Advice Speech acts in the Yemeni Community.pptx

The present study aims at finding out the advice politeness strategies employed by Sana'a University EFL students when addressing their interlocutors in twelve stimulating Written Discourse Completion Task (WDCT) situations. The study also aims at identifying the degree to which the use of advice politeness strategies and politeness modifying devices (intensifying and mitigating) are influenced by the participants' gender and social status. The WDCT of twelve situations has been used to collect data from 98 English 4th level male and female students, selected purposively from English departments at three faculties affiliated to Sana'a University, namely: Faculties of Education, Languages and Arts. The triple-taxonomy of advice politeness strategies developed by Hinkel (1997) has been adopted by the researcher in the present study in which eleven advice forms are classified into three major politeness strategies: Direct, Hedged (conventionally indirect) and Indirect (non-conventionally indirect). The fourth classification, namely 'Others', has been added by Hinkel to cover the newly discovered forms of advice exist across-culturally. The modifying advices/markers taxonomy of Mwinyelle (2005), developed based on Blum-Kulka et al's (1989) general classification, namely, the Cross-Cultural Speech Act Realization Project (CCSARP), has been also adopted in the study to find out the politeness intensifying and mitigating devices employed by the target students in the forms of advice offered. The study has come up with several detailed findings, the most common of which are as follows:
Sana'a University EFL students greatly use 'direct' forms of advice (representing around half number of the utilized advice strategies across the study), the most frequent forms of which are obligation declarative and imperative advice; whereas 'hedged' advice, particularly softened and conditional forms, take the second rank (about one-third of the grand total). The direct forms of advice are employed by the Yemeni EFL students to show intimacy, solidarity, in-group rapport and kinship to the advisees, especially those of equal and subordinate social status to them as well as their associates (acquaintances). The rare use of native-like 'indirect' advice, more frequently in form of expressive and factual indirect advice, in the Yemeni context indicates an unexpected progress attained by few Yemeni EFL students. Such noticeable progress in target language (English) pragmatic competence contradicts what has been earlier demonstrated by previous studies in this respect in which indirect forms of advice can only be appropriately and expressively produced by native speakers.
The findings have also shown that thirteen new forms of English advice and semi-advice have been explored in the Yemeni context, the most frequent of which are respectively as follows: 'warning', 'offering help', 'expressing oneself', 'promise' and 'expressing adviser's final decision'; whereas the leas

1. Politeness Strategies in the Speech Acts of Giving Advice among Sana'a University Students and their Relationship to Gender and Social Status Sana’a University Faculty of Education Department of English Ph . D. Program (Applied Linguistics) By: Nashwan Ali A. U. Nashwan Main Supervisor: Assc . Prof. Murad Ali Alezzani Co-supervisor : Assc . Prof. Ameen Abdullah Almakhlafi

2. A dissertation submitted to the Department of Curricula and Methods of Teaching English, Faculty of Education-Sana'a University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for obtaining Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Linguistics (ELT) SANA’A 2024

3. Statement of the Problem (1) Successful communication between members of the same or different cultures and languages has been a major goal for which great efforts have been recently exerted by the specialists in the field. To achieve such a goal; language does not have to be dealt with as sounds, vocabulary and structures used to deliver messages on a particular subject to achieve (a) particular function(s); however, some other respects have to be taken into consideration such as the appropriateness of the selected words as well as the influence of social and cultural conventions

4. Statement of the Problem (2) Socio-pragmatic competence has to be given the same concern in the academic programs, syllabuses, and the process of teaching and evaluation like other three types of communicative competence (linguistic competence, discourse competence, strategic competence ) AL Hammuri (2011 ) . It is believed by the researcher that Yemeni EFL students find themselves in real troubles when they are involved in communication with a English native speaker or translate a social cultural document into another language . Their linguistic knowledge about English does not help them a lot to understand the exact meaning of the spoken or written texts they face.

5. Statement of the Problem (3) Yemeni EFL students mostly lack pragmatic competence because the current curriculums focus only on promoting students' grammatical competence and ignores the other competences (Al- Sanhani , 2007). Al- r efaee (2014) stresses that Yemeni foreign language teaching does not have to only provide the students with the grammatical knowledge, but it has also to increase their understandability and awareness of the L2 and FL socio-cultural norms and beliefs.

