The Speech Act of Requests in Arabic Used by Saudi Facebook Users

Bibliographic Data

ID21805350
AuthorsMohammad Mahzari (0000-0002-3884-1679, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, corresponding author)
Year2025
Volume16
Issue4
Pages1325-1337
Publication date2025-07-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Language Teaching and Research (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1798-4769 • E-ISSN: 2053-0684
PublisherAcademy Publication (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.17507/jltr.1604.26
OpenAlexW4411898902
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited6

This study investigates the direct and indirect strategies of the speech act of request in an academic online community. Grounded in speech act and politeness theory, it attempts to explore how Saudi digital interlocutors employ request strategies in terms of directness and indirectness, as well as gender differences in request formulation. While most previous studies focus on face-to-face communication, few have examined online requests. Data were collected from a public Facebook page for Saudi teaching assistants and lecturers, comprising 550 posts (300 from males, 250 from females). Quantitative content analysis revealed that direct strategies, particularly direct questioning, were predominant, supporting the preference for clarity in online discourse. Male users employed more direct strategies than females, reflecting subtle gender differences in politeness strategies. Although males also used indirect strategies more frequently, both genders equally employed query preparatory strategies. The preference for direct strategies does not indicate impoliteness but rather a need for clarity due to the lack of verbal and non-verbal cues in online discourse. Social media interactions are characterized by their informality and egalitarianism, lacking obligation statements and suggestory formulas. This study demonstrates that the use of digital platforms is revolutionizing the way Saudi users communicate, leading to greater directness while remaining attuned to politeness markers. This study enriches general perspectives on the social use of language in online environments, informing the understanding of cultural differences in language practices, providing implications for digital etiquette training, and highlighting shifts within the gendered nature of speech acts in virtual spaces

Arabic · Internet privacy · Linguistics · Speech recognition · Computer Science · Language, Linguistics, Cultural Analysis · Multilingual Education and Policy · Socioeconomic Development in MENA

Tools

Open DOIOpen Access