Socio-Pragmatic Variation in Everyday English and Cairene Arabic Refusal Conversations

This study investigates similarities and differences in Cairene Arabic (CA) and American English(AE) refusals, using a modified discourse completion test (DCT) consisting of three requests, three invitations, three offers, and three suggestions. Each situation includes one refusal to a person of higher status, one to a person of equal status, and one to a person of lower status. Interactions were oral. Thirty United States interviews resulted in 358 refusals and 25 Caireene Arabic interviews resulted in 300 refusals. The refusals are categorized by formula and analyzed for order, directness, and frequency of semantic formulas. Results suggest that both groups use similar semantic formulas with similar frequency in making refusals and use a similar number of direct and indirect formulas, although Caireene Arabic interviews used more direct formulas in the equal-status situations. Both groups have similar reasons for refusing. In some situations, however, the order of semantic formulas varies and the American respondents used more expressions of gratitude.