Intimacy and Gender in Expressing Gratitude in L2

Abstract

This study examines how Korean learners of English perform the speech act of ‘gratitude’ according to the variables of intimacy and gender. In a contrastive analytic framework, their behaviors are cross-examined against Korean native and English native speakers in terms of their choice of strategies and uses of politeness markers. The data have been obtained from 43 Americans and 91 Koreans assigned to three groups: English native speakers, Korean learners of English, and Korean native speakers. A discourse completion test and a subsequent interview revealed Korean learners of English showed a similar pattern as Korean native speakers in the uses of politeness markers to emphasize their thanking by intimacy levels. However, the way in which they deal with gender in English was divergent not only from American but also from Korean. They depended on the strategy of compliment while performing the speech act of gratitude, and were inclined to use negative politeness strategies, similar to the Korean language group. Korean EFL textbooks and classrooms, therefore, need to include not only more diverse contexts in which ‘gratitude’ is necessary, but also the ways in which the English speech act is performed in a culturally appropriate manner.