6. Statement of the Problem (4) The problem is still faced despite all the efforts paid by scholars and researchers to handle it. The lack/absence of pragmatic competence creates a big hindrance in the use of language, and results in producing meaningless texts. For this, students resort to their native language rules and native socio-cultural norms ( Alantari , 2016).

7. Statement of the Problem (5) Another fact has been based on in the present study that different cultures result in the use of different linguistic forms. And what is seen to be polite in a particular community might not necessarily be so in another (Al- Eryani , 2007). This, according to the researcher, necessitates conducting socio-pragmatic studies in every single community to explore the sociolinguistic peculiarities of any speech act as well as the similarities and difference of such an SA across-cultures.

8. Statement of the Problem (6) Based on the above-mentioned facts and rationales , the present study tackles the politeness strategies in the speech acts of giving advice employed by Sana'a University EFL students. The study also sheds light on the politeness modifying devices/markers ( intensifying and mitigating devices) used by the students in their advice offered. Moreover, the study highlights the way the use of advice politeness strategies as well as politeness modifying markers is affected by the students' gender and social status.

9. Objectives of the Study (1) It is expected from the present study to accurately and satisfactorily meet the objectives represented in Investigating the politeness strategies used by Sana'a University EFL students , when performing speech act of giving advice, and finding out the way the target participants’ use of politeness strategies as well as politeness modifying markers are affected by the factors of gender & social status. These major objectives are formulated into five minor ones as follows:

10. Objectives of the Study (2) Exploring the types and frequency of advice speech acts employed by Sana'a University EFL students in the twelve situations given to them. Identifying the politeness level of the advice speech act forms employed by the target students. Finding out the politeness modifying devices/markers (intensifying and mitigating markers) the target students employ to perform speech acts of advice.

11. Objectives of the Study (3) Exploring the effect of gender (male – female) on the students' employment of the advice politeness strategies as well as politeness modifying devices. Revealing the way the students' employment of advice politeness strategies and politeness modifying devices are affected by the factor of social status/power (Equal Status, High to Low & Low to High).

12. Questions of the Study (1) It is expected from the present study to answer the following questions: What are the types and frequency of the advice SAs employed by Sana'a University EFL students in the twelve given situations ? What is the politeness level of such advice SA forms ?

13. Questions of the Study (2) What are the politeness modifying devices/markers (intensifying and mitigating devices) employed by the students to perform advice speech acts? How can the use of advice politeness strategies and politeness modifying markers be affected by the gender of the target students (male & female )? How can the target students' use of advice politeness strategies as well as politeness modifying markers be affected by the factor of social status/power?

14. Significance of the Study (1) The significance of the present study comes from the followings: Dealing with a new topic in the field of socio-pragmatics in the Yemeni context. Socio-pragmatic studies form the milestone in achieving the socio-pragmatic competence in communities where language is foreign.

15. Significance of the Study (2) Yemeni students can make use of studies like the present as they can realize that communicative competence cannot be attained if socio-pragmatic competence is lacked . Competent bodies (scientific departments, universities, Ministry of Higher Education, Council of Language Planning, etc.) are in need for the findings of studies like the present, so that they can take suitable academic decisions.

16. Significance of the Study (3) Curriculums developers are in need for the findings of the present study to reflect them on the process of developing and improving curriculums.

17. Limitations of the Study The findings of the present study are generalized and applied to: Yemeni EFL students studying in the fourth level - English Departments – Faculties of Education, Arts and Languages – Sana’a University, during the academic year of 2022 – 2023. The findings are confined to the politeness strategies found in the forms of advice-giving SAs in the Yemeni academic context.

