Abstract:

Abstract: This study explores illocutionary acts and politeness strategies employed by the academic staff and also the students’ perceptions on the academic staff’s language and politeness strategies in EFL classroom interaction. Twelve different classes of six English academic staff in one term lasting 100 minutes each were observed and recorded and then transcribed. The results showed that four out of five types of illocutionary acts were employed; directive, representative, commisive, and expressive. Concerning the use of politeness strategies in the academic staff’s illocutionary acts, bald on-record, positive, negative and off-record politeness strategies were all employed. This study also indicates that most of the university students expressed agreement to the use of polite language in the classroom interaction. 

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