Examining the Speech Act of Criticism: The Role of L۲ and Gender

The present study investigated the criticisms produced by Iranian male and female speakers. It exploredand compared the criticisms made by Persian native speakers as well as Persian EFL learners. Sixty Persiannative speakers and sixty EFL learners who aged from ۱۸ to ۳۵ in Esfahan, Iran comprised the sample of thestudy. Oxford Placement Test was employed to make sure that the EFL learners were truly at intermediateproficiency level. A DCT devised by the researcher in which the respondents were asked to make twelvecriticisms was utilized. The participants’ answers were analyzed based on the taxonomy of criticism strategiesby Nguyen (۲۰۰۵) as well as the taxonomy of mitigating devices by House and Kasper (۱۹۸۱). Statisticalanalyses indicated that regardless of their gender, both Persian native speakers and EFL learners preferreddirect criticism strategies over indirect strategies. However, the criticisms made by the male and femaleparticipants significantly differed which means gender had a key role in this regard. While gender had a majorrole, being an EFL learner did not significantly affect the Persian speakers’ production. The results could behelpful for researchers, teachers, and material developers to consider such gender differences in helpingstudents have the opportunity to learn and communicate better.

کلیدواژه ها:

criticism strategies ، mitigating devices ، pragmatic competence ، speech act