Exploring Speech Acts of Request Among the Speakers of English and Pahari Language: A Cross-Cultural Comparison

Abstract

This paper identifies and contrasts the speech acts of request between native speakers of English and Pahari using a framework based on the Data Completion Task model. Fifteen native speakers of Pahari produced samples that were transcribed in the Pahari script. The results show deep contrasts between the two languages: English users favor indirect forms, which shift emphasis to politeness and minimize imposition, while Pahari users favor more direct forms of request, such as imperative forms. This lack of unconventionally indirect requests among the Pahari speakers and the infrequent use of conventionally indirect expressions suggests that Pahari's communication is straightforward. The comparative analysis there thus explains the cultural as well as the linguistic factors that influence the pragmatics of requests and hence contributes to the observation regarding cross-cultural communication patterns. Moreover, it enhances the English Learning experience for Pahari speakers by providing them indepth insights of pragmatics of English language and facilitating better way in understanding contextually appropriate use of English.