A Conceptual Comparative Socio-Pragmatic Study of Congratulatory Strategies employed by University Students: Evidence from Jordan and Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Positive emotions and good wishes are key elements in interpersonal communication in all cultures. In this regard, congratulatory speech acts have been identified as significant in building relationships and maintaining harmonious communication. However, congratulatory strategies in Arabic cultures have not been fully investigated. This study aims to provide a conceptual socio-pragmatic analysis of congratulatory strategies used by Jordanian and Saudi university students. This study attempts to revisit congratulatory speech acts in Jordanian and Saudi cultures by using Elwood's (2004) framework for a comparative analysis. This study attempts to provide a conceptual analysis of similarities and differences in congratulatory strategies used in Jordanian and Saudi cultures rather than focusing on statistical differences. This study aims to provide a more in-depth understanding of congruence and incongruence in congratulatory strategies used in Jordanian and Saudi cultures and contribute to the theoretical debate in speech act realization in culturally similar but socially different groups.