18. Framework of the Study (1) The present study adopts two main models to collect data from the target students, classify and present them. THE FIRST is the classification of politeness/directness strategies based on advice head act (form), developed by Hinkel (1997 ) based on Blum- Kulka et al’s (1989). This model is used to answer the study first and second questions

19. Framework of the Study (2) Hinkel (1997 ), in her classification, has mentioned 11 advice form , and then re-grouped them into three major classifications / categories based on their level of directness, as follows: Imperative, declarative, performative and want statements go under the Direct Level . Softened advice, suggestory questions, impersonals and conditionals go under the Hedged Level . Strong hint and mild hint go under the Indirect Level NOTE : A fourth major classification has been added by Hinkel under the name of ‘ Others’ to include any new forms of advice that may appear across-culturally .

20. Framework of the Study (3) The second adopted model is Mwinyelle's concerning the classification of Advice Modifying Devices / markers into three major categories , under each category there are some divisions . This model is used in the present study to answer the study third question. The three categories of this model are: Internal Modifications Formality Markers External M odifications / Strategies

21. Framework of the Study (4) As for the results of the study fourth and fifth questions (the effects of the factors of Gender and Social Status on the use of advice politeness strategies as well as the modifying markers offered by the target students), a general reference is briefly made to Scollon & Scollon’s (2001) model of face systems which include: Deference Politeness System (- P but + D ) i.e. colleagues who barely know each other Solidarity Politeness System (- P & - D ) i.e. relatives and family members Hierarchical Politeness System (- / + P & - / + D) i.e. Manager & employee / employee & manager

22. Methodology of the Study

23. Type of Study (1) The present study is: Descriptive analytical (since it addresses an existing problem in the Yemeni academic context). A cross-cultural for it investigates English language politeness through advice offered by FL students (Yemeni students). Qualitative & quantitative as data are numerically presented followed by supportive qualitative examples quoted from the data collected from the target participants.

24. Type of Study (2) Socio-pragmatic: it focuses (through the study first second , fourth & fifth questions) on how social cultural conventions and norms reflect on the way language structures and functions are used in different contexts and cultures. Pragma-linguistic: it deals (through the study third question) with the way language structures and linguistic markers/devices are appropriately employed to perform a particular social function in a particular context.

25. Population & Sampling (1) The population of the present study is Sana’a University EFL 4 th level students in the Faculties of Education, Arts & Languages, whose total number is ( 224 ). The sample of the study is ( 98 ) participants, representing 43.7% of the total population ( 49 males & 49 females). The sample was selected using the purposeful criterion-based method ( whoever meets the norms set is selected ). This is because some norms have been set up by the researcher for the nominated participants to avoid external factors threats.

26. Population & Sampling (2) No Department – Faculty No. of Population NO. of the Selected Participants The Representing % of the Sample Male Female 1 Department of English – Faculty of Education (fourth level) 130 17 34 39.2% 2 Department of English – Faculty of Languages (fourth level) 54 20 7 50% 3 Department of English – Faculty of Arts (fourth level) 40 12 8 50% Total 224 49 49 43.7%

27. Data Collecting Instrument (1) Written Discourse Completion Task (WDCT) is the data collecting instrument used in the present study. The WDCT consists of 12 situations , developed in a way that represents various genres and equally meet the threats of the social factors of power (P) , distance (D) and rank of imposition (R ) ( see table 3- 2 ). At the end of each situation, two spaces are left for the participant , one of which for male role play and the other for female, as in the following example:

28. Data Collecting Instrument (2) Your close classmate at university got poor grades in the final examinations and he / she usually liked to have fun and parties, and bring friends along with him/her to the house. You would advise him : ………………………………………….……………………………………… …………………………………………………… advise her : …………………………………………………….……………………………..………………………………………………

29. Validation of Data Instrument The validity of the WDCT was checked by nine validators (professors specialized in the field of English language, particularly, linguistics and socio-pragmatics ( see appendix No. 1 ). The validators were given a validation form ( see appendix No. 2 ) that they were asked to check the suitability of the instrument to the study objectives as well as the structures and meanings of the 12 given situations.

30. Piloting the Instrument The validated data collecting instrument has been carried out to a group of the target population to check the understandability of the instrument. This has helped the researcher a lot in paraphrasing some words and phrases which the students complained about during the process of piloting ( see the final draft of the WDCT in Appendix No. 3 ).

