| The act of apologizing is very complex and fraught with hazards, especially for second language learners. An apologizer who fails to communicate the appropriate attitudes and intentions may be perceived as unapologetic, or perhaps worse. Even though the full context surrounding an apology is vital to evaluating its appropriateness, much of the research into this area has given only cursory attention to context.; This study is an attempt to understand how context affects the perceived appropriateness of apologies by varying the amount of context given to informants. Three apology scenes from the popular television show Party of Five formed the basis for three instruments: a written questionnaire with just the transcript of the dialogue from the scenes, a short video instrument in which just the scene around the apology was shown, and a long video instrument in which more of the situational context was included. The three instruments were given to three separate groups of informants who evaluated the appropriateness of each apology on a numerical scale. An additional group of informants were given each of the three instruments and then interviewed individually.; Theoretically, I worked within the perspective of speech act theory and sociocultural theory, incorporating many of the other ideas currently grouped under sociolinguistics. While I used a mixed-methodology in this study, my primary research approach was socio-constructivist, in which the participants' insights are given preeminence in analyzing data.; This study shows not only the need to increase the amount of context included in research instruments, but also the need to recognize the fact that meaning is constructed in each unique situation. Finally, a new model is needed for understanding how the various elements of apologies work together to be perceived as appropriate. |
