Communication in context: effects of speaker status on the comprehension of indirect requests

Four experiments were conducted to examine how a speaker's status can affect the comprehension of conventional and nonconventional indirect requests. The processing of conventional forms was not affected by the speaker's relative status, and consistent with past research (R. W. Gibbs, 1983), these forms were recognized quickly and without the hearer recognizing and then rejecting the literal meaning of the remark. In contrast, processing of nonconventional forms was affected by speaker status. When the interactants were equal in status, the comprehension of nonconventional forms was time-consuming and involved activation of the remark's literal meaning. This did not occur when the speaker was higher in status than the hearer. Results illustrate the role played by the interpersonal context in the comprehension of certain indirect requests.