How the Iraqi Learners Perform Their Requests Speech Acts - Research Proposal Example

Chapter Three: Methodology 3.1. Introduction This chapter analyzes the methodology to be used for conducting an in-depth research about realization of speech act requests encountered by Iraqi learners and Australians speakers of English in Australian Universities. The chapter would outline the methodologies for creating the research design, collecting data and analyzing the data for this research. It would further discuss the use of quantitative methodology and DCT (discourse completion questionnaires) for conducting this research to understand how Iraqi learners and Australian speakers of English in Australian universities conduct speech act requests, while also providing a base for further research. I propose to use quantitative research methodology for undertaking this thesis, as I believe that quantitative research is significant for investigating this issue of finding a correlation between speech act requests and Iraqi learners and Australians speakers of English. A quantitative methodology is the best fit for this topic because it helps in testing the hypothesis through the analysis of various variables and use of statistical techniques. Such a method helps in determining whether the hypothesis proposed is true or not. This methodology will help me in comparing the speech acts being made by the Iraqi learners and the Australian speakers and understand whether social factors have any impact on the speech act of requests or not in native and non-native English language speakers. Through the use of discourse completion test (DCT), a standard questionnaire, the data for this research would be collected. The DCT is being developed by Blum-Kulka (1982) and is generally being used by researchers for studying speech act. For this study, the respondents were asked to first read through the situations given in the DCT and then respond to the questionnaire. For this particular study, I have determined to undertake the survey among a sample size of around 50 students from Australian universities who are Iraqi learners and Australians speakers of English, to understand their perspectives about speech act requests and how they would respond to certain questions regarding making requests in different situations. The study will rely heavily on Discourse completion test technique, commonly referred to as questionnaires, as the data collection instrument. The questionnaires that would be used for this research would use multiple choice questionnaires as well as a discourse completion task (DCT). 3.1.1 Aims and Research Questions The aims of this study are: To investigate how the Iraqi learners perform their requests speech acts; To investigate whether the Australian speakers employ any different strategies in their realization of requests; and To find out the differences between the way Australians and Iraqi request. In order to fulfill the aims of the study, the below mentioned research questions would be addressed in detail: Which strategies of request do Iraqi learners of English use? How do Australian speakers differ from Iraqi learners of English with respect to their realization of strategy? Can we identify any cultural insinuations by analyzing the strategies which are used in Iraqi English? 3.2. Issues in data collection This section gives an overview on the various methods that the researcher would use in the research and provides reasons for choosing DCT technique to collect the data for the study. Further, the section would also focus on the reliability and validity of the use of DCT method for collecting data. 3.2.1. Data collection method While conducting speech acts research, several methods are being used. For instance, enthographic method is being used to collect requests that occur naturally, along with basic information such as the gender, age, relationship, culture etc. of the respondents (Bardovi-Harlig & Hartford, 1990). This method especially helps in understanding the requests made in situations of interpersonal relationships. Some researchers use the role play method to collect information. In this method the subject is given a particular situation orally and was asked to role-play that particular situation (Kasper, 1981; Tanaka, 1988). Similar to role-play method is role-play enactment, wherein more than one subject is asked to engage in a conversation with each other for some amount of time, enacting a particular situation (Trosborg, 1995). In some cases, multiple choice methods are also being used, wherein several questions along with their answers are given and the subjects are asked to choose the appropriate answer (Carell, 1981). A commonly used method for collecting data for speech acts research is done through the use of written completion task, which consist of two more methods, open-ended elicitation and the Discourse Completion Task (DCT) (Cohen, 1999). The use of DCT has several advantages. It helps in elicitation of the data and chooses from a large subject sample in an easier manner. Further, DCT helps in understanding the stereotypical perceptions and gaining insight into various psychological and social factors that might impact the speech or performance of a person (Beebe, 1985). Further, using DCT would also help in saving time to collect data as compared to methods such as role-play (Cohen 1996). Although, the above mentioned methods have their own advantages and disadvantages, for this research it seems appropriate to use DCT for collecting data as it would not only save time but also help in understanding the social context behind the speech acts as well. 3.3 Research Design The section would discuss the research design to be used in this study. For this study, DCT technique would be used to collect the data. However, using DCT also has certain concerns and therefore in order