31. Data Coding After administering the WDCT and collecting data from the target participants, it was necessary for the researcher along with the rating team to code such data before the process of rating or correction. The purpose of coding is to change qualitative data into quantitative ( see coding scheme in appendix 4 ).

32. Data Rating (1) The coding scheme followed was handed over to two raters ( see the names and details of raters in appendix 6 ) along with the collected copies of the WDCT. The process of rating took 45 days for the difficulties the raters faced in rating the odd forms of advice produced by the students. Therefore, the rating team was asked to take out the strange forms of advice faced and compile them, so that they can be dealt with latter on .

33. Data Rating (2) After completing the process of rating, the raters were asked to sit together and give new names for such odd forms of advice . This resulted in 13 new forms offered by students in the Yemeni context, the thing which is believed to form novelty for the present study.

34. Reliability of Rating The results of rating process obtained from the raters were computed to prove that the inter-rater value is high ( 0.87 ). This high reliability value, according to the researcher, refers to the accuracy , objectivity and commitment the rating team has shown to the rating scheme during the process of rating.

35. Data Computing The numerical results of the rating process has helped the researcher to have a control over the huge amount of qualitative data collected from the target participants, that they were easily computed, and the statistical results that suit the nature of each of the study objectives were easily obtained. The social Statistical Program of SPSS (version 24) has been used in computing the data.

36. Data Presentation, Analysis & Discussion The results of the study first , second and third questions are presented through the statistical methods of Frequencies , Percentages and Ranks , supported by examples from the data corpus collected. The results of the study fourth question are presented through Independent Sample t-test , Means , Standard Deviation and Mean Difference, supported by examples from the data corpus collected . The results of the study fifth question are presented through ones One-way Anova , Post hoc of Tukey HSD

37. The Most Common Findings (1) Sana'a University EFL students extensively employ three forms of English advice in the Yemeni context, namely, 'obligation declarative advice ' , 'softened advice' and 'imperative advice'. The three forms of advice represent together about two-thirds ( 68% ) of the total number of advice forms employed across the study twelve situations. The remaining percentage ( 32% ) has been taken by advice forms, ordered respectively based on their rank in this way: 'conditional advice ', 'strong hint advice' , ' performative advice' , 'other forms of advice' , 'impersonal advice' , ' suggestory advice' , and finally 'want statement advice' .

38. The Most Common Findings (2) Thirteen new forms of advice have been explored for the first time in the Yemeni context that they have been evaluated and labeled by experts specialized in the field. The most frequently new forms of advice are respectively: 'warning ', 'offering help ', 'expressing oneself' , 'promise ' & 'expressing adviser's final decision ' that they collectively represent about two-thirds ( 72.6% ) of the classification total number ( 160 advice).

39. The Most Common Findings (3) However, the remaining percentage ( 27.7% ) of the newly explored advice forms has been taken by the other eight advice new forms, which are respectively: ‘ flattening and sympathizing advisee', 'supportive talk'; 'avoidance', 'questions', 'showing optimism', 'blaming others', 'insulting or taking revenge by praying for God', and 'cursing others '

40. The Most Common Findings (4) Sana'a University EFL students excessively employ 'direct' forms of advice that their percentage use signifies ( 50.9% ) of the grand total across all the given situations; followed respectively by 'hedged' advice forms ( 35.3% ); whereas the 'indirect ' forms of advice are found to be infrequently employed by the target students ( 8.96% ). As for the newly explored forms of advice (F = 160) , the classification process has shown that about half number of them (48.1% ) are 'hedged ', while the rest percentage equally represents 'direct ' and 'indirect ' strategies .

41. The Most Common Findings (5) The above results shows that the majority of Yemeni EFL students, as members of a collectivistic community , transfer their native cultural and social norms into the target language structures of advice . They do that, especially with interlocutors of equal or lower social status and close distance to them, to express solidarity , in-group feelings , closeness , care and intimacy to the advisee; not the other way around (impoliteness) as has been demonstrated in the individualist western cultures .

