How Hijazi Men and Women Say “NO”: A Pragmatic and Discourse Analysis Study of the Speech Act of Refusal, Gender and Culture in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Abstract This research focuses on the speech act of refusal within ethnically distinct groups in Saudi Arabia. The study explores how men and women in the Afro-Saudi and Arab-Saudi communities in the western region of Saudi Arabia (Hijaz) refuse requests and invitations. This thesis also examined whether social distance and refusing interactions with speakers of the same or opposite gender determine the choice of refusal and the pragmatic markers. Additionally, the researcher assesses the level of difficulty that arises when Arab and African Saudi men and women refuse, and explores how people feel when producing refusals. As well as exploring the content of the refusal strategies, the sociopragmatic reasons behind the Hijazis’ refusals’ behaviour and their attitude towards refusals are also demonstrated.