to overcome issues related to the validity of the data, the DCT would use two phases of questioner i.e. language elicitation questionnaire (DCT) and validity and reliability testing (MPQ). While the MPQ would be used to test the reliability and validity of the situations which would in turn be used in the data analysis, DCT would be used for elicitation of the speech act requests. Further, the questioner would also contain some more questions focusing on gathering information about the background of the student. Both the questionnaires would be made in English. The Metapragmatic questionnaire (MPQ) would assess the social variables that might affect the subjects. Such a questionnaire helps in understanding the validity of the situation and thereby the validity of the responses as well. The MPQ had 23 situations, wherein three questions regarding the situations were also asked. Every question had to be responded with an assessment as well on the basis of 5-point Likert scale, wherein 1 is assigned as none, while 5 as a great deal. Given below is a sample of metapragmatic questionnaire to be used for this study: Situation 1 You wish to apply for a job with a company. You go into the office to pick up an application form. A receptionist is sitting behind a desk. You ask the receptionist for the form. 1 2 3 4 5 How much authority or right do you think the speaker has in making the request? None Some A great deal How well acquainted are the speaker and the hearer? Not at all A little bit Very well How large is the imposition of the request on the hearer? Very small Moderate Very large The MPQ question provided certain variables which would help in proving the authenticity and reliability of the data by testing how the subject would react under various social factors. These same 23 situations would be used in the DCT questioner as well. In the DCT questioner, the respondent would be given the situation following by the words 'You say...' This kind of questioner is used to get some requests from the subjects. Given below a sample of DCT questioner: Situation 1 You wish to apply for a job with a company. You go into the office to pick up an application form. A receptionist is sitting behind a desk. You ask the receptionist for the form. You say:............................................................................................................................ 3.3.1. Data collection/ research subjects Therefore, for this particular report, I would use a combination of secondary data collection and primary research as it would allow me to analyze whether there is a difference between the speech acts of requests between Iraqi learners of English and Australians native speakers of English. Secondary data collection Some of the common sources of secondary data undertaken for this research paper include research papers and scholarly articles. There are several advantages of collecting data through secondary research, which includes saving time, and collecting a large database (Babbie, 2005). However the major disadvantage of this kind of research is that the researcher could not personally check the reliability of the data. Secondary data analysis is usually conducted by researchers to get a better understanding of a concept. Secondary data helps a researcher to support his or her concept and define the goals of the research by interpreting the data. However, as secondary research totally relies on already published reports, it is imperative to collect the data from reliable sources and check the validity of the data (Babbie, 2005). For this particular report, I have used secondary data as it allowed me to conduct analyses of various literatures to find out the various theories propagated by experts in the field of Speech Act Requests for the literature review section and to develop the research hypothesis by identifying the gap areas in the current literature and identifying the central premises for the present thesis. It also saved me time and money since the work has already been done and helped me in avoiding the problems associated with the data collection process. Primary data collection The primary data would be collected from two groups of subjects consisting of a total of 50 subjects, one group consisting of Australians native speakers of English and another of Iraqi advanced learners of English who are studying in different Australian universities. In order ensure that the Iraqi and Australian subjects are compatible, subjects from rural backgrounds are not included in the study. Both the groups had equal number of males and females subjects. 3.3.2 The instruction given to participants a description The participants are assured that the responses would not be shared with anyone. Also, their identity would not be required for this study. Therefore, the subjects would be encouraged to participate for the study. The researcher should make sure that the subjects fill the entire questioners and not leave any question unanswered as semi-filled questioner would skew the results and would not be off help for the study as well. The subjects should be made aware of the concept behind both the questioner of DCT and MPQ. The subjects should be told that although, the questions in both these questioners are similar, the answers would be different, as one would require them to rate the answers, the second would be questioner wherein the subjects would have to actually write their responses. 