WAYS OF ACCEPTING INVITATIONS BY PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT GENDERS Our study aims at studying the ways of accepting invitations used by the English. This study shows different ways of expressing acceptance of invitations between male and female to help English learners use them effectively. The research data are collected by means of English novels and stories. After selecting samples carefully, we choose 160 samples of accepting invitation in English. With the modest amount of informants, we do not dare to bring out the unframed conclusion; we only make comments on our topic. The methods that are used in this study are mainly the quantitative and qualitative approaches. Data were analyzed with discussion and the manual counting. Frequencies were counted and expressed as percentages. The data are collected randomly and has been carried out in an objective manner.
THE UNIVERSITY OF DANANG COLLEGE OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH WAYS OF ACCEPTING INVITATIONS BY PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT GENDERS Supervisor : Luu Quy Khuong Class : 05SPA02 Group : Le Thi Hien Nguyen Thi Luu Phan Thi Thu Nguyet Pham Thi Phu Thuong Danang, 12/2008 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Firstly, our group would like to express our deepest gratitude to our writing teacher, Mr Luu Quy Khuong, who has given us clear instructions and helpful answers to our curious questions Secondly, we are also grateful to our classmates for their help and suggestions Finally, we take pride in themselves because of learning how to work in group, how to share information and how to sympathize with each other ABSTRACT Our study aims at studying the ways of accepting invitations used by the English This study shows different ways of expressing acceptance of invitations between male and female to help English learners use them effectively The research data are collected by means of English novels and stories After selecting samples carefully, we choose 160 samples of accepting invitation in English With the modest amount of informants, we not dare to bring out the unframed conclusion; we only make comments on our topic The methods that are used in this study are mainly the quantitative and qualitative approaches Data were analyzed with discussion and the manual counting Frequencies were counted and expressed as percentages The data are collected randomly and has been carried out in an objective manner OUTLINE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ABSTRACT CONTENT LIST OF TABLES CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION Rationale Aims and objectives Scope of the study The research questions Research methodology Data collection and analysis Research design CHAPTER 2: REVIEW OF LITERATURE Review of previous studies Theoretical background 2.1 Theory of speech act 2.2 Definition of invitations and acceptance of invitations in English 2.3 Theory of politeness CHAPTER 3: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION Defining properties of acceptance of invitations Classifying acceptance of invitations based on genders Establishing acceptance of invitations CHAPTER 4: CONCLUSION Summary and Conclusions Limitations Suggestions in developing learners’ speaking skills Recommendation for further research BIBLIOGRAPHY REFERENCES APPENDIX APPENDIX LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Using directness and indirectness as seen from male invitees Table 2: Using directness and indirectness as seen from female invitees Table 3: Using directness and indirectness as seen from informants’ genders in acceptance of invitations in English CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION Rationale: Invitation is one of popular functions of language in everyday conversation and plays an essential role in human beings’ communicative life People use invitations for various purposes: establishing, maintaining, improving their relationship or only for saving face and so forth However, invitation is just a part of conversations or polite questions, which always look forward to answers “yes” To create perfect conversations, acceptance of invitations is frequently expected Nevertheless, acceptance of invitations is not simple as an agreement but an art According to sexes, people have their own different ways of expressing acceptance of invitations What are therefore properties of acceptance of invitations? Temporarily, what are the differences in accepting invitations between male and female? In an attempt to answer these questions, this research paper concentrates on studying properties of acceptance of invitations as well as their socioparagmatic functions In addition, to find the differences in making acceptance of invitation among genders, a comparison between female and male acceptance of invitations is carried out We hope that our research named “Ways of accepting invitations by people of different genders in English” will make a worthy contribution to the development of English learners’ speaking skills, especially in situations relating to accepting invitation Aims and objectives: - Aim: To help English learners distinguish the different ways of accepting invitations in English To help English learners realize the differences in accepting invitations of two genders in English Objectives: - To present properties of acceptance in English conversation To classify acceptance of invitations To find out the differences in accepting invitations of different genders in English Scope of the study: Because of the limited ability and time, the study just focuses on ways of accepting invitations of different genders in English stories and novels, not daily conversation The research questions: What are properties of acceptance of invitations? What are differences in ways of accepting invitations between male and female? Research methodology: The first step _ collecting materials and data: concepts, definitions, viewpoints and samples are collected from a lot of kinds of books, novels and stories The second step_ analyzing data: collected samples of acceptance of invitations are analyzed and classified The third step_ discussing problems: differences in making acceptance of invitation are discussed Data collection and analysis: This study based on the materials, which are collected from many sources We carried out looking for all the samples in a long time from novels, short stories in books and on websites It takes the research group less time to gather the information Then, 160 samples are analyzed and interpreted in the light of research objectives The data will be analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively to