A Pragmatic Study on Request Behavior in Instant Message: On Characteristics and Validity

Abstract

Instant messaging is a powerful communication tool people use to make a request. This paper analyzes the speech act of making and answering requests in instant messages from a pragmatic approach. The statistics result from 217 original instant messages collected, among which 137 are concerned with the process of “asking” and 80 with “answering”. These messages are analyzed in terms of “directness” and “indirectness”. The result reveals that the degree of directness is differed by illocution, and it is the degree of intimacy that influences the choice of direct and indirect in making a request, while the degree of politeness is mainly influenced by the nature of an event itself. It is hoped that the result of this study will help people better communicate with instant messages domestically and cross-culturally.