3.4. Procedure The thesis of this study will adapt the Cross Cultural Speech Act Realization Project (CCSARP) to execute its research mandate. CCSARP is a scale of measuring indirectness and was described/developed by Blum-Kulka. The scale identifies requisite strategies that can and should be gathered from linguistic data such as derivable mood, performative, derivable locution, hedged performative, want statement, mild and strong hint, suggestory formula as well as query preparatory strategies (Blum-Kulka, 1989). The study will rely heavily on Discourse completion test technique, commonly referred to as questionnaires, as the data collection instrument. Questionnaires will be served to the sample of English speaking Iraqi students in Australian universities as well as the sampled native English speakers (Australian nationals) who are students in the same universities. Questionnaires will be advantageous because they will allow a large number of students to be sampled and the results thus acquired will be easy to analyze and quantify into clear, outright findings. Further questionnaires will be easy and cheap to produce and distribute to respondents in the universities. The questionnaires will provide the theoretical findings of the study as can be judged from individual responses of the sample. The questionnaires that would be used for this research would use multiple choice questionnaires as well as a discourse completion task (DCT). For conducting the DCT questionnaire, the participants would be provided with various situational questions will blank spaces that the participants would need to fill. Such a kind of questionnaire is considered to be a widely-used method of collecting data while conducting inter-language pragmatics and cross-cultural research as it helps in collecting varied data in a shorter span of time. Further, it is not only easier to collect the data but also incurs lesser costs. Also, such a questionnaire helps in generating responses that are stereotypical or responses that are appropriate in a polite conversation to request for something, which is also the central premises of this thesis (Blum-Kulka et al., 1989). Further, social variables such as gender, age, class etc. could also be addressed while undertaking interviews using such a questionnaire and helps in understanding the psychological or social factors that may impact the behavior of the respondents (Beebe & Cummings, 1996). 3.5. Validity and Reliability Research indicates that varied groups react in a different manner to request for certain things or favor due to cross-cultural differences (Blum-Kulka & House, 1989). Therefore, in order to establish that the data collected from the questioner is valid, it is important to find out whether the responses given by the respondents are impacted by their views and perceptions or not (Bouton, 1996). Thus, in order to find out about the reliability of the test used, it is imperative to conduct a meta-pragmatic questionnaire (MPQ), which would help in determining the validity and reliability of the data collected from the study. Although, a large number of variables may impact the requests being made by the respondents, however three central factors such as the relative status, the social distance between participants and the ranking of imposition are the major contributors to understand the force of the request being made. However, it is not an easy task to understand such a complex correlation between social factors and requests being made. Thus, after each question that the questioner features, the respondents were made to answer three subsequent questions related to the request. These questions include: 1. What kind of authority do you think the speaker used while making the request? 2. How much acquainted do you the think the speaker and the hearer are? 3. How much impact do you think the request would make to the hearer? The respondents would answer these questions through 5-point Likert scale, wherein, 1 would mean none, 2 would mean a bit, 3 some, 4 a lot and 5 would mean a great deal. I would be using a Likert Scale as the instrument for measuring the reliability of the data collected. I would then use the data to find out the answer for my research hypothesis. The psychometric scale called Likert scale is used mostly to find out results from survey research and questionnaires. In a Likert scale type questionnaire, interviewees are asked to give answers based on their level of agreeing to a particular statement. This kind of scale was first described by Rensis Likert, and it was after Rensis that this scale was named (Dawes, 2008). This kind of scaling system is also called bipolar scaling method that measures the responses of the interviewees based on a positive or negative answer for a particular question. No interview will be However, this type of scale may be subject to distortion from several causes, as respondents may agree with statements as presented; avoid using extreme response categories; or try to portray themselves or their organization in a more favorable light. As Likert scale is the sum of various Likert items, I would also study individual Likert items, which are simply a statement which the respondent is asked to evaluate. Such an evaluation is often based on either subjective or objective criteria, and gives the results based on the perception of the interviewees. The results mostly measure the degree of agreement or disagreement shown by the interviewees during the session and quantify them to draw a trend analysis (Babbie, 2005). The use of this type of scale would help me getting concrete answers for measuring the validity of the collected data. The analysis of the collected data based on Likert scale would help me substantiating my research with figures and I would be able to use statistical tools such as mean, variance, skewness and kurtosis to further illustrate my research findings. 