1887
Volume 6, Issue 2
  • ISSN 2213-1272
  • E-ISSN: 2213-1280
USD
Buy:$35.00 + Taxes

Abstract

Abstract

This chapter analyzes conflict discourse between domestic partners/couples. The interactions, recorded in Rosario, Uruguay, were part of a larger study on the refusal behavior of Uruguayan women in various spheres of life (domains). From this corpus, 41 refusal sequences were extracted in which a female participant rejected or refused her male partner in some respect (e.g. request, offer, suggestion). Refusal sequences found in couples talk positively correlated with aggravating moves and the use of upgraders, and negatively with mitigating moves and the use of downgraders. These results are discussed in terms of Wolfson’s (1988) Bulge theory of social distance.

Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1075/jlac.00013.kai
2018-11-26
2025-04-19
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

References

  1. Alberts, Janet
    1990 “The Use of Humor in Managing Couples’ Conflict Interactions.” InIntimates in Conflict: A Communication Perspective, edited byDudley Cahn, 105–120. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
    [Google Scholar]
  2. Allami, Hamid, and Amin Naeimi
    2011 “A Cross-Linguistic Study of Refusals: An Analysis of Pragmatic Competence Development in Iranian EFL Learners.” Journal of Pragmatics43: 385–406. 10.1016/j.pragma.2010.07.010
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2010.07.010 [Google Scholar]
  3. Amaral, Patrícia, and Ana Maria Carvalho
    (eds) 2014Portuguese-Spanish Interfaces: Diachrony, Synchrony, and Contact. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins. 10.1075/ihll.1
    https://doi.org/10.1075/ihll.1 [Google Scholar]
  4. Austin, John
    1962How to Do Things with Words. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  5. Beebe, Leslie, and Martha Clark Cummings
    1996 “Natural Speech Act Data Versus Written Questionnaire Data: How Data Collection Method Affects Speech Act Performance.” InSpeech Acts Across Cultures: Challenges to Communication in a Second Language. Berlin, edited bySusan Gass, and Neu Joyce, 65–86. Mouton de Gruyter.
    [Google Scholar]
  6. Beebe, Leslie, Tomoko Takahashi, and Robin Uliss-Weltz
    1990 “Pragmatic Transfer in ESL Refusals.” InDeveloping Communicative Competence in a Second Language, edited byRobin Scarcella, Elaine Andersen, and Stephen Krashen, 55–73. New York: Newbury House.
    [Google Scholar]
  7. Bella, Spyridoula
    2011 “Mitigation and Politeness in Greek Invitation Refusals: Effects of Length of Residence in the Target Community and Intensity of Interaciton on Non-Native Speakers’ Performance.” Journal of Pragmatics43: 1718–1740. 10.1016/j.pragma.2010.11.005
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2010.11.005 [Google Scholar]
  8. Bernard, H. Russell, and Gery W. Ryan
    2010Analyzing Qualitative Data. Los Angeles: SAGE Publications, Inc.
    [Google Scholar]
  9. Blum-Kulka, Shoshana, Juliane House, and Gabriele Kasper
    (eds) 1989Cross-Cultural Pragmatics: Requests and Apologies. Norwood, NJ: Ablex Publishing Company.
    [Google Scholar]
  10. Boxer, Diana
    1993 “Social Distance and Speech Behavior: The Case of Indirect Complaints.” Journal of Pragmatics19: 103–25. 10.1016/0378‑2166(93)90084‑3
    https://doi.org/10.1016/0378-2166(93)90084-3 [Google Scholar]
  11. 2002Applying Sociolinguistics: Domains and Face-to-Face Interaction. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins. 10.1075/impact.15
    https://doi.org/10.1075/impact.15 [Google Scholar]
  12. Brown, Gillian, and George Yule
    1983Discourse Analysis. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 10.1017/CBO9780511805226
    https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511805226 [Google Scholar]
  13. Brown, Penelope, and Stephen C. Levinson
    1987Politeness. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 10.1017/CBO9780511813085
