Politeness Strategies Of Refusals By Chinese Learners Of Japanese

This paper examines the differences and similarities in which native Japanese speakers and Chinese advanced leaners of Japanese express their refusals to requests. By applying Politeness Theory proposed by Brown and Levinson (1987), the author attempts to shed light on some of the linguistic characteristics of the ones who refuse. The paper focuses on politeness strategies on refuse as object of analyses, therefore the author collected actual conversations in role play for this study. Participants were advanced learners of Japanese, all of whom had passed Levell of the Japanese Proficiency Test. Then convert audio data into characters. The data of the Chinese learner of Japanese were compared with the data of the native speakers of Japanese in terms of differences in expressing politeness were identified. The results from this study, there are significant differences between native Japanese speakers and Chinese leaners. The learners in China who get the input from textbooks, news that might differ from the real use of the Japanese language. So master right language use is quite difficult for them.As can be seen from the above conclusion, to maintain harmonious interpersonal relationships, Japanese and Chinese learners need to understand the differences between each other on the use of politeness strategies. Chinese learners must study the different relationships and social rules between the Japanese, and should be capable to use different strategies in different circumstances. It is indispensable guidance to instruct such appropriate use on Japanese education.