| In recent years, a number of studies in interlanguage (IL) pragmatics have provided evidence that data collection procedures may bias the type of data obtained and thus influence the conclusions reached with regards to the comprehension and production of speech acts (i.e., thanking, apologizing) by second language learners as compared to native speakers'.; This study examined data elicited on two data collection procedures used in IL pragmatics (i.e., a written questionnaire and an oral role-play). The differences that can be observed in the speech act of refusals as performed by both native speakers of Spanish and German, as well as German learners of Spanish in terms of choice and content of semantic formulas were investigated in light of the data gathering procedures. In addition, the methodological implications that emerged from the findings in the present study were analyzed.; Substantial differences were found in light of the nature of the data collection procedures and in the comparison of native and nonnative speaker responses. The oral role-plays allowed more negotiation, repetition and avoidance strategies than did the written questionnaire. In addition to the interactive nature of the oral procedures, another factor affecting the use of formulas and length of responses was the type of situation used to elicit a refusal (i.e., invitations, requests, offers and suggestions). Given the artificial nature of both elicitation tasks, responses containing direct and less polite utterances were noted in both data sets.; An important implication of this study is the need for future research to gradually move away from more controlled to less controlled data gathering procedures. Such an approach may enable researchers to examine refusals and other speech acts in the context of the speech event and to provide a more accurate analysis of a second language learner's pragmatic competence. |
