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Offers and Offer Refusals: A postcolonial pragmatics perspective on World Englishes
Eric A. Anchimbe
[Pragmatics & Beyond New Series 298] 2018
► pp. 137–194

Chapter 4
Offers, refusals and age

Article outline
  • 4.1Communicative act structure: Preparatory, head and supportive acts
    • 4.1.1Preparatory acts and age
      • a.Greetings
        • i.G-greeting + Address structure
        • ii.Address/PM + W-greeting structure
    • 4.1.2Head acts (types) and age
      • a.Simple head acts: Simple offer head act = Simple refusal head act
      • b.Mixed head acts: Simple offer head act = Complex refusal head act and vice versa
        • i.Simple offer head act = Refusal + Thanks (+Reason/Preference)
        • ii.Address/G-greeting + PM + Offer = Simple refusal
        • iii.Simple offer head act = Compliment + Preference
      • c.Complex head acts: Complex offer head act = Complex refusal head act
        • i.Address + Offer or Offer + Address = Refusal + Address/+Thanks + Preference/Reason or Thanks + Address/+Reason/Preference
        • ii.PM + Offer or Offer + PM = Refusal/+Thanks + Address/+Reason/+Preference or Interjection + Assurance
        • iii.Address + PM + Offer = Refusal/Thanks + Address (+Compliment + Preference/Assurance) or Thanks (+Interjection) + Address + Preference
    • 4.1.3Supportive acts and age
      • a.Insistence act: Offer and offer refusal insistence
      • b.Justification act: Justifying offers and offer refusals
      • c.Explication act: Refusal questioning and refusal explication
      • d.Deferral act: Offer remains open
      • e.Solidarity act: If you don’t, then I won’t too
      • f.Refusal acceptance act: Letting offeree off the hook
      • g.Offer acceptance act: I accept it, thanks
      • h.Compliment act: You are so respectful
  • 4.2Offer utterances: Realisation strategies and pragmatic functions
    • 4.2.1Imperative strategy in offer utterances
      • a.Offeree imperative or action
      • b.State offerer permission
      • c.Offer deictic
    • 4.2.2Preference strategy in offer utterances
      • a.Question offeree preference
      • b.Question offeree (future) action
    • 4.2.3Execution strategy in offer utterances
      • a.Question offeree ability
      • b.Question offerer ability
      • c.State offerer tolerance
  • 4.3Offer refusal utterances: Realisation strategies and pragmatic functions
    • 4.3.1Preference strategy in offer refusal utterances
    • 4.3.2Assurance strategy in offer refusal utterances
    • 4.3.3Direct refusal strategy in offer refusal utterances
    • 4.3.4Return offer strategy in offer refusal utterances
    • 4.3.5Impediment strategy in offer refusal utterances
    • 4.3.6Acceptance strategy in offer refusal utterances
  • 4.4Age in offers and offer refusals: Postcolonial pragmatic components
    • 4.4.1Address forms
      • a.Kinship terms
      • b.Honorifics
      • c.Endearment terms
      • d.Attention getters
    • 4.4.2Religion
    • 4.4.3Collectivist cultures and social norms
    • 4.4.4Gender
    • 4.4.5Code-switching
  • 4.5Summary: Age and social and linguistic behaviour between Ghana and Cameroon
  • Notes