Date of Award

1-1-2016

Thesis Type

masters

Document Type

Thesis

Divisions

language

Department

Faculty of Languages and Linguistics

Institution

University of Malaya

Abstract

Refusal is a face threatening act because it contradicts with the expectations of the speaker and therefore, is not a preferred speech act. However, the speech act of refusal cannot be avoided as it is a part of our daily communication. Therefore, this study was carried out to find out how Indian undergraduates, one of the majority races in Malaysia, handle refusal. The present study investigates the strategies used by Malaysian Indian undergraduates to make refusals in English as well as the influences of power on the choice of refusal strategies made by them in an academic context. These objectives were expressed through two research questions. The data, gained from a DCT was analysed and coded according to an adapted framework of refusal strategies that was developed from a combination of the frameworks proposed by Beebe et al. (1990) and Al-Issa (2003).

Note

Dissertation (M.A) – Faculty of Languages and Linguistics, University of Malaya, 2016.

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