The influence of American English on Russian apologies

In certain situations the individual must apologize in order not to be perceived as an insensitive or rude person. These situations, which require remedial work, differ in American and Russian society in terms of how and when the apology is offered. This study examines what triggers changes that start to occur during the performance of the apology in the speech of Russian speakers who live in the western part of the United States. This study attempts to point out that American English apology patterns find their way into the L1 Russian speakers' speech.;Examples of remedial work performed by speakers of American English, speakers of Russian, and speakers of Russian living in the United States were collected in a natural setting. These examples led to conclusions about the social norms underlying remedial work in the Russian and American English language. Particular alternations in the speech and behavior of the L1 Russian speakers, such as lesser degree of familiarity and backslapping and a higher degree of respect toward the other individual and his space, indicate a change caused by the target language and culture.