ENGLISH REVIEW: Journal of English Education p-ISSN 2301-7554, e-ISSN 2541-3643 Volume 12, Issue 2, June 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/ERJEE 863 CROSS CULTURAL SPEECH ACTS OF INDIRECT REQUEST IN EFL Widya Caterine Perdhani Study Programme of English Language Education, Faculty of Cultural Studies, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, Indonesia email: caterine_widya@ub.ac.id Didik Hartono Study Programme of English Language Education, Faculty of Cultural Studies, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, Indonesia email: didik_htono@ub.ac.id Dita Grace Department of English, Faculty of Letters, Universitas Negeri Malang, Malang, Indonesia email: ditagraceofficial@gmail.com Ardafa Rizko Ubadillah Study Programme of English Language Education, Faculty of Cultural Studies, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, Indonesia email: ardafarizko@student.ub.ac.id Indriyani Annisa’ Study Programme of English Language Education, Faculty of Cultural Studies, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, Indonesia email: indriyannisa@student.ub.ac.id APA sCitation: Perdhani, W. C., Hartono, D., Grace, D., Ubadillah, A. R., & Annisa’, I. (2024). Cross cultural speech acts of indirect request in EFL. English sReview: sJournal sof sEnglish sEducation, s12(2), 863-868. https://doi.org/10.25134/ erjee.v12i2.9538 Received: 27-02-2024 Accepted: 28-04-2024 Published: 30-06-2024 Abstract This research aims to investigate the cross cultural among the L2 students that they have problems on indirect request in EFL context. The participants are students come from 2 different region between Malang, East Java and Palembang, South Sumatera. The indication of this research is the students were facing lacks on using L2 during their written area. This study uses written role play by DCT, to test how they were respond or analyze the questions were given. The participants from two different regions have different style to express their utterances in answering the questions. The results of this research that Javanese participants tend to explain everything in accordance to their manner, different from Sumatera which more answer directly. In different situation, for asking a help, Javanese participants are using hedged performative and later query prepatory, while Sumateran participants tend to using query prepatory to get a help. By mutual relationship situation, the Javanese participants use hedged performative and aware having closed relation, while the Sumatera participants are query prepatory strategy applied. Finally, from this research, it can be inffered that Java participants use strategy in giving respond, while Sumatera reduce kinship for respond situation. Keywords: indirect speech; cross culture; L2 learners INTRODUCTION Indonesian learners have challenging on understanding the cross cultural. This happened when the students during clasroom conference tried out to be using English with lies Indonesian language (knowledge also) on conversation. Students are tended to bring their own translation in their mind rather than reach out the English context (Akmal et al., 2022a). This is an example of Indonesian and English that it is between lecturer and college students for asking permission from classroom situation: Using Indonesian context: “ Good morning, Sir. I am apologize that I can not attend the class today, because I am sick .” Using English context: “I have a fever since I woke up this morning, so I can’t come to the classroom today.” mailto:caterine_widya@ub.ac.id mailto:didik_htono@ub.ac.id mailto:ditagraceofficial@gmail.com mailto:ardafarizko@student.ub.ac.id mailto:indriyannisa@student.ub.ac.id Widya Caterine Perdhani, Didik Hartono, Dita Grace, Ardafa Rizko Ubadillah, & Indriyani Annisa’ Cross cultural speech acts of indirect request in EFL 864 Indirect speech appears in this example. They asked out about asking permission with the knowledge as a polite situational, such as: how the Indonesian students are giving address to someone and also missleading using apologize in permission situation (Pase, 2015) which comparing to the English is different context. This research has interest to check the cross cultural speech act of indirect request in EFL context. We see the challenge among students who has problem with the English context and Indonesian at the same time. To analyze indirect speech, some researchers are challenged to find EFL learner’s performance of English situation. Chen and Liu (2016) investigates L2 learner’s speech act under amount of infomation, politiness, clarity, and relevance on their written tasks and communicating thourgh e- mail. Nugroho and Rekha (2020) uses DCT technique in terms of role plays and FGD to find the student’s competence in L2 culture. Their findings are indirect request frequently used in teaching activities. In Iranian case, Babaie and Shahrokhi (2015) investigate how the learners’ understanding English cultures to implement in their teaching activities. The interesting here is the Iranian learners were struggled to giving stragies of indirect use of advice. Tajeddin, Alemi, and Razzaghi (2014) focus in investigating EFL learners and native about speech act in apology. They found that styles of politeness were almost in same level of communicatively competent, but the difference nails on sociopragmatic and sociocultural norms. Indonesian situation is very challenging for some terms. The condition itself is based on the multicultural that made the education challenging. Zamroni , et. al (2021) studied that multicultural using in education gives impact to be difficult for complete understanding. Their study implemented multicultural approaches for mass large – school, but limited for classroom uses. As resulted, the important to be practical in classroom use is by implemented the transformation approach, which are broaden on for classroom, such as: habit forming appreciation, discussing social problems in multicultural society, to keen on cultural diversity, giving respect to others by implementing program. The transformation approach is focused on student’s competence in different ethnic perspectives. Some researchers about cross cultural that Indonesian learners tries to reach out into the classroom. Jandevi and Zareen (2020) studied about Indonesian students on China that they were straight forward for being there and got easy to have interactions with local people. Hikmatulloh and Syafia (2020) investigates the role of cross cultural understanding among the EFL learners. His research found that the local language – Sundanese is their L1 instead using Indonesia language for among students, lacking on criticizing as the aspects culture, having less to refuse something offered. Chintawidy and Sartini (2022) investigate their study that request strategies and politeness applied to two different Indonesian ethnics – Sundanese