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Refusal Strategies by Young Jordanian Speakers in Arabic and English
Open accessAbstract
This study aims to investigate refusal strategies used among Jordanian Arabic speakers and EFL learners of English in Jordan. Two Discourse Completion Tests (DCT), containing scenarios of refusal, were completed by 43 Jordanian Arabic speakers along with 37 EFL learners of English in Jordan. Data analysis reveals three main refusal categories used in the data: direct, indirect and adjuncts to refusals. Jordanian Arabic speakers used 7% direct refusals, 57% indirect refusals, and 36% adjuncts to refusals. In contrast, EFL learners used 13% direct refusals, 62% indirect refusals, and 25% adjuncts to refusals. Additionally, strategies such as insisting, insulting, praising the other, and invoking the name of God were observed. In conclusion, both groups preferred indirect refusal strategies over other types. It was also noted that EFL learners used more direct and indirect refusal strategies than Jordanian Arabic speakers but fewer adjuncts to refusals. Both groups produced similar strategies in response to the four types of situations, indicating that cultural background significantly influenced the way refusals were performed, despite the different languages used.
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Role-play may develop fluency as each student has different personal and interactive discussions instead of one fixed pattern of responses.
“Role-play may develop fluency as each student has different personal and interactive discussions instead of one fixed pattern of responses (Hoque et al., 2025; Huneety et al., 2024; Ibnian, 2023; Khasawneh, 2022)”
From An Experimental Study of the Effectiveness of Role-play in Improving Fluency in Jordanian EFL Students' Speaking Skills (2025) · cites this paper as Huneety et al., 2024
The Abstract (page unavailable) describes a study of refusal strategies using discourse-completion tests, not a role-play activity or its effect on fluency. Searches for role-play, fluency, and varied interactive discussions found no passage in our copy addressing the claim. (LLM, conf=0.75)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredA substantial number of Jordanian students are unable to communicate effectively despite years of English instruction.
“However, a substantial number of Jordanian students are unable to communicate effectively, despite the years of English instruction (Al Huneety et al., 2024; Abualadas 2024; Fawareh et al, 2023).”
From An Experimental Study of the Effectiveness of Role-play in Improving Fluency in Jordanian EFL Students' Speaking Skills (2025) · cites this paper as Al Huneety et al., 2024
The Abstract reports refusal strategies used by Jordanian Arabic speakers and EFL learners, but does not assess whether Jordanian students can communicate effectively after years of English instruction. Searches for communicative ability and years of instruction found no passage in our copy addressing that claim. (LLM, conf=0.72)
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- Vol. 14 No. 6 (2024)
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Rababah, L. M. (2025) · World Journal of English Language · doi:10.5430/wjel.v15n4p30 · Cited by 12
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Metadata
- Authors
- Huneety, A. A., Alshdaifat, A., Al-Faqeeh, E., Mashaqba, B. A., & Rababah, L.
- Affiliations
- Hashemite University (JO)
- Jadara University (JO)
- Venue
- Theory and Practice in Language Studies
- Publisher
- Academy Publication
- Published
- 2024-06-19
- Volume
- 14
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 1916-1926
- ISSN
- 1799-2591 (ISSN-L)
- 2053-0692
- OpenAlex
- W4399811834
- Cited by
- 1
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1
- FWCI
- 1.58
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- diamond
- dx.doi.org
- Locations
- Theory and Practice in Language Studies (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Language and Linguistics › Linguistics and Language Analysis
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Language and Linguistics › Language, Discourse, Communication Strategies
- Social Sciences › Communication › Language, Communication, and Linguistic Studies
- Keywords
- refusal strategies, indirect refusal, direct refusal, Jordanian Arabic, EFL learners, English as a foreign language, interlanguage pragmatics, young speakers, discourse completion test
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