A study on refusal speech acts in American English and Uzbek within drama scripts: An analysis of cross-cultural pragmatics

초록

This study investigates the pragmatic strategies of refusals in American English (AE) and Uzbek (UZB) through a cross-cultural lens. By using drama scripts as genuine, context-rich data sources to investigate refusal techniques in Uzbek and American English, this study makes a groundbreaking addition to cross-cultural pragmatics. Drama scripts offer naturally occurring discourse embedded in social and emotional situations, in contrast to traditional Discourse Completion Tasks (DCTs), which elicit isolated responses in hypothetical circumstances. Through the use of Beebe et al.'s taxonomy to analyze 260 refusal instances, the study shows how indirectness and sociolinguistic factors like status and gender influence pragmatic decisions in addition to revealing culturally unique patterns in the deployment of semantic formulas. The findings reveal that indirect strategies are the most frequently employed in both languages, with notable variations in preference order depending on status and gender dynamics. While AE speakers tend to use non-performative strategies more often, UZB speakers favor excuse-reason-explanation (ERE) formulas. The study also highlights the influence of cultural norms on refusal behavior and offers pedagogical implications for language instruction and intercultural competence. By utilizing drama scripts as natural data, this research contributes to a deeper understanding of pragmatic variation and enhances the teaching of formulaic language in cross-cultural contexts.

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