3.6. Description of the analytical framework: The Coding Scheme According to Blum-Kulka (1989: 68), the CCSARP “revealed the prominence of conventional indirectness as a highly favored requesting option exploited by all the languages studied.” On the basis of work of Brown and Levinson (1987), a collection of 23 situations are being designed for eliciting requests The situation that were used in this study had the following parameters or factors: The speaker as compared to the addressee has greater power and they are not familiar with each other. In some situations where the speaker and the addressee are familiar, the speaker still has more power than the addressee. The speaker and addressee share equal power and they are not familiar with each other. The speaker and the addressee share equal power and are familiar with each other. The speaker as compared to the addressee has lesser power and they are not familiar with each other. The speaker as compared to the addressee has lesser power and they are familiar with each other. The 23 situations used in this study helped in preparing two versions of the questionnaire, an open-ended questionnaire (DCT) and a metapragmatic questionnaire (MPQ). The study uses the coding systems of Blum-Kulka et al. (1989) and Trosborg (1995). In the context of this study, a head act is being presented and various elements such as perspectives, alerters and modification are being used as well. Alerter is defined as that element which helps in alerting a hearer. For instance, Mr, Mrs, Ms. etc. The concept of perspective is based on the view of the speaker and the hearer about a certain situation, which also decides about the dominance of either party in the conversation. In this study, perspectives are coded as follows: Hearer perspective: Can you show me your book, please Speaker Perspective: Could I see your book please? There are certain situations that the participant would encounter in the questioner and would have to provide the relevant answers for them. These situations would focus on making requests by the respondents, which can be direct, indirect Direct requests In order to request in an explicit manner, speakers use direct requests, which might be made through the use of performative, imperative, statements of speaker's needs and demands, statements of obligations and necessity and statements of speaker's wishes and desires. Imperative: As per the coding system of Blum-Kulka, this determines the illocutionary force through which the request has been made. For e.g. Lend me your car. Performative: Here the performative verbs are used. For eg. I ask you to leave. Obligation and necessity: When the hearer is being asked to do something by the speaker and uses words such as should, must and ought. Statements with needs and demands: This is a less direct strategy wherein the request is not made in an explicit manner. For eg. I need a pen. Statements with wishes and desires: Here the speaker expresses his or her wishes or desire to the hearer and is less direct in the request. For eg. I would like to have some more coffee. Conventionally Indirect requests In case the speaker does not explicitly state the request and there is a certain degree of indirectness in the speech, such a request is known as indirect request (Searle, 1975). Such a type of request usually uses the suggestory and query preparatory strategies. Suggestory: The intent of the person could be expressed through a suggestion. For instance: How about cleaning up the kitchen? Query preparatory: Here the request contains preparatory condition which helps in understanding the feasibility of the request. This is further divided into three categories: Hearer's ability: This point towards the ability of the hearer to perform certain duties. For eg. Can you lend me some money? Hearer's willingness: In this the speaker asks the hearer to find out if the hearer is willing enough to perform the task. For eg. Would you lend me your book? Permission request: In this the hearer's willingness can be accessed by asking for permission. For eg. May I have a match? Non-conventionally indirect requests Such requests are open-ended in nature in terms of its linguistic form, content and pragmatic force. Such requests can also be termed as non-explicit requests. The requests which are not explicitly stated with illocutionary force are known as non-explicit requests (Weizman, 1993). For eg. when the speaker asks for a lift from the hearer, he or she may say, Are you going home? The non-explicit requests can be of three different types: Stating potential grounder: The speaker may make a statement that would eluciditate the hearer to perform certain task. For eg. Madam, we have an injured person; this car is in the way. Questioning the feasibilty of the precondition for the requested act: For eg. Do you have a car? Questioning the ability of the hearer: For eg. I wonder if you can do me a favour? Interrogative requests: Using interrogative technique to ask for a request helps in disarming the hearer and elicits positive response in most cases (Trosborg, 1995). For eg. Will you do the cooking tonight? 3.7. Methodological Limitations There are certain limitations, which are evident in any research project, which is undertaken. This also holds true in the case of this research project. This is due to the fact that there are some basic assumptions made in all research projects. There are certain limitations that are involved in all studies and researches that are conducted. These issues from the fact that there are certain assumptions that are made while conducting a research. Thus, the research cannot be a 100 percent accurate. The basic limitations of this research have been identified and stated in the section below. One of the most important constraints of the research that has been conducted is that the questionnaire is conducted in a certain area which is seen to be representative of the whole population. It is also assumed that all the other factors that are involved in the research such as the social factors remain static and do not undergo any changes. The conclusions have been drawn from the analysis of the samples that have been collected. However, the questionnaires would only