Analysis of English Refusal and Request Strategies by Native Speakers and Bahrainis in the Workplace

Abstract

This study compares the request and refusal strategies used by native English speakers and Bahraini employees. Politeness was examined with reference to Brown and Levinson (1987) and Matsumoto (1989), and formality was assessed following Li et al. (2015), Ernestus et al. (2015), and Jassim and Nimehchisalem (2016). Data were collected through a modified Discourse Completion Test comprising request and refusal scenarios across four workplace status relations: equal, higher, lower and unfamiliar. Participants included 13 Bahraini and 11 native-speaker employees. Findings show that native speakers employed more directness and politeness in requests when holding a higher status, while Bahrainis were more direct and less formal with unfamiliar colleagues. In refusals, native speakers used higher levels of directness, politeness and formality across most status contexts. Overall, the results highlight significant cross-cultural differences, particularly in the role of hierarchy. The study recommends integrating explicit instruction on speech acts—especially requests and refusals—into English training for Bahraini employees.