Preference structure in request sequences: What about role-play?

Abstract

This Discussion Note argues that role-plays of request sequences tend to violate a norm of preference structure observed in naturally occurring interactions. It thereby contributes to our understanding of the validity of role-play as a tool for examining pragmatic performance. The method of role-play is extremely popular in the field of L2 pragmatics (e.g., Al-Ghatani and Roever, 2012, 2018; Bella, 2014; Huth, 2006; Taleghani-Nikazm and Huth, 2010). Also, as observed by Felix-Brasdefer (2018) and Schneider (2018), it is also commonly used for research in cross-cultural pragmatics (e.g. Ebsworth and Kodama, 2011; Felix-Brasdefer, 2003, 2008; Reiter and Marquez, 2000), as well as in variational pragmatics (e.g. Felix-Brasdefer, 2009; Fuentes-Rodriguez, Placencia and Palma-Fahey, 2016; Placencia et al., 2015). Moreover, such studies often entail role-plays of request sequences specifically. First, as background, the Note introduces the notion of preference structure, outlines preference norms for request se- quences, and reviews evidence on how closely role-played interactions resemble naturally occurring interactions. The Note then presents an extended data extract to illustrate the present finding that role-plays tend to violate the relevant norm of preference structure. Last, it offers explanations for that finding, and discusses implications for role-play as a data elicitation method in pragmatics research