英文摘要 |
Pragmatic necessity derived from globalness has led to the practice of business English communication. Among different types of business communication, meeting skills have been a key area for professionals to develop. Previous studies have shown that meeting skills have been challenging for non-native professionals. Among a variety of meetings-related skills, the act of interrupting is difficult for non-native professionals to perform because of its inherently face-threatening nature and the practice of politeness strategies. Politeness strategy use in challenging meeting skills from EFL learners' perspectives is rarely addressed. Thus, the study investigates the main purposes of interrupting and politeness strategies used during situated meetings conducted by EFL university learners. The spoken data collected from 52 participants with English ability at level B2-C1 of the CEFR was analyzed based on Brown and Levinson's politeness theory. The results reveal that both intrusive and cooperative interruptions emerged, for the purposes of showing disagreements, taking the floor, making positive comments, and clarifying for confirmation and repetition. Negative politeness was most commonly used across different purposes of interruptions. The use of output strategies varied. Avoiding disagreements and apology were frequently adopted in interrupting for showing disagreements. Questions and hedges had the highest level of frequency in interrupting for taking the floor. Apology was a common strategy employed in interrupting for clarification. The participants tended to notice and attend to hearers in interrupting for making positive comments. Pedagogical implications were drawn based on the results. |