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Article published In:
[Applied Pragmatics 5:1] 2023
► pp. 64–85

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Chinese EFL learners’ apology strategies

A multimodal perspective

 | Ocean University of China | Hebei Finance University
 | Ocean University of China
ORCiD logo with link | Ocean University of China
 | Ocean University of China | Idaho State University
Published online: 11 March 2022
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/ap.20021.pei
Abstract
This paper presents a multimodal analysis of apologies performed by Chinese EFL learners at two proficiency levels by considering their use of both verbal and nonverbal (i.e., gestures and gaze) strategies. The results showed that both groups used IFID (illocutionary force indicating device, which, in this study, refers to explicit apology strategies such as Sorry or Forgive me), explanation, and acknowledgment of responsibility strategies frequently, but the high proficiency participants tended to use more diverse IFID sub-strategies. Analysis of gestures also revealed significant between-group differences in the duration and frequency of the use of gestures, with the high proficiency group using more ideographic gestures (gestures which indicate specific meaning or help to express certain meaning, such as emblems, illustrators, and regulators) than their lower proficiency counterparts. Finally, the two groups differed significantly in gaze duration, but not in gaze frequency. These findings suggest that although both groups used nonverbal cues to supplement linguistic strategies of apology, they differed in how they used them. Furthermore, the results highlight the importance of employing a multimodal approach when attempting to gain a more comprehensive understanding of EFL speakers’ use of speech acts.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction: Speech act of apology
  • 2.Literature review: Overview of nonverbal resources
  • 3.Method
    • 3.1Participants
    • 3.2Instrument: Role-play
    • 3.3Data collection
    • 3.4Data analysis
  • 4.Results
    • 4.1Linguistic strategies of apology
    • 4.2Nonverbal resources
      • 4.2.1Gestures
      • 4.2.2Gaze
    • 4.3Discussion
  • 5.Conclusion and implications of the study
  • Acknowledgments
  • References
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