42. The Most Common Findings (6) The target students employ more frequently 'Internal Modifying Devices' , particularly the upgraders of 'Obligation Modals ' and 'Intensifiers ' (imperative forms) to show in-group rapport, intimacy, solidarity and care about the advisee's interests. These intensifying devices have been more frequently found in the role play WDCT situations with peer to peer interlocutors (as in situation 1 & 2 ), or the situations where the advisee is of a low social status to the adviser (situations from 5 to 8 ).

43. The Most Common Findings (7) The findings indicate that the target students have shown a remarkable ability in the use of other Internal M itigating D evices ; respectively ranked based on their frequencies in this way: 'Softeners ', 'Conditional Structures ', 'Impersonals ', ' Semi- lexicals ' & Subjectivizers '; however , 'Modals of Possibility ' and 'Suggestive Phrases ' are found to be barely used by the target students.

44. The Most Common Findings (8-A) External Modifications (supportive move strategies) have received the second frequent use ( 27.5% ) across all the study modifying devices collected. 'Grounders ' & 'Disarmers ' (at both advice initial and final positions) are the most frequent external mitigating devices/strategies. However , 'Empathy ' & 'Preparatory ' devices are rarely employed by the target students.

45. The Most Common Findings (8-B) Grounders are employed by the target students to justify advice proposition and provide the advisee with sensible reasons and justifications to increase the likelihood of accepting advice, whereas Disarmers are employed to reduce or eliminate any possible decline of advice proposition by the participants

46. The Most Common Findings (9 - A) As for the external modification category of Formality markers, it has been shown this category has received the least frequent use among the other external categories. In this regard, a considerable number of the target students have shown to use formal titles , alerts and politeness markers when addressing superordinate advisees and sometimes subordinate ones of far distanc e .

47. The Most Common Findings (9 - B) The formality markers have been employeed by the target students even with those who are of equal social power and close distance to the advisee because of the fact that Arabs feel honored and homage when they are addressed by their common titles and nicknames .

48. The Most Common Findings (10) The obtained results have shown that there are not any statistically significant differences between male and female participants in the use of advice politeness strategies of 'direct ', 'hedged ' and 'others '. However, the insignificant Mean Difference value ( -1.286 ) in the use of 'Direct' advice forms, which is in favour of female participants, is interpreted by the fact that Muslim girls’s advice tend to be very short & direct with far distance advisee (strangers).

49. The Most Common Findings (11) On the other hand, it has been revealed that Yemeni EFL female students employ 'indirect ' advice more frequently, than their male counterparts, especially with peer advisee and those of close distance to them . This is also due to the social and religious justification that Yemeni women feel secured and free to communicate with their relatives and close friends , therefore, their advice is prolonged and indirectly performed.

50. The Most Common Findings (12) As for the modifying devices/markers , the findings have shown that female participants outdo males in the use of 'softeners ' and 'impersonal ' devices. This is justified by the female participants' weak personality, hesitation and shyness, particularly when addressing their superiors and distant interlocutors. On the other hand, the male participants outdo their female counterparts in the use of external modifying devices/strategies of 'grounders ' which indicates the ability of the male students to justify and paraphrase their advice proposition to the advisee.

51. The Most Common Findings (13) As for the effect of social status , the findings have shown there are statistically significant difference in the target participants' use of advice politeness strategies of 'Direct ', 'Hedged ' and 'Indirect ' according to the factor of social status. Direct advice forms are extensively employed by Yemeni EFL participants of higher social status (Authority) to establish and maintain a very formal relationship with the advisees under them. The Interlocutors of equal social status and close distance employ also direct advice forms in the Yemeni collectivistic society to show in-group rapport, solidarity, intimacy, and sometimes kinship to each other.

52. The Most Common Findings (14) Furthermore, the participants of a subordinate social status excessively soften and mitigate advice forms (hedged advice), or perform factual and expressive advice implicitly (indirect advice) when addressing their superiors as well as distant peers (strangers) to show deference, homage and formality.

53. The Most Common Findings (15) Regarding the effect of social status factor on the target participants' use of politeness modifying devices, the obtained results have indicated significant differences in ALL politeness modifying categories (Internal Modifications, Formality & External Modifications) . The target advisers of higher social status as well as distant peers extensively employ internal modifying devices of 'Imperative ', 'Obligation Modals ', and sometimes 'Impersonals ' and 'conditionals ' to show formal relationship, deference and professionalism to the addressed advisees.