provide information about what the participant believes should be stated (Boxer, 1996) and not what the situation demands them to say. Therefore, especially in understanding the speech act, to analyze the response of the participants in real life situations and conversations, such a method of collecting data might not be useful (Cohen, 1996). Reference: Babbie, Earl R. (2005).The Basics of Social Research. Thomson Wadsworth, 174. Beebe, L. M. and Cummings, M. C. (1996). Natural speech act data versus written questionnaire data: How data collection method affects speech act performance. In Gass, S. M., New, J. (Eds.), Speech acts across cultures: Challenges to communication in a second language. Mouton de Gruyter, Berlin, pp. 65-86. Blum-Kulka, S. and House, J. (1989). Cross-cultural and situational variation in requesting behavior. In: Blum-Kulka, S., House, J., Kasper, G. (Eds.), Cross-cultural Pragmatics: Requests and Apologies. Ablex, Norwood, NJ, pp. 123–154. Blum-Kulka, S., J. House and G. Kasper (1989). Investigating Cross-Cultural Pragmatics: An Introductory Overview. In S. Blum-Kulka, J. House and G. Kasper (eds), Cross-Cultural Pragmatics: Requests and Apologies. Ablex: New Jersey. Blum-Kulka, S. (1989). Playing it: safe: the role' of conventionality in indirectness. In S. Blurn-Kulka, J. House & G. Kasper (Eds) Crosscultural pragmatics: requests and apologies (pp. 37-70). Norwood, N. J.: Ablex. Boxer, D. (1996). Ethnographic interviewing as a research tool in speech act analysis: the case of complaints. In Gass, S. M. and Neu, J. (Eds.), Speech act across cultures: Challenges to communication in a second language. Mouton de Gruyter, Berlin, pp. 217-240. Cohen, A. D. (1996). Investigating the production of speech act sets. In Gass, S. M. and Neu, J. (Eds.), Speech act across cultures: Challenges to communication in a second language. Mouton de Gruyter, Berlin, pp. 21-43. Dawes, J. (2008). Do Data Characteristics Change According to the number of scale points used? An experiment using 5-point, 7-point and 10-point scales. International Journal of Market Research, 50 (1), 61-77 Denzin, N. K. & Lincoln, Y. S. (2005). Introduction: The discipline and practice of qualitative research. In N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), The Sage Handbook of Qualitative Research (3rd ed.), 1-32. Fischer, C.T. (Ed.) (2005). Qualitative research methods for psychologists: Introduction through empirical studies. Academic Press. Flyvbjerg, B. (2006). Five Misunderstandings about Case Study Research. Qualitative Inquiry, vol. 12, no. 2, 219-245. Loseke, D. R. & Cahil, S. E. (2007). Publishing qualitative manuscripts: Lessons learned. In C. Seale, G. Gobo, J. F. Gubrium, & D. Silverman (Eds.), Qualitative Research Practice: Concise Paperback Edition, 491-506. Patton, M. Q. (2002). Qualitative research & evaluation methods (3rd ed.). Sattar, H., Lah, S. & Suleiman, R. (2009). Iraqi Postgraduates’ Production and Perception of Requests: A Pilot Study. The International Journal of Language Society and Culture, Vol. 29 (1). pp. 56-70. Saunders, M., Philip L. & Adrian, T. (2003). Research Methods for Business Students. Financial Times. Prentice Hall, Third Edition. Trosborg, A. (1995). Interlanguage pragmatics: requests, complaints, and apologies. Berlin, Germany: Walter de Gruyter, 187. Weizman, E. (1993). Interlanguage requestive hints. In G. Kasper & S. Blum-Kulka (Eds), Interlanguage pragmatics. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Pragmatic questionnaire (DCT) The purpose of this questionnaire is to find out what you would naturally say in the situation listed below. Please feel free to write down, as you will not be identified. Place of birth: Age: Sex: Highest level of education: Where did you live before you started university? Could you please read the situations on the following pages? After each situation please write down exactly what you would say in a normal conversation. 1. You wish to apply for a job with a company. You go into the office to pick up an application form. A receptionist is sitting behind a desk. You ask the receptionist for the form. You say:............................................................................................................................ 2. You are a customs officer working at an international airport. A foreign passenger approaches you with a big suitcase. You ask the passenger to open the suitcase for a customs check. You say:............................................................................................................................ 3. You are a police officer on duty. You see a car going through red traffic lights. You stop the car and ask the driver to show you his/her driving license. You say:............................................................................................................................ 4. You are an office manager. You phone your friend who works for another company. Your friend is not there. A secretary answers the phone. You ask the secretary to take a message to pass it to the person who wish to speak to. You say:............................................................................................................................ 5. You are going to a foreign country to study on an exchange programme. You have to go to the airline office to collect your ticket. You want to know during what hours the office is open. You ring the office. You say:............................................................................................................................ 6. You are a manager of a company. You are in the building of another company looking for the manager's office. You go to the receptionist. You say:............................................................................................................................ 