Gender Distinction in Refusal Face-saving Strategies: A Case of English-majored Students at a University in Vietnam

Abstract

The current study is aimed at investigating refusal face-saving strategies employed by English majors at Thủ Dầu Một University (TDMU) and exploring possible gender distinctions in refusal strategies. The Discourse Completion Task (DCT) concerning 10 refusal situations of invitations and requests was employed as the research instrument. The 120 participants were made up of 60 males and 60 females, resulting in approximately 1,200 speech acts of refusal (SARs). To identify face-saving strategies used by learners of English as a foreign language (EFL), quantitative data was processed and classified according to the refusal strategies used in selected situations based on the framework suggested by Beebe et al (1990). The findings show that expressing regret and giving excuses or explanations are among the preferred formulas used in SARs, thus reflecting students’ reluctance to express their disinclination to comply. The adoption of these formulae indicates the influence of Vietnamese culture in respondents’ realizations of refusals in English. From the survey results, several pedagogical recommendations were made for second language instruction in general and for English language teaching and learning at TDMU in particular.