Sociopragmatic transfer in the performance of refusals by Jordanian EFL learners: Evidence and motivating factors

This study investigates pragmatic transfer within the performance of the speech act of refusal by Jordanian EFL learners. Two research questions were proposed by this study. The first question asked whether or not pragmatic transfer from Arabic to English would be evident in the English spoken by Jordanian EFL learners, and the second question addressed the factors that would contribute to motivating such a transfer.; In order to locate evidence of pragmatic transfer, refusal performance data, using a discourse completion test, were elicited from 150 participants divided equally into three groups. The first group was the target group, consisting of Jordanian advanced EFL learners. The second and third groups were reference groups, consisting of Jordanian native speakers of Arabic and American native speakers of English. Data elicited from each group were analyzed by using semantic formulas as unites of analysis.; In order to identify the motivating factors behind pragmatic transfer, semi-structured interviews were conducted with members of the Jordanian EFL group.; With regard to evidence of pragmatic transfer, findings of this study indicated that such a transfer was evident in the refusal responses given by the Jordanian EFL learners in four different areas: in the frequency of the semantic formulas used; in the choice of selecting a semantic formula; in the average number of the semantic formulas used per response; and in the specific content of the semantic formulas used. In each of these areas, Jordanian EFL speakers deviated from the Americans' speech norms and reflected the norms given by their native group as a result of native language/culture influence.; With regard to factors motivating pragmatic transfer, findings suggest that pragmatic transfer is a linguistic phenomenon that comes about as a result of several motivating factors. Based on the interview data, several factors seemed to play a role in motivating pragmatic transfer. These included: learners' love and pride of their native language; political factors which had to do with Arabs' perceptions of westerners in general; religious beliefs; learners' own purpose of learning English; lack of exposure to English native speakers; and linguistic difficulty.