FORMULAIC EXPRESSIONS

OF THANKING AND
REFUSAL
Cultural Linguistics
Pilipović Aleksandra
Formulaic expressions...
• What are formulaic expressions?
• A fairly young field of study
• Multiple definitions and categorizations... BUT
• Wray and Perkins (2000): a sequence, continuous or discontinuous, of words or other meaning
elements, which is, or operates to be, prefabricated; that is, stored and retrieved whole from memory
at the time of use, rather than being subject to generation or analysis by the language grammar.
• Culturally conditioned
Aims...
• 1. To compare and establish similarities and differences between NSS (native speakers of
Serbian) and NSE (native speakers of English) when it comes to their production and usage of
formulaic expressions.

• 2. To establish whether and to what extent native language influences L2 communication in

EFL learners.

• 3. To analyze the formulaic expressions used by all three groups of speakers/participants.

Theoretical background...
• 1. Austin (1962) and Searle (1969) – Speech Act Theory
• 2. Brown and Levinson (1987) – FTAs
• 3. Yule (1996) – Pragmatics
• 4. Wray and Perkins (2000) – definition of formulaic expressions
• 5. Zavialova (2015) – criteria for identifying thanking/refusal formulaic expressions
• 6. Sharifian (2017) – Cultural Linguistics
 Zavialova’s criteria...
Criteria for identifying thanking FEs Criteria for identifying refusal FEs

1. Recurrent formulaic expressions used for specific Recurrent formulaic expressions used for specific
pragmatic purposes (e.g. Thank you so much for + pragmatic purposes (e.g. Unfortunately, I can’t make it)
doing something)

2. Greater length or complexity (e.g. Let me know if Greater length or complexity (e.g. I wish I could’ve
I can do anything for you) made it)
3. Formulaic expressions that frequently occurred Formulaic expressions that frequently occurred but did
but did not explicitly perform thanking function not explicitly perform refusal function (e.g. Thanks so
(e.g. I’m honoured) much, Look forward to )
4. Semantic irregularity close to idioms or metaphors /
(e.g. I really owe you one)
Methodology...
• Participants: each group 150 participants; NSS, NSE, and EFL learners; male and female;
between the ages of 22-65
• Situations: based on Zavialova (2015); rejecting a friend’s invitation (S=H), rejecting sale’s offer
(S=H), refusing manager’s request (S<H), responding to compliment (thanking) (S=H), thanking
colleague for a favor (S=H), and thanking your manager (S<H)
• Questionnaire: a written discourse-completion – online google forms questionnaire
• Marking...
• Calculating: type and token counts
Expectations...
• Negative transfer will be present in EFL learner’s production of thanking and refusal
formulaic expressions – there was not much exposure to authentic material – pragmatic
competence
• Difference in production: e.g. refusals – Serbian speakers use promise of future acceptance,
English speakers use expression of negative ability (I won’t be able to make it), examples:
• regret+reason+promise of future acceptance – Serbian speakers
• regret+expression of negative ability+reason – English speakers
Further research...
• 1. Investigate the semantic formulas being used by all three groups of participants and
determine the most common ones.
• 2. What else apart from introduction of authentic material can be done in an ESL classroom to
improve pragmatic competence/cultural competence?
• 3. Are Serbian speakers closer in their production to American or British English speakers?
• 4. Investigate whether and to what extent bilinguals/multilinguals (from birth) possess two or
more cultural scripts or is negative transfer still present.