A comparative study between linguistic expression produced by Korean native speakers and Thai native speakers in refusal speech act : Based on refusal speech act to an invitation

This paper compares and analyzes the refusal speech act strategies and their associated linguistic expressions among Korean Native Speakers (KNSs) and Thai Native Speakers (TNSs). A Discourse Completion Task (DCT) was conducted to gather data from two groups, each comprising 20 KNSs and 20 TNSs, to explore the similarities and differences in their use of refusal strategies. The DCT included six scenarios involving varying degrees of social hierarchy and intimacy.The key findings are as follows: Firstly, there is a statistically significant relationship (p < 0.05) between the use of indirect refusal strategies and the participants' nationalities, as well as between additional expressions and nationalities. Specifically, KNSs tend to use more indirect refusals, such as offering alternatives and making promises, while TNSs favor additional expressions, such as calling, congratulating, or offering blessings. Secondly, regarding linguistic expressions, both KNSs and TNSs exhibit differences in their choice of terms when employing strategies like offering alternatives or making promises. These choices depend on the level of intimacy, with speakers opting for either specific or unspecific time references. Thirdly cultural differences in linguistic expressions were also observed. TNSs often use expressions like /pʰɔː.diː/ to highlight incidental situations when giving reasons for refusal, whereas KNSs frequently employ expressions like /kʌt̚.kat̚.t̕a/ to obscure the clarity of their refusal. This analysis provides insight into how cultural and linguistic factors influence refusal strategies in Korean and Thai contexts.