Apologies in Arabic and English: A Cross-Cultural Study

This study examines the apology strategies found in the speech of well-educated native Ammani Arabic speakers (Jordanian Arabic speakers) and native Mancunian English speakers (British English speakers). The study also attempts to examine Brown and Levinson's view which assumes that strategies of politeness are universal across all cultures. A discourse completion test containing a variety of scenarios requiring an apology of varying degrees of severity is administered to a sample of sixty participants, divided equally between Ammanis and Mancunians. The study shows that there are no significant differences between the two groups of participants due to culture except in two strategies, namely, concern for hearer and taking on responsibility (explicit self-blame). The British Mancunians significantly outperformed Jordanian Arabic speakers in their use of these strategies, indicating that Mancunians had more preference for using these strategies than Jordanian Arabic speakers. The study concludes with some implications for EFL teachers and syllabus designers.