Apology Strategies In Dongxiang Minority Language And Lanzhou Dialect:a Cross-Cultural Pragmatics Study

The present study examined apology strategies in Dongxiang minority language (DML) and Lanzhou dialect (LD) based on the Cross-Cultural Speech Act Realization Project (CCSARP) conducted by Blum-Kulka et al.(1989). This study is potentially significant because it enriches the field of cross-cultural pragmatics study since there is relatively little information available about cultural differences in apology between DML and LD. Besides, the significance originates from the fact that DML is one of the endangered languages all over the world.This research involved quantitative and qualitative analyses in terms of apology strategies. Interviews, video recordings, role plays and questionnaires constituted the whole research. The participants were randomly selected from the local Dongxiang natives and Lanzhou dialect speakers residing respectively in Dongxiang Autonomous County and in Gaolan County in Gansu Province, China. Both DML and LD participants formed the two groups of the study. The final stage of the questionnaire survey involved260participants aged from18to30in each group.The study investigates the apology strategies employed in various social situations by the speakers of DML and LD. It sheds light on the cultural differences that affect language users" attempt to perform speech acts. The three specific aspects of the study includes:the effects of gender difference on Dongxiang speakers’ apology strategies,the effects of the severity of offence on Dongxiang speakers" apology strategies, and the apology strategy contrast between DML and LD speakers.The study findings reveal that gender difference and the severity of offence affected the apology strategies of Dongxiang participants. For instance, Dongxiang young males employ the strategy of "Offer" more frequently than young females; but they use the strategy of "Explanation"’ less frequently than females. Besides, the severity of offence affects the selection of some apology strategies of Dongxiang participants in certain situations. For example, they choose more strategies of "Explanation" when the offence is less serious; while the severity of offence plays no effect on Dongxiang participants’selection of "Offer", which is affected by the specific situations where the apologizer has caused some repairable harm. Moreover, both similarities and differences are found in the use of apology strategies of Dongxiang and Lanzhou participants. Similarities involves the most common strategy——"Indirect Apology". Differences are also found in the frequency and the sequential position of the apology strategies in the study model. For instance, Dongxiang females tend to use the strategy of "Offer" less frequently but use the strategy of "Explanation" more frequently than Lanzhou females.The differences and similarities between the DML and LD apology speech acts were attributed to the historical, social, cultural factors, which were discussed in the last part of the thesis.