LINGUIST List 13.794

Mon Mar 25 2002

Books: Pragmatics:Request Patterns in Chinese & German

Editor for this issue: Naomi Ogasawara <naomilinguistlist.org>

Directory

1. LINCOM EUROPA, Request Patterns in Chinese and German by Wei Hong

Request Patterns in Chinese and German
A Cross-cultural Study 

WEI HONG
Purdue University

The main objective of this book is to study request patterns of
Chinese and German with respect to various cultural and social values.
The data collected from Chinese and German native speakers were used
to study similarities and differences in realization patterns of
requests across Chinese and German under relatively similar social
constraints. The effects of social variables such as distance, power
and familiarity on the realization patterns of requests within Chinese
and German were also examined and evaluated. The research was
conducted by applying speech act theory as well as pragmatic and
sociolinguistic analyses to request patterns in Chinese and German.
The most general finding is that German requests have higher levels of
directness and lower levels of politeness, and Chinese ones have lower
levels of directness and higher levels of politeness. A comparison of
the data obtained from the questionnaire with those from previous
studies shows a minor difference in stressing what factors are among
the most significant ones in affecting people's rpequest patterns. It
is suggested in this research that CULTURE be stressed as equally
important as social distance and power, since many differences in
request patterns are due to cultural factors. This research found as
well that within German and Chinese, social and situational factors
are among the most important factors in determining one's choice of
request patterns. The findings of this study contribute directly to
the analysis of request patterns in pragmatics. Furthermore, the
results will enrich the cross-cultural study on requests by adding the
Chinese language, which has not been studied by most of the major
cross-cultural studies.

ISBN 3 929075 99 7. 
LINCOM Studies in Pragmatics 01. 
100 pp. USD 48.80 / EUR 41.70 / � 29.70.

New: A Students' and course discount of 40% is offered to the above
 title. 

Ordering information for individuals: Please give us your creditcard
no. / expiry date. Prices in this information include shipment
worldwide by airmail. A standing order for this series is available
with special discounts offered to individual subscribers.

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