Investigating Similarities and Differences between Sudanese Arabic and British English Speech Acts of Congratulations

Abstract

This study aimed at investigating the similarities and differences between Sudanese (colloquial Arabic) and British (English) speech acts of congratulation from two perspectives: First the occasions which need congratulation. Second the strategies used in these congratulations and the influence of the age in choice of the strategies. The received samples for this study are (38) Sudanese and (19) British respondents of different ages and different areas. As the study follows the descriptive method the main tool used for collecting the data is the discourse completion test (DCT). The finding of the study can be summed up as follows: Firstly, Sudanese occasions which need congratulation are more than those of Britain. Secondly, Sudanese use more strategies than British do. Thirdly, age is one of the most influential factors that affect the choice of speech acts of congratulation. The result showed the nature of the Sudanese linguistic norms which expand the speech to make their congratulation warmer. On the other hand, British use brief and straight congratulation. The information gained from this study can be useful for the Sudanese learners of English as foreign language especially in cultural awareness and communicative competence. Therefore, learners must be given opportunities to learn speech acts in varieties of English contexts and to know the culture and the community of the target language. Also, they have to be aware of their own language not to be distorted by other languages by using foreign words in the Arabic sentences.