@article{MAKHILLTSS20116122170, title = {A Comparative Study of Reprimand Strategies: Evidence from Iranian and American Speech Communities}, journal = {The Social Sciences}, volume = {6}, number = {1}, pages = {1-7}, year = {2011}, issn = {1818-5800}, doi = {sscience.2011.1.7}, url = {https://makhillpublications.co/view-article.php?issn=1818-5800&doi=sscience.2011.1.7}, author = {Mohammad Javad and}, keywords = {speech act,reprimand,politeness,Face-threatening acts,cultures,Iran}, abstract = {This study explores the strategies used by Iranian and American participants when reprimanding and identifies their preferred politeness strategies. As an initial step, open role-play situations were performed by 25 Americans and 35 Iranians in order to elicit reprimands and responses to reprimands in 4 different situations. Second, interviews were carried out to find out the participants’ perceptions regarding reprimanding strategies. The study suggests that there are indeed some differences between the 2 cultures regarding this speech act, since the participants from these two backgrounds tend to use distinctive strategies. Data elicited in post-performance interviews revealed that in some situations (e.g., in the situations when the target of reprimand has a higher status than the reprimander), the Iranians tended to be more reluctant to make a reprimand whereas the Americans avoid reprimanding less frequently. This study further supports the idea that speech acts are culturally laden and their understanding can hinder or encourage communication across cultures.} }