Pragmatic Strategies in Vietnamese and Japanese Complaints and Complaint Responses - A World Englishes Perspective on Learner Agency

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Ophelia

This study investigates how Vietnamese and Japanese undergraduate learners of English performed complaints and responses to complaints within a simulated international business exchange project. Drawing on multiple pragmatic research frameworks for compliments and complaint responses, the study analyzed 158 emails exchanged by students from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and Tokyo, Japan. Vietnamese learners produced clearer, more direct and flexible strategies, whereas Japanese learners preferred indirect, face-saving approaches, obscuring intentions due to limited negative evaluations and cross-linguistic transfer. The paper reviews ELF research and proposes pragmatic instruction from a World Englishes perspective, emphasizing learners’ agency.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages30

Reading Time1 h 16 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Pragmatics

Pragmatic strategies in Vietnamese and Japanese complaints and complaint responses: A World Englishes perspective on learner agency Kimiko Koseki1 1Lecturer, Seijo University, Japan Hà T. V. Nguyễn2 2Lecturer, Ton Duc Thang University, Vietnam Abstract This study investigates how Vietnamese and Japanese undergraduate learners of English performed complaints and responses to complaints in a simulated international business exchange project. Drawing on multiple pragmatic research frameworks (three for compliments, three for responses to compliments, and modality markers), the study analyzed 158 emails exchanged by students from universities in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and Tokyo, Japan. The Vietnamese students performed these speech acts more clearly and directly, flexibly using various strategies. In contrast, the Japanese students showed a strong preference for indirect and face-saving strategies, resulted in their intentions being obscured due to a lack of negative evaluations in their complaints as well as both linguistic and sociocultural L1 transfer. Finally, the paper reviews the latest ELF research, providing implications for pragmatic instruction in class particularly how teachers can consider L2 learners’ agency from a World Englishes perspective. In conclusion, teachers should encourage L2 learners to become effective ELF users who can make informed pragmatic choices (Ishihara & Cohen, 2022) based on knowledge of English culture norms and how they wish to present themselves in English. By doing so, educators can empower learners to navigate global communication with strategic competence and an authentic voice. Keywords: Complaint; complaint response; ELF; international communication; international collaboration; pragmatic instruction. Introduction According to Kachru and Smith (2008), only over 300 million people used English as their first language, whereas 800 million people lived in the Outer Circle, where English is an official language, or in the Expanding Circles, where English is used as a lingua franca to communicate with foreigners. Jenkins (2015) reported that the number of actual L2 speakers increased “from 235,351,300 in 1997 to over 430 million in 2003”(p. 2), and approximately one to two billion people use English as a Lingua Franca (EFL) or English as an International Language (EIL) . Tajeddin and Pakzadian (2020) defined EIL as “the status of English as the world’s second language and the commonest language utilized for global business, trade, travel, correspondence, and numerous others”(pp. 1-2) . Therefore, it is estimated that people living in Kachru’s Expanding Circle like Vietnamese and Japanese will have more opportunities to communicate in English with English non-native speakers rather than native speakers. In this context, many scholars have questioned whether English pedagogy based solely on nativespeaker norms is truly effective in preparing learners for their future English use (Tajeddin and Pakzadian, 2020) . This tendency is strong in Asia (Kachuru, 1998) because English is a dominant EIL in Asia (Lam, Cheng, Kong, 2014) . This study has three objectives: first, to provide empirical data on how Vietnamese and Japanese undergraduate learners of English composed complaints and complaint responses; second, to make pedagogical suggestions for how teachers can teach English norms while respecting non-native English learners’ agency; and third, to provide teachers with comprehensive criteria for analyzing learners’ complaints and complaint responses (see Methodology and Appendix) . This study aims to contribute to the fields of intercultural pragmatics and TESOL since the similarities and differences between Vietnamese and Japanese English use have been little explored. Also, many native English speakers teaching English to non-native English speakers wonder how they should teach English usage to their students while respecting their identities and agency. This study will pro

FAQs

What data does the study analyze?

The study analyzes 158 emails exchanged by undergraduate students from Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) and Tokyo (Japan) in a simulated international business exchange project.

How do Vietnamese and Japanese learners differ in their complaint performances?

Vietnamese learners performed complaints more clearly and directly, using flexible strategies, while Japanese learners favored indirect and face-saving approaches, which often obscured their intentions.

What instructional implications does the paper propose?

Teachers should consider L2 learners’ agency from a World Englishes perspective and help learners make informed pragmatic choices as effective ELF users grounded in knowledge of English culture norms and self-presentation in English.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Ophelia