7. You are invited to a wedding party. You try on the clothes you plan to wear. However, you discover that the clother are too large for you now. You go to the small tailor shop that your family has used for years. Even though you know they are busy, you still need the clothes altered. You say:............................................................................................................................ 8. You are an office manager and you are looking for a document. You need the document immediately for a meeting. You want the secretary to find it. You say:............................................................................................................................ 9. You are driving along a country road and discover you have a flat tyre. You do not have a jack with you. Another car is coming towards you. You wave down the car. The driver, who is older than you, stops and pops his head out. You say:............................................................................................................................ 10. You are a student. You have arrived in a town and you don't know the way to a particular street that you need to get to. You see a person in an expensive fur coat walking along the street. You want to ask for directions. You say:............................................................................................................................ 11. You are a student at the university. It is nearly the end of the first semester. You do not think you will be able to finish your assignment by the deadline set by your lecturer. You want a week's extension. You go to your lecturer's office. You say:............................................................................................................................ 12. You are a student and you want to buy a compact disc player. You are short of $50. You know your mother has the amount of money you need. You want to borrow the money from your mother. You say:............................................................................................................................ 13. You are working for a big company. You are working on an accounting work sheet and your computer breaks down. You try but you cannot repair it. You go to the person who is an expert in computers for help. You say:............................................................................................................................ 14. You have your own car. Your car is not as reliable as your elder brother's car. You want to go out with your friends this Sunday. You know your brother is not using his car this Sunday. You want to borrow it. You say:............................................................................................................................ 15. You are working for a hotel as a receptionist. One of your close friends is leaving tomorrow to work in another country. You want to see your friend off at the airport. You need a couple of hours off. You go to your manager. You say:............................................................................................................................ 16. You are a doctor. You have just moved into a new flat. You have difficulty opening the front door. Just at that moment one of your neighbours, who is also a doctor, who you talked to yesterday, approached you. You want to ask for help. You say:............................................................................................................................ 17. You are a student. You are sitting in an exam. You forgot to bring your pen with you. You know that the student sitting next to you has an extra pen. You want to borrow the pen. You say:............................................................................................................................ 18. It is late at night. Your next door neighbour is a person of your age and he/she has the music turned up loudly. You wish to ask that person to turn down the music. You say:............................................................................................................................ 19. You work as a salesperson in a big supermarket. You are going home, but you cannot start your car. You see another salesperson who works for the same supermarket but you do not know that person very well. You want that person's help to start the engine. You say:............................................................................................................................ 20. You are a student and you have problem with a math's paper. You go to one of your classmates who has found the solution to ask for help. You say:............................................................................................................................ 21. You are a teacher and you are attending a part-time course. You have been ill and absent for two weeks. You need the lecture notes to study as there is an exam in a week's time. You want to borrow the notes from your friend. You say:............................................................................................................................ 22. You work in an office. You do not have a car but your co-worker has one. You usually go home by bus, but today you have an appointement in the evening and you are afraid that you will be late for the appointment. The co-worker's house is about three kilometers from your house. You want a lift home. You say:............................................................................................................................ 