| Abstract This study is an investigation of the similarities and differences of the realization ofapology between Chinese L2ers and native English speakers. One hundred andthirty-seven respondents'responses are analyzed in this study. The data is collected viaa questionnaire in the form of discourse completion test (DCT). There are eightsituations in the questionnaire based on the DCT by Cohen and Olshtain. Each responseis collected and analyzed by the researchers. SPSS 17.0 is applied to perform ANOVAand post hoc test. This thesis aims to find the answers of the following questions:(1) What are the apology strategies employed by Chinese L2ers and native Englishspeakers respectively? Are there any differences and similarities between them?(2) Are there any differences in the English realization of apology by Chinese L2ers andnative English speakers?(3) Is there any pragmatic transfer in the English realization of apology demonstratedby Chinese L2ers?(4) If there is any negative pragmatic transfer from Chinese to English, how to avoid itand how can Chinese L2ers improve their pragmatic competence? The finding reveals that there are no significant differences in the strategyselection. In other words, in different culture, apology will be realized in a very similarway given the same contextual features and the same level of offence. The findingfurther indicates that the main difference is the inappropriate and incorrect use ofapology by L2ers, which means that pragmatic failure occurs and negative transferappear quite often. This research has some implications for EFL learning and teaching in China aswell as the study of intercultural communication and is helpful in how to improve thelearners'pragmatic competence. Furthermore, this dissertation also provides a numberof relevant suggestions for further research.Key words:speech act of apology; apology strategy; pragmatic transfer; pragmatic failure...
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