PRAGMATIC APPROACHES TO APOLOGY SPEECH ACT STUDIES

Abstract

The article presents an attempt to describe various pragmatic approaches to apology speech act. Based on the previously studied theories of communicative politeness, we tried to contemplate the apology speech act within the cross-cultural analysis, the goal of which is to preserve harmony in communication. The research material included English literary dialogues with communicative moves ofapology speech acts, characterizing the awareness of the intentional or accidental infliction of harm to the addressee. Analysis of the dialogues investigated, as well as the basic formulas of apology reveals the fact that the implementation ofapology speech act depends on specific cultural characteristics, on the rules and norms laid down in the society in which it is reproduced.