23. You are a lecturer. You are at a colleague's house. You ask your friend for permission to make a local call for a private nature. You say:............................................................................................................................ Metapragmatic questionnaire The purpose of this questionnaire is to find out how to assess the following situations if you have to make the request. Please feel free to write down, as you will not be identified. Country of birth: How old are you: Which suburb do you come from: Sex: Highest level of education: What is your first language? Do you speak any other languages? Could you please read the situations on the following pages and tick the answer in the appropriate box? 1. You wish to apply for a job with a company. You go into the office to pick up an application form. A receptionist is sitting behind a desk. You ask the receptionist for the form. 1 2 3 4 5 How much authority or right do you think the speaker has in making the request? None Some A great deal How well acquainted are the speaker and the hearer? Not at all A little bit Very well How large is the imposition of the request on the hearer? Very small Moderate Very large 2. You are a customs officer working at an international airport. A foreign passenger approaches you with a big suitcase. You ask the passenger to open the suitcase for a customs check. 1 2 3 4 5 How much authority or right do you think the speaker has in making the request? None Some A great deal How well acquainted are the speaker and the hearer? Not at all A little bit Very well How large is the imposition of the request on the hearer? Very small Moderate Very large 3. You are a police officer on duty. You see a car going through red traffic lights. You stop the car and ask the driver to show you his/her driving license. 1 2 3 4 5 How much authority or right do you think the speaker has in making the request? None Some A great deal How well acquainted are the speaker and the hearer? Not at all A little bit Very well How large is the imposition of the request on the hearer? Very small Moderate Very large 4. You are an office manager. You phone your friend who works for another company. Your friend is not there. A secretary answers the phone. You ask the secretary to take a message to pass it to the person who wish to speak to. 1 2 3 4 5 How much authority or right do you think the speaker has in making the request? None Some A great deal How well acquainted are the speaker and the hearer? Not at all A little bit Very well How large is the imposition of the request on the hearer? Very small Moderate Very large 5. You are going to a foreign country to study on an exchange programme. You have to go to the airline office to collect your ticket. You want to know during what hours the office is open. You ring the office. 1 2 3 4 5 How much authority or right do you think the speaker has in making the request? None Some A great deal How well acquainted are the speaker and the hearer? Not at all A little bit Very well How large is the imposition of the request on the hearer? Very small Moderate Very large 6. You are a manager of a company. You are in the building of another company looking for the manager's office. You go to the receptionist. 1 2 3 4 5 How much authority or right do you think the speaker has in making the request? None Some A great deal How well acquainted are the speaker and the hearer? Not at all A little bit Very well How large is the imposition of the request on the hearer? Very small Moderate Very large 7. You are invited to a wedding party. You try on the clothes you plan to wear. However, you discover that the clother are too large for you now. You go to the small tailor shop that your family has used for years. Even though you know they are busy, you still need the clothes altered. 1 2 3 4 5 How much authority or right do you think the speaker has in making the request? None Some A great deal How well acquainted are the speaker and the hearer? Not at all A little bit Very well How large is the imposition of the request on the hearer? Very small Moderate Very large 8. You are an office manager and you are looking for a document. You need the document immediately for a meeting. You want the secretary to find it. 1 2 3 4 5 How much authority or right do you think the speaker has in making the request? None Some A great deal How well acquainted are the speaker and the hearer? Not at all A little bit Very well How large is the imposition of the request on the hearer? Very small Moderate Very large 9. You are driving along a country road and discover you have a flat tyre. You do not have a jack with you. Another car is coming towards you. You wave down the car. The driver, who is older than you, stops and pops his head out. 1 2 3 4 5 How much authority or right do you think the speaker has in making the request? None Some A great deal How well acquainted are the speaker and the hearer? Not at all A little bit Very well How large is the imposition of the request on the hearer? Very small Moderate Very large 10. You are a student. You have arrived in a town and you don't know the way to a particular street that you need to get to. You see a person in an expensive fur coat walking along the street. You want to ask for directions. 1 2 3 4 5 How much authority or right do you think the speaker has in making the request? None Some A great deal How well acquainted are the speaker and the hearer? Not at all A little bit Very well How large is the imposition of the request on the hearer? Very small Moderate Very large 11. You are a student at the university. It is nearly the end of the first semester. You do not think you will be able to finish your assignment by the deadline set by your lecturer. You want a week's extension. You go to your lecturer's office. 1 2 3 4 5 How much authority or right do you think the speaker has in making the request? None Some A great deal How well acquainted are the speaker and the hearer? Not at all A little bit Very well How large is the imposition of the request on the hearer? Very small Moderate Very large 12. You are a student and you want to buy a compact disc player. You are short of $50. You know your mother has the amount of money you need. You want to borrow the money from your mother. 