A Socio-Pragmatic Study of Speech Act of Criticism In Algerian Arabic.

Abstract

This study intends to investigate the various ways by the means of which members of Tiaret’s speech community express their speech act of criticizing, as well as the various elements that influence this speech act. The data were collected from one hundred EFL master students who were asked to answer twelve hypothetical situations, and from 5 EFL teachers. The data were analyzed using Nguyen’s classification (2005). The results of the study revealed that EFL master students use both direct and indirect criticing strategies. The use of these strategies depends on the power relation between interlocutors and the social distance between them. The results indicated that the more power a sender has over a receiver, and the more social distance between the two, the more indirect criticizing strategies are used. Whereas, the less power a receiver has over a sender and the less social distance between the two, the more direct criticizing strategies are used. The study ends with some recommendations.