Disagreement

This chapter will consider research findings related to the speech act of disagreement with the aim of supporting students in developing effective strategies to improve both receptive and productive skills in this area. Although some communicative behaviours may be effective in both the first language and the second language, students who carry over an inappropriate strategy run the risk of an unexpected reaction, including situations in which their intention to disagree will not be noted (Beebe & Takahashi, 1989a). This section will focus upon practical ways to raise students’ awareness of strategies for disagreement in English, and provide support for the use of mitigating expressions appropriate in various communicative situations.