Apology Strategies Used by Native Speakers of Kabyle

Abstract

The present study investigates the strategies of apology used by 30 native speakers of Kabyle (15 males and 15 females) living in Bejaia city, Algeria. The data were collected through the use of a written discourse completion task (WDCT) consisting of nine hypothetical scenarios. The results of the study showed that Kabyles used different types of strategies. Illocutionary force indicating devices (IFIDs) were the most frequently used strategy. Concern for the hearer, however, was the least frequently used strategy. Moreover, new strategies appeared in the Kabyle data. Examples of these include asking the hearer not to be angry, requests for patience, religious wishes and minimizing the degree of the offense. These semantic formulas are culture-specific. Furthermore, the findings of the study indicated that there were differences in the total number of strategies employed according to the social status of the interlocutor and in the choice of some apology strategies.