A Comparative Study Of Apology Strategies Used By Chinese And American Family Members From The Cross-cultural Perspective

Apology strategies are widely used for fixing interpersonal relationships and maintaining harmonious atmosphere.The use of strategies may be similar or different in various cultures,and the reasons can be explained by Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions Theory.However,few studies have focused on the apology strategies used by family members of different generations in different countries.Therefore,this study is designed to figure out how difference in nations,genders and generations influence family members’ choices of strategy apologies,so as to provide suggestions for cross-cultural communication and English learning.Within the framework of Olshtain’s(1989)classification of apology strategies and Hofstede’s(2010)Cultural Dimensions Theory,four research questions are proposed:first,what are the overall similarities and differences in the use of apology strategies between family members in Home with Kids and in Modern Family?Second,what are the similarities and differences in the use of apology strategies between male and female family members?Third,what are the similarities and differences in the use of apology strategies among the three groups of apologizers with different family relationships to the listeners(older generations to younger generations,younger generations to older generations,and between similar generations)?Last,based on Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions Theory,what are the possible reasons for the findings of the above three questions?There are three steps in research procedures.The first step is to watch the TV series and record the details of the apologies.The second step is to count the occurrences of apology strategies and organize the data in forms of tables.The third step is to compare the data and analyze the discourse.The choices of apology strategies made by Chinese and American family members are compared in general,in terms of genders and in terms of generations.Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions Theory is applied to explain the research findings.The research results are as follows:(1)Direct apology and taking on responsibility are most frequently used by people in both countries,while concern for the listeners is rarely used.Americans use more direct apology,intensifiers and explanations,while Chinese people offer repair,promise forbearance,and minimize mistakes more often.(2)When the two genders in the same country are compared,in China,males more often use strategy of taking on responsibility and minimizing,while females more often directly apologize and offer repair.In the USA,males use direct apology,take on responsibility and offer repair more often,while females employ explanations and intensifiers more frequently.(3)When making comparison among three groups of apologizers with different relations to the listeners,in China,strategy of taking on responsibility is used most frequently by older generations to younger generations,while strategy of showing concerns and minimizing are least used by this group.Explaining and minimizing are most frequently used by younger generations to older generations.Direct apology and strategy of showing concerns are mostly used between family members of similar generations.In the USA,all the groups show similar preferences for direct apology,taking on responsibility,explanation and intensifiers.Minimizing mistakes and showing concerns are most frequently used by older generations.Intensifiers and explanation are mostly used by younger generations.People apologize to the same generations by using the four strategies favored by all the Americans.(4)The above research findings can be explained by different family cultures in China and in the USA.China is a collectivistic society with long-term orientation and large power distance.Chinese family members prefer implicit expressions and harmonious atmosphere,emphasize actions and future progress,and have clear family hierarchy.The USA is an individualistic society with short-term orientation and small power distance.American family members prefer to express thoughts and feelings explicitly,focus on solving current issues,and treat everyone equally.Although both China and the USA are of masculine cultures,there are differences between the cultures of two genders within the same country.Masculine culture stresses power,control and responsibility,while feminine culture is characterized by being gentle,considerate and loving.This thesis has some implications.Theoretically,it investigates the features of the use of apology strategies by different generations of family members.The research findings on Chinese and American families enrich the contents of power distance among different generations in families.Socially,the study tries to provide some guidance for the promotion of interpersonal and cross-cultural communication.Practically,this thesis recommends systematic teaching and learning of apology strategies in the process of foreign language acquisition.