1 2 3 4 5 How much authority or right do you think the speaker has in making the request? None Some A great deal How well acquainted are the speaker and the hearer? Not at all A little bit Very well How large is the imposition of the request on the hearer? Very small Moderate Very large 13. You are working for a big company. You are working on an accounting work sheet and your computer breaks down. You try but you cannot repair it. You go to the person who is an expert in computers for help. 1 2 3 4 5 How much authority or right do you think the speaker has in making the request? None Some A great deal How well acquainted are the speaker and the hearer? Not at all A little bit Very well How large is the imposition of the request on the hearer? Very small Moderate Very large 14. You have your own car. Your car is not as reliable as your elder brother's car. You want to go out with your friends this Sunday. You know your brother is not using his car this Sunday. You want to borrow it. 1 2 3 4 5 How much authority or right do you think the speaker has in making the request? None Some A great deal How well acquainted are the speaker and the hearer? Not at all A little bit Very well How large is the imposition of the request on the hearer? Very small Moderate Very large 15. You are working for a hotel as a receptionist. One of your close friends is leaving tomorrow to work in another country. You want to see your friend off at the airport. You need a couple of hours off. You go to your manager. 1 2 3 4 5 How much authority or right do you think the speaker has in making the request? None Some A great deal How well acquainted are the speaker and the hearer? Not at all A little bit Very well How large is the imposition of the request on the hearer? Very small Moderate Very large 16. You are a doctor. You have just moved into a new flat. You have difficulty opening the front door. Just at that moment one of your neighbours, who is also a doctor, who you talked to yesterday, approached you. You want to ask for help. 1 2 3 4 5 How much authority or right do you think the speaker has in making the request? None Some A great deal How well acquainted are the speaker and the hearer? Not at all A little bit Very well How large is the imposition of the request on the hearer? Very small Moderate Very large 17. You are a student. You are sitting in an exam. You forgot to bring your pen with you. You know that the student sitting next to you has an extra pen. You want to borrow the pen. 1 2 3 4 5 How much authority or right do you think the speaker has in making the request? None Some A great deal How well acquainted are the speaker and the hearer? Not at all A little bit Very well How large is the imposition of the request on the hearer? Very small Moderate Very large 18. It is late at night. Your next door neighbour is a person of your age and he/she has the music turned up loudly. You wish to ask that person to turn down the music. 1 2 3 4 5 How much authority or right do you think the speaker has in making the request? None Some A great deal How well acquainted are the speaker and the hearer? Not at all A little bit Very well How large is the imposition of the request on the hearer? Very small Moderate Very large 19. You work as a salesperson in a big supermarket. You are going home, but you cannot start your car. You see another salesperson who works for the same supermarket but you do not know that person very well. You want that person's help to start the engine. 1 2 3 4 5 How much authority or right do you think the speaker has in making the request? None Some A great deal How well acquainted are the speaker and the hearer? Not at all A little bit Very well How large is the imposition of the request on the hearer? Very small Moderate Very large 20. You are a student and you have problem with a math's paper. You go to one of your classmates who has found the solution to ask for help. 1 2 3 4 5 How much authority or right do you think the speaker has in making the request? None Some A great deal How well acquainted are the speaker and the hearer? Not at all A little bit Very well How large is the imposition of the request on the hearer? Very small Moderate Very large 21. You are a teacher and you are attending a part-time course. You have been ill and absent for two weeks. You need the lecture notes to study as there is an exam in a week's time. You want to borrow the notes from your friend. 1 2 3 4 5 How much authority or right do you think the speaker has in making the request? None Some A great deal How well acquainted are the speaker and the hearer? Not at all A little bit Very well How large is the imposition of the request on the hearer? Very small Moderate Very large 22. You work in an office. You do not have a car but your co-worker has one. You usually go home by bus, but today you have an appointement in the evening and you are afraid that you will be late for the appointment. The co-worker's house is about three kilometers from your house. You want a lift home. 1 2 3 4 5 How much authority or right do you think the speaker has in making the request? None Some A great deal How well acquainted are the speaker and the hearer? Not at all A little bit Very well How large is the imposition of the request on the hearer? Very small Moderate Very large 23. You are a lecturer. You are at a colleague's house. You ask your friend for permission to make a local call for a private nature. 1 2 3 4 5 How much authority or right do you think the speaker has in making the request? None Some A great deal How well acquainted are the speaker and the hearer? Not at all A little bit Very well How large is the imposition of the request on the hearer? Very small Moderate Very large Read More