Requesting Strategies Among Sudanese Students at Tertiary Level

Abstract

This research has been an attempt to study the concept of cross-cultural communication. Communication across cultures requires a high level of interaction and involvement through being sensitive to the give and take of the communication process . Throughout the research it has been indicated that socio-cultural knowledge is of central importance in pragmatic competence or communicative competence. Such knowledge can be acquired through language mediated social interaction. To this end the research has dealt with three questions investigating requesting strategies used by Sudanese students,males or females, in order to find out the extent to which they communicate effectively when using the foreign language; for communication nowadays is considered the heart of language learning. The questions investigated are requesting sensitivity between male and female students,requesting forms and situation, seeking to show any differences and\or similarities in the students' requesting strategies. The results of the study show that both gender groups are sensitive to request, and it has also been found that both gender groups favored the usage of polite forms of request . It has also been concluded that Sudanese students are polite in all forms of situations educational and non- educational . The researcher has recommended inclusion of socio-cultural information in the language syllabus to improve students' communicative competence .