Pragmatics in the context of English for occupational purposes: Speech acts produced by Japanese workers

Abstract

Background: Second-language (L2) pragmatics is one of the important fields of second-language acquisition research, where the native speakers’ norm is the standard. However, in another subfield of applied linguistics, English for occupational purposes (EOP), the importance of speakers’ expertise is instead emphasized. Although pragmatics plays an important role in workplace communication, few empirical studies examined Japanese workers’ English usage. This study clarifies how appropriately the participants can produce speech acts of request, apology, refusal, and advice-giving, and what factors affect their performances. Furthermore, we investigate the relationship between pragmatics scores and the strategies used by participants.   Methods: We recruited 100 Japanese workers who speak English through a crowdsourcing platform. Complete responses from 92 participants were included in data analysis; eight people input the completion code but failed to save data on the survey response form, thus were excluded from the study. The participants answered demographic questions and then answered a written discourse completion task. We posed 12 situations, representing four speech acts: request, apology, refusal, and advice-giving. Considering the situation, the participants typed the English expression they would offer in response. Their responses were graded with a six-point rating rubric and coded using the strategy framework. Results: Multiple strategies influenced the pragmatics scores, regardless of the type of speech act. Those who obtained higher scores tended to use multiple strategies, and not only main strategies but also modifications. The L2 proficiency was a significant factor affecting how participants offer an apology, while participants’ experiences of working abroad affected how they expressed refusal. Participants who obtained higher scores tended to use indirect pragmatics strategies, accompanied by modifications. Conclusion: The application of multiple pragmatics strategies is essential, regardless of the speech act type. To extend the findings, further EOP research is required with a variety of transferred employees in inner/outer/expanding circles.