Apology strategies in natives/non-natives

Management of children’s offences in Vietnamese contexts: an analysis of children’s social competence

“…So far, the topic of managing offences in interactions has received a special attention from researchers in linguistics, primarily in works relating to speech acts (Deutschmann, 2003;Edmondson, 1981b;Holmes, 1990Holmes, , 1995Olshtain & Cohen 1983;Olshtain & Weinbach, 1993;Owen, 1983;Trosborg, 1987Trosborg, , 1995. According to this approach, the management of offences is often connected to one particular act which is supposed to be a means of identifying and resolving offences, such as an apology or a complaint.…”

“…From a different angle, the offender is the person who feels responsible for an act which merits an apology (Deutschmann, 2003). As a result, they may be the subject of a complaint or criticism (Trosborg, 1987).…”

“…He/she may even choose the solution of denying his responsibility, or blaming someone else or even attacking the complainer (Trosborg, 1987). Among factors that are likely to influence the reaction, Olshtain & Cohen (1983) emphasise that one's own perception of the degree of the severity of the offence is often decisive.…”

“…Olshtain & Cohen, 1983, p.21). When offenders refuse the accusation, they are referred to as complainee, but not apologiser (Trosborg, 1987). Trosborg points out that a complaint is not "always followed by an apology" (p.148) as there is a conflict between two opposite expectations of the offender: on one hand, he/she wants to placate the complainer in order to restore to social harmony.…”

“…If the victim speaks first after the initial offence, he/she may "blame" (Pomerantz, 1978), or "find fault" (Morris, 1998). If the offender speaks first, apart from remedy moves mentioned above, he/she may disclaim responsibility (Dersley & Wootton, 2000), blame someone else or even attack complainers (Trosborg, 1987). In such situations, a complaint sequence may arise and the conversation will be progressed to an antagonistic perspective.…”