Refusals and Politeness in Directive Action Game : Cultural differences between Korean and German

Abstract

The present article provides the reader with new insights into the use of politeness in dialogue. On the basis of directive action games at Korean and German workplaces, I will show how the speakers negotiate effectiveness and respect in the refusals of various directive speech acts such as, among others, orders and requests. The analysis is further structured along the lines of specific situations with a view to reveal the effects of situational determinants on the selection of expressions. I will finally conclude with a contrastive analysis of Korean and German refusals from a data survey in order to discuss the culture-specific implementation of politeness in dialogue.