    https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511813085 [Google Scholar]
  14. Cahn, Dudley
    1990 “Intimates in Conflict: A Research Review.” InIntimates in Conflict: A Communication Perspective, edited byDudley Cahn, 1–22. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
    [Google Scholar]
  15. Chen, Xing, Lei Ye, and Yanyin Zhang
    1995 “Refusing in Chinese.” InPragmatics of Chinese as Native and Target Language, edited byGabriele Kasper, 119–163. Honolulu: Second Language Teaching, and Curriculum Center, University of Hawaii at Manoa.
    [Google Scholar]
  16. Coupland, Justine
    2003 “Small Talk: Social Functions.” Research on Language and Social Interaction36 (1): 1–6. 10.1207/S15327973RLSI3601_1
    https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327973RLSI3601_1 [Google Scholar]
  17. Elizaincín, Adolfo
    1997 “Personal Pronouns for Inanimate Entities in Uruguayan Spanish in Contact with Portuguese.” InSpanish in Four Continents: Studies in Language Contact and Bilingualism, edited byCarmen Silva-Corvalán, 117–131. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  18. Félix-Brasdefer, J. César
    2003 “Declining an Invitation: A Cross-Cultural Study of Pragmatic Strategies in American English and Latin American Spanish.” Multilingua22: 225–255. 10.1515/mult.2003.012
    https://doi.org/10.1515/mult.2003.012 [Google Scholar]
  19. 2006 “Linguistic Politeness in Mexico: Refusal Strategies among Male Speakers of Mexican Spanish.” Journal of Pragmatics38: 2158–2187. 10.1016/j.pragma.2006.05.004
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2006.05.004 [Google Scholar]
  20. 2008Politeness in Mexico and the United States. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins. 10.1075/pbns.171
    https://doi.org/10.1075/pbns.171 [Google Scholar]
  21. Fishman, Joshua
    1972 “Domains and the Relationship between Micro and Macrosociolinguistics.” InDirections in Sociolinguistics, edited byJohn Gumperz, and Dell Hymes, 435–453. Oxford: Blackwell.
    [Google Scholar]
  22. Fishman, Pamela
    1983 “Interaction: The Work Women Do.” InLanguage, Gender and Society, edited byBarrie Thorne, Cheris Kramarae, and Nancy Henley, 397–405. Cambridge: Newbury.
    [Google Scholar]
  23. Fraser, Bruce, and William Nolen
    1981 “The Association of Deference with Linguistic Form.” International Journal of the Sociology of Language27: 93–109.
    [Google Scholar]
  24. Frescura, Marina
    1997 “The Ethnography of Refusal.” Europe Plurilingue12–13: 180–203.
    [Google Scholar]
  25. Furumura, Yumiko
    2002 “How Can Japanese Be Considerate to Their Interlocutor in Refusals? A Study of Pragmatic Strategies in Japanese Discourse.” Studies in Languages and Cultures16: 147–163.
    [Google Scholar]
  26. Gabbiani, Beatriz
    2005Escuela, lenguaje y poder. Montevideo: Departamento de Publicaciones de la Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educación.
    [Google Scholar]
  27. Gabbiani, Beatriz, and Irene Madfes
    (eds) 2006Conversación y poder: Análisis de interacciones en aulas y consultorios. Montevideo: Departamento de Publicaciones de la Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educación.
    [Google Scholar]
  28. García, Carmen
    1992 “Refusing an Invitation: A Case Study of Peruvian Style.” Hispanic Linguistics5: 207–243.
    [Google Scholar]
  29. 1999 “The Three Stages of Venezuelan Invitations and Responses.” Multilingua18 (4): 391–433. 10.1515/mult.1999.18.4.391
    https://doi.org/10.1515/mult.1999.18.4.391 [Google Scholar]
  30. 2007 “‘Ché, mirá, vos sabés que no no voy a poder’: How Argentinians Refuse an Invitation.” Hispania90 (3): 551–564. 10.2307/20063564
    https://doi.org/10.2307/20063564 [Google Scholar]
  31. Gass, Susan M., and Noël Houck
    1999Interlanguage Refusals. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.
    [Google Scholar]
  32. Goffman, Erving
