Perception and Performance in Native and Nonnative Apology

Abstract

Abstract In terms of their actional characteristics, apologies relate in important ways to other frequently studied expressive speech acts. Like the speech acts of thanking, complimenting, and complaining, apologies occur post-event. Complimenting and thanking involve events deemed praiseworthy by prevailing social norms; complaints and apologies refer back to events that constitute norm infringements. By complimenting and thanking, an event is made into a praiseworthy occasion; by complaining about or apologizing for its occurrence, an event is made into a transgression. In terms of value attribution, the relationship between event and speech act is reflexive rather than unilateral. Complaints, thanks, and compliments commonly hold the addressee to be causally involved in the preceding event; the agent assuming responsibility for the event necessitating the apology is the speaker. Compliments differ from thanks in that thanks require that the addressee’s preceding action be beneficial to the speaker; compliments refer to addressee-related events, which do not need to be beneficial to anybody in particular. The actional descriptors referred to above allow us to distinguish compliments, thanks, complaints, and apologies schematically (Table 4.1).