Anticipating Directness Strategies in Requests by Moroccan and Norwegian Speakers of English

Abstract

Based on Brown and Levinson’s Weightiness Formula of face-threatening acts, this study investigates the feasibility of anticipating the degree of (in)directness used by ESL and EFL speakers when making requests in critical incidents. Furthermore, the study also compares the similarities and differences in (in)directness strategies between Moroccans and Norwegians when requesting in English. To meet these objectives, 30 Moroccan and 30 Norwegian English speakers completed an open-ended Written Discourse Completion Task. The request situations were analyzed using Brown and Levinson’s (1987) weightiness formula, whereas the requests were categorized based on Blum-Kulka’s (1984) requesting categories. The findings reveal that it is not possible to predict (in)directness when requesting in critical incidents. The analysis also suggests that Norwegian ESL speakers tend to make more indirect requests than Moroccan EFL speakers in critical incidents. By highlighting these variations, the study provides valuable insights into the impact of linguistic and cultural backgrounds on (in)directness strategies.