    1967Interaction Ritual. New York: Anchor Books.
    [Google Scholar]
  33. Holmes, Janet
    1995Women, Men and Politeness. London: Longman.
    [Google Scholar]
  34. IBM Corp.
    IBM Corp. 2012IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 21.0. Armonk, NY: IBM Corp.
    [Google Scholar]
  35. Jaworski, Adam
    2000 “Silence and Small Talk.” InSmall Talk, edited byJustine Coupland, 110–132. Essex: Pearson Education Limited.
    [Google Scholar]
  36. Jefferson, Gail
    2004 “Glossary of Transcript Symbols with an Introduction.” InConversation Analysis: Studies from the First Generation, edited byGene Lerner, 13–31. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins. 10.1075/pbns.125.02jef
    https://doi.org/10.1075/pbns.125.02jef [Google Scholar]
  37. Kaiser, Heather
    2014 “(Im)Politeness in Uruguay: Negotiating Refusals in Three Domains of Interaction.” PhD diss., University of Florida.
  38. Kecskes, Istvan, and Garcés-Conejos Blitvich, Pilar
    2013 “Editorial.” Journal of Language Aggression and Conflict1 (1): 1–7. 10.1075/jlac.1.1.01kec
    https://doi.org/10.1075/jlac.1.1.01kec [Google Scholar]
  39. Kitao, S. Kathleen
    1996 “Communicative Competence, Preference Organization, and Refusals in British English.” Doshisha Joshidaigaku Sogo Bunka Kenkyusho Kiyo13: 47–58.
    [Google Scholar]
  40. Lipski, John
    2009 “Searching for the Origins of Uruguayan Fronterizo Dialects: Radical Codemixing as ‘Fluent Dysfluency’.” Journal of Portuguese Linguistics8 (1): 3–44. 10.5334/jpl.120
    https://doi.org/10.5334/jpl.120 [Google Scholar]
  41. Locher, Miriam, and Richard Watts
    2005 “Politeness Theory and Relational Work.” Journal of Politeness Research1: 9–33. 10.1515/jplr.2005.1.1.9
    https://doi.org/10.1515/jplr.2005.1.1.9 [Google Scholar]
  42. MacQueen, Kathleen, and Eleanor McLellan
    1998 “Codebook Development for Team-Based Qualitative Analysis.” Cultural Anthropology Methods10 (2): 31–36.
    [Google Scholar]
  43. Márquez Reiter, Rosina
    2000Linguistic Politeness in Britain and Uruguay: A Contrastive Study of Requests and Apologies. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins. 10.1075/pbns.83
    https://doi.org/10.1075/pbns.83 [Google Scholar]
  44. 2002a “A Contrastive Study of Conventional Indirectness in Spanish: Evidence from Peninsular and Uruguayan Spanish.” Pragmatics12 (2): 135–51. 10.1075/prag.12.2.02mar
    https://doi.org/10.1075/prag.12.2.02mar [Google Scholar]
  45. 2002b “Estrategias de cortesía en el español hablado en Montevideo.” InActos de habla y cortesía en español, edited byMaría Elena Placencia, and Diana Bravo, 89–106. Munich: Lincom Europa.
    [Google Scholar]
  46. 2005 “Complaint Calls to a Caregiver Service Company: The Case of Desahogo.” Intercultural Pragmatics2 (4): 481–513.
    [Google Scholar]
  47. Márquez Reiter, Rosina, and María Elena Placencia
    2004 “Displaying Closeness and Respectful Distance in Montevidean and Quiteño Service Encounters.” InCurrent Trends in the Pragmatics of Spanish, edited byRosina Márquez Reiter, and María Elena Placencia, 121–155. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins. 10.1075/pbns.123.13mar
    https://doi.org/10.1075/pbns.123.13mar [Google Scholar]
  48. Olshtain, Elite, and Andrew Cohen
    1983 “Apology: A Speech-Act Set.” InSociolinguistics and Language Acquisition: Series on Issues in Second Language Acquisition Research, edited byNessa Wolfson, and Elliot Judd, 18–35. Cambridge: Newbury House Publishers.
    [Google Scholar]
  49. Orlando, Virginia
    (ed.) 2006Mecanismos conversacionales en el español del Uruguay: Análisis de interacciones telefónicas de servicios. Montevideo: Departamento de Publicaciones de la Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educación.
    [Google Scholar]
  50. Piller, Ingrid
    2002Bilingual Couples Talk: The Discursive Construction of Hybridity. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins. 10.1075/sibil.25