show the difference in accepting invitations of two genders in English Research design: Our study is firstly based on quantitative method to analyze and classify acceptance of invitations Secondly, comparison method is used to find out differences in direct and indirect acceptance of invitation CHAPTER 2: REVIEW OF LITERATURE Review of previous study: In the past, there were some valuable materials and writing related to invitations in English These studies provide a body of information which will be of interest to us who work in the fields of acceptance of invitations in English Here is a description of what was done in the past by the writers in English and Vietnamese + The study of Chu Thi Thanh Tam (1995) [1] was a first experiment to put the aims, methods, strategies of the conversational research in Western linguistics into the conversational research in Vietnamese The paper gives us a specific definition of inviting act + In the paper of Truong Thi Anh Tuyet (2003) [2], she discussed caus es of Cross-Cultural Pragmatic Failure of Invitations in English and Vietnamese The study has well-done tables and figures that we can have a look at and consult + In the study of Luu Quy Khuong (2005) [3], he investigates indirect acceptance of invitations in English and Vietnamese to enhance the effectiveness of teaching, learning and translating this kind of speech act The research provides us with a significant definition of acceptance of invitation + In the research of Do Thi Chau Loan (2003) [4], she disputes similarities and differences in making a genuine invitation in conversations between English and Vietnamese culture The paper supplies us for an obvious outline and helpful theory of speech act so that we can perfect our research In conclusion, each of these studies above has it own advantages as well as certain limitations However, what we can learn from these studies is considerable They are all theories of invitations, acceptances and refusal Thanks to them, we have general ideas about acceptance - the topic of this research proposal Theoretical background: 2.1 Theory of speech act: 2.1.1 The notion of speech acts: When a person utters a sequence of words, the speakers are often trying to achieve some effects with those words; an effect which in some cases have been might accomplished by an alternative action According to Sinclair and Coulthar, speech act is an utterance described in terms of its function In other words, speech acts are simply things people through language Bach in Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy Entry stated that speech acts, in general, are acts of communication To communicate is to express a certain attitude, and the type of speech act being performed corresponds to the type of attitude being expressed Learners of all languages tend to have difficulties understanding the intended meaning communicated by a speech act, or producing a speech act using appropriate language and manner in the language being learned Learning and understanding speech act can help learners to improve their performance of speech acts and thus their interaction with native speakers - 2.1.2 Types of Speech Acts: According to Bach and Harnish, there are four major categories of communicative illocutionary acts: Constatives Directives Commissives Acknowledgements Basing on the classification of speech acts of Bach and Harnish and Searle, speech act of accepting invitations belongs to acknowledgements According to them, acknowledgements are apologizing, condoling, congratulating, greeting, thanking and accepting 2.1.3 Direct, Indirect and Non-literal Speech Acts: According to Austin (1969) [5], the content of an illocutionary act (what is said) is not always determined by what is meant by the sentence Moreover, what is said does not determine the illocutionary act(s) being performed We can perform a speech act directly or indirectly, by way of performing another speech act, literally or non-literally, depending on how we are using our words and explicitly or inexplicitly, depending on whether we fully spell out what we mean Direct and indirect speech acts concern the relation between the utterance and the speech act thereby performed Direct speech acts are the acts are expressed overtly by the most obvious linguistic means Direct speech acts have the same illocutionary force as the literal reading of the sentence (no hidden intension) Indirect speech acts are ones possess the syntactic structure more usually associated with another acts In indirect speech acts, the intended meaning is not the same as its literal meaning In the case of non-literal utterances, we not mean what our words mean but something else instead With nonliterality, the illocutionary act we are performing is not the one that would be predicted just from the meanings of the words being used Occasionally, utterances are both non-literal and indirect Indirect speech acts are considered to be more polite ways of performing certain speech act Indirect speech acts are generally associated with greater politeness in English than direct speech acts (Yule) [9] 2.2 Definition of invitations and acceptance of invitations in English: Inviting act is one of the acts that express directive attitude politely Invitation can show the speakers’ different levels of politeness It is a polite utterance, which urges someone to work out This act is benefit to the speaker and the hearer Invitation is an utterance that presents friendly, polite, honorable, hospitable attitude of the speaker Acceptance, according to Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary [10] is the act of accepting a gift, an invitation, an offer, etc 2.3 Theory of politeness: 2.2.1 Face: 2.2.1.1 Face – Only view: According to Kasper (1997) [7], face is considered as the public selfimage that every member wants to claim for himself (i.e face as social – psychological notion with emphasis on individuals’ self-generated protection of their persona) In this notion of face, politeness is seen as an activity serving to enhance, maintain, or to protect the face (Brown & Levinson, 1978, 1987) [6] 2.2.1.2 Face and Place view: Face is seen as a public rather than personal property, on loan from society rather than an unalienable possession and a negotiable outcome of social interaction (Goffman: 1967, Aston: 1988) 2.2.1.3 Positive Face: Positive face is people’s want that their goals, possessions, and achievements be ratified, understood, approved of, a liked, or admired (Kasper, 1997) According to Goffman (1967), positive face is the want to be thought of as a desirable human being Brown and Levinson (1987) state that positive face refer to the positive self-image that people