students enrolled in the Translation and Interpretation degree at a public university in Spain. They completed an online questionnaire which included background questions and a discourse completion task (DCT) that featured request and refusal scenarios with varying degrees of imposition, power, and social distance in emails and WhatsApp messages in an academic context. Speech act production was evaluated based on appropriateness rate and types of speech act strategies employed. Aspects such as formality, politeness, directness, as well as structure and content used were considered. The statistical analysis was complemented with a qualitative analysis of the speech act strategies used by the participants. Findings revealed that sociopragmatic factors – namely, social distance, power and imposition – determined the students’ ability to craft appropriate emails and WhatsApp messages. Furthermore, significant differences were found in the production of requests, whereas refusals were more challenging for the participants. These results underscore the importance of acquiring EFL pragmatics withing the DMC context.

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Author Biographies

Anastasia Kulyagina, University of Vic - Central University of Catalonia (Corresponding author)

Anastasia Kulyagina is an adjunct professor at the University of Vic - Central University of Catalonia. She received her PhD in Translation and Language Sciences from Pompeu Fabra University, where she studied under Professor Ariadna Sánchez-Hernández (UCM). She was also a member of the Language Acquisition from the Multilingual Catalonia Research Group (ALLENCAM, UPF). Her research interests include second language pragmatics, multilingualism, verbal and non-verbal communication, and intercultural communication, with a particular focus on English as a medium of communication.

Ariadna Sánchez-Hernández, Complutense University of Madrid

Ariadna Sánchez-Hernández is an associate professor of Applied Linguistics at Complutense University of Madrid (Spain). Her research interests include second language pragmatics and intercultural competence, with a special focus on the study abroad context and English-medium education. Her work has been published worldwide in different journals, chapters in collective volumes and co-edited volumes. Moreover, she is the vice-president of the International Association for Teaching Pragmatics (ITAP).

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