Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
University of Qom
Abstract
While the strategies utilized by bilingual or multilingual learners during the process of acquiring and employing an additional language have been a focal point of extensive research among SLA scholars, interlanguage pragmatics—specifically the application of speech act strategies—has remained underexamined. To address this gap, this study leveraged Cohen and Ishihara’s (2005) Speech Act Strategy Inventory (SASI) to analyze variations in the usage frequency and perceived effectiveness of speech act strategies among 200 Iranian learners of English. The participants included L2 and L3 (Azeri/Persian and Arab/Persian) learners of English of both genders. The results demonstrated that L3 learners exhibited greater proficiency in employing speech act strategies compared to L2 learners. However, no statistically significant distinctions emerged between the two L3 groups in terms of strategy usage frequency or their perceived success in utilizing these strategies. The findings indicate multilinguals often enjoy more effective communication strategies in L2 contexts; however, the findings suggest that the influence of L1 on L2 proficiency might not be as straightforward as previously thought. This highlights the intricate nature of bilingual language acquisition and the importance of considering sociolinguistic factors in bilingualism research.
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