Asking for Permission vs. Making Requests: Strategies Chosen by Japanese Speakers of English

This study investigated differences between communication norms in English and Japanese in a unique situation in which the speech acts of "asking for permission" and "requesting" merge. Focus was on the pair-verbs "borrow" and "lend." Subjects were 26 native speakers of English, mostly teachers, and 64 native speakers of Japanese, all university students learning English. Data were gathered using a discourse completion questionnaire consisting of scripted dialogues, analyzed for: (1) social distance between speaker and addressee (siblings, friends, teachers) and (2) the degree of imposition on the addressees (low, medium, high). Results indicate that most native speakers of English preferred asking for permission in most contexts, while the non-native speakers used requesting more often. Explicit instruction in native-like strategies in this context, including use of mitigation devices when appropriate, is recommended. Contains 15 references. (MSE)