    https://doi.org/10.1075/sibil.25 [Google Scholar]
  51. Pinto, Derrin R.
    2003 “‘¿Perdóname, llevas mucho tiempo esperando?’ Conventionalized Language in L1 and L2 Spanish.” PhD diss., University of California, Davis.
  52. Placencia, María Elena
    2008 “(Non)Compliance with Directives among Family and Friends: Responding to Social Pressure and Individual Wants.” Intercultural Pragmatics5 (3): 315–344. 10.1515/IPRG.2008.015
    https://doi.org/10.1515/IPRG.2008.015 [Google Scholar]
  53. Pomerantz, Anita
    1984 “Agreeing and Disagreeing with Assessments: Some Features of Preferred/Dispreferred Turn Shapes.” InStructures of Social Action, edited byJohn Maxwell Atkinson, and John Heritage, 57–101. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  54. Raevaara, Liisa
    2011 “Accounts at Convenience Stores: Doing Dispreference and Small Talk.” Journal of Pragmatics43: 556–571. 10.1016/j.pragma.2010.01.020
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2010.01.020 [Google Scholar]
  55. Schneider, Klaus
    1988Small Talk: Analysing Phatic Discourse. Marburg: Hitzeroth.
    [Google Scholar]
  56. Schrader-Kniffki, Martina
    2007 “Silence and Politeness in Spanish and Zapotec Interactions (Oaxaca, Mexico).” InResearch on Politeness in the Spanish-speaking World, edited byMaría E. Placencia, and Carmen García. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. 305–332.
    [Google Scholar]
  57. Scollon, Ron, and Suzanne Scollon
    2001Intercultural Communication (2nd edn). Malden, MA: Blackwell Publications.
    [Google Scholar]
  58. Searle, John, and Daniel Vanderveken
    1985Foundations of Illocutionary Logic. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  59. Spencer-Oatey, Helen
    2000 “Rapport Management: A Framework for Analysis.” InCulturally Speaking:Managing Rapport Through Talk Across Cultures, edited byHelen Spencer-Oatey, 11–46. London: Continuum.
    [Google Scholar]
  60. Stewart, Katherine, and Madeline Maxwell
    2010Storied Conflict Talk: Narrative Construction in Mediation. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins. 10.1075/sin.12
    https://doi.org/10.1075/sin.12 [Google Scholar]
  61. Tannen, Deborah
    1990You Just Don’t Undersand: Women and Men in Conversation. New York: William Morrow and Company.
    [Google Scholar]
  62. 1996Gender and Discourse. New York: Oxford University Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  63. 2001I Only Say This Because I Love You: How the Way We Talk Can Make or Break Relationships Throughout Our Lives. New York: Random House.
    [Google Scholar]
  64. VERBI Software
    VERBI Software 2011MAXQDA for Windows, Version 10. Berlin: Consult Sozialforschung.
    [Google Scholar]
  65. Watts, Richard J.
    1991Power in Family Discourse. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. 10.1515/9783110854787
    https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110854787 [Google Scholar]
  66. Wolfson, Nessa
    1981 “Invitations, Compliments and the Competence of the Native Speaker.” International Journal of Psycholinguistics8: 7–22.
    [Google Scholar]
  67. 1988 “The Bulge: A Theory of Speech Behavior and Social Distance.” InSecond Language Discourse: A Textbook of Current Research, edited byJonathan Fine, 21–38. Norwood, NJ: Ablex Publishing Corporation.
    [Google Scholar]
  68. Wootton, Anthony J.
    1981 “The Management of Grantings and Rejections by Parents in Request Sequences.” Semiotica37 (1–2): 59–89.
    [Google Scholar]
/content/journals/10.1075/jlac.00013.kai
Loading
/content/journals/10.1075/jlac.00013.kai
Loading

Data & Media loading...

  • Article Type: Research Article
Keyword(s): Bulge theory; conflict discourse; couples talk; domain; refusal; Uruguayan Spanish
This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was successful
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error