54. The Most Common Findings (16) Besides, the subordinate advisers employee formal titles, alerts and politeness markers when they offer advice to their superior interlocutors (advisees). The Yemeni EFL subordinate advisers are found to noticeably outdo their counterparts in the use of politeness external modifying devices, namely: 'Grounders ', 'Disarmers ', 'Empathy ' and 'Preparatory '. They do that to justify the proposition of advice offered to the superordinate advisees, convince them and show a kind of mutual understanding and feelings of the advisee's concerns and problems.

55. Recommendations & Pedagogical Implications (1) Based on the obtained findings, the following recommendations & pedagogical implications are recommended: Teaching English as an FL in the Yemeni context should not only be confined to the linguistic structural skills , however, it has also to include pragmatic aspects as well as the socio-cultural norms and values of the target language (English ). This can be achieved through the extensive use of multi-media supported means of teaching such as videos, audio-visual media, etc.

56. Recommendations & Pedagogical Implications (2) The academic competent bodies in Yemen are required to pay much more consideration to the ways and means the students' socio-pragmatic competence is improved in parallel with the other three types of language competences. This requires the inclusion of pragmatic and sociolinguistic items, and functional situational syllabuses in developing and improving academic programs as well as planned syllabuses . English instructors at both universities and schools are highly expected to work on improving the conversational skills of their students along with the other linguistic skills. They are also required to make use of the current technological advances to improve their teaching methods and techniques in the class.

57. Recommendations & Pedagogical Implications (3) It is logically and naturally known for everyone that socio-cultural aspects of a particular language cannot be holistically taught to students in the class, unless subconsciously acquired and experienced by the students themselves. Therefore, Yemeni EFL students are required not to depend on the designated textbooks as well as the materials of the courses they are studying, however, they have to provide for themselves open learning resources which include everyday authentic materials as well as cultural and social aspects/norms of the target language (English) they are studying.

58. Recommendations & Pedagogical Implications (4) A council is recommended to be founded for planning foreign languages in the Yemeni community. The council is expected to perform the usual duties of language planning councils worldwide such as updating academic programs, textbooks and study plans in terms of curriculums, teaching methods and instructional media. The availability of a specialized body for planning foreign languages in the Yemeni community is believed by the researcher to organize the whole process , and that will be positively reflected in the Yemeni FL students' linguistic and socio-pragmatic proficiency.

59. Thanks & Appreciation - 1 The researcher would like to express his sincere thanks and gratitude to those who have been the underlying reason behind this scientific achievement, namely: Associate prof. Murad Ali Alezzani – the main supervisor of the present dissertation Associate prof. Ameen Abdullah Almekhlafi – the co-supervisor of the present dissertation. Prof. Fazee’a Almaslami – the Head of the Department

60. Thanks & Appreciation - 2 Prof. Mohammed Abdo Almekhlafi – Chair of Seminar Committee & a data collecting instrument validator Prof. Ahmed Alquyadi – the first supporter for me to complete my post-graduate studies Dr. Ali Saleh Shaherah – for granting me his valuable time (two lectures) to administer the instrument (WDCT) Assoc. prof. Yahya Almarrani – for validating the instrument. Assoc. Prof. Abdullhameed Alshoja’a – for validating the instrument. Dr. Abdulqader Alsaqaf – for being one of the validators, a rater and a classifier of the obtained data.

61. Thanks & Appreciation - 3 Dr. Najeeb Alantari – one of the validators, a rater and a classifier of the obtained data. Heads of English Departments in the Faculties of Arts & Languages, Sana’a University - for granting me the chance to carry out the instrument to their students. All doctors and people who have offered me different types of support and have been there by my side in critical times I have been through during conducting this study. And for every one I have mentioned above and those whom have not been mentioned, You really deserve much more than ‘Thank you’ but it is the only sincere and precious thing I can at this time offer to you.

62. End of the Presentation