and Javanese. From their study, it shows that the learners from Sundanese and Javanese are using mood derivable for direct strategy and query preparation for convetionally indirect strategy. From their study, the daily communication among these etnics apply indirect way as showing different level social power and less on face - threatening act. Besides, query preparatory of direct strategy looks positive persuasion in communication (i.e: asking permission) and also as a part of ethnic culture. As a part of pragmatic, speech acts has several functional in social situation from asking apologize, giving request, thanking, accepting, and even refusing invitations (Chintawidy & Sartini, 2022; Huang, 2014). Speech act performed in the utterance of sentence which represented the meaning function (Searle, 1969). Among the L2 learners suppose to know about speech act, since the different meaning convey from L1 different to L2 (Blum-Kulka & Olshtain, 1984). To deliver L2 knowledge, the teacher has responsibility in confirming the L2 awareness towards speech act. As result, future teachers are ready to serve the material about L2 in different level and ignore missed interpretations. In this research, indirect request is a part of speech act. Most Indonesian students are not very familiar to write directly, but translation resulted of Indonesia to write their English sentences (Akmal et al., 2022b). Toyosaka (2021) states indirectness among L2 learners can be used to minimize imposition, express disagreement same as personal opinion, and deal disagrement situations more effectively. In certain situation of using indirect request, Boux (2023) states that indirect replies play on psychological and conceptual issues. Her research proved indirect acceptable by hearer that responding the speaker without semantically difficult, since the context of conversations played within less certainty, predictable, coherent and semantically to the questions. Using indirect speech in EFL situations, the learners as listeners ENGLISH REVIEW: Journal of English Education p-ISSN 2301-7554, e-ISSN 2541-3643 Volume 12, Issue 2, June 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/ERJEE 865 were also needed to be speaker’s perspective, which captured as meaningful communicative in utterance (Obdalova et al., 2019). Karatepe (2016) focused the situation about request form among Turkish learners’ complaint to higher institution. His research for indirect speech showed that the learners as non native preferred imperative to ask information and wanted the modal verb for statements resulted. The problem of this research deals with students’ knowledges in understanding English and Indonesia in same terms meaning through out indirect request. From this problem, we would like to discuss how the students were using their language especially indirect request in written area. METHOD This research is focused on how the speech acts of indirect request among EFL learners. For participants, there were coming from 2 differents universities , one private university from Palembang, South Sumatera represents Sumateran participants, while one public university from Malang, East Java represents Java participants. There were 26 participants selected as the subjects to this research: 13 fifth-semester students from public university at Malang and 13 fifth-semester students participans from private university at Palembang. In collecting our data, this research used questionnaire by applying DCT or Discourse Completion Task. The DCT questionaire is adopt from Syahri and Kadarisman (2015). The DCT questionnaire briefly asked the participants about roles in play certain situation. This questionnaire was dealed with social distance and power. The participants were accessed Google Form in accordance to answer the questionnaire. There were 12 situations which the partcipants were required to written role-play questionnaire. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The speech act based on directness level (Byon, 2006), such as direct, conventionally indirect. The data focus on delivering Sumatera and Java statements in delivering or process of their different utterances and also resulted on discrepancy meaning. These differences from participants takes written answer to see how they respond personally. The utterances were selected as sample based on the significant of delivery situation of different regions. The situation question about asking a pen in library and towards person never known before. Here the sample of Sumatera’s answer: “Can I borrow it for a moment?” *it refers to pen Compared to Javanese participant’s answer: “Excuse me, Sorry, can I borrow your pen for a moment?” Similar question in term asking about music loud from neighbor, here is the sample of Sumateran’s answer: “Can you turn down the volume for me plis? Thank you” Java situation: “Hey, can you turn down the volume or turn off your music please ? It is really disturbing me since I have to do my homework. You know it's already 9 p.m and you are doing something that can bother other people. So please be nice since you are new neighbor here.” If we see from the Sumateran participant, the sentence is asking to the person like they are met before, as the result the sentence is in mood - dervable and single sentence to permittion. Comparing to the Javanese participants, they were created hedged performative and taking more explanation by asking a thing. In placing situation that needs suggestion as question, the respondents give different strategy things in utterance. By asking about shopping discount, the participants were interested and asked a help to store assistant. Here is the sample: Sumateran’s participants: “Hi, can you help to find the s size?” Comparing to Javanese’s participants: “Excuse me, sorry to disturb you. Is there a T-shirt size that is the same size as my body?” Similar situations in asking a waiter at restaurant for more water service, Sumateran’s participant: “Can I have an extra glass of water?” Compared to Javanese participant: Widya Caterine Perdhani, Didik Hartono, Dita Grace, Ardafa Rizko Ubadillah, & Indriyani Annisa’ Cross cultural speech acts of indirect request in EFL 866 “Excuse me, I think I need more water. Can you give it to me?” From these different utterances, the Sumateran’s responds by using query – prepatory to asking a help. Comparing to Javanese, the utterance still uses hedged performative in beggining for respond and later fiving query prepatory to getting explanation. In mutual relationship, the conversation is slighty different. The situation question is about asking text book that sharing next to friend at classroom Here is the respond: Sumateran’s participants respond: “I left my book at home. Can I borrow your book?” Java’s participants respond: “Hey, if you don't mind can we share the textbook? I left mine at home.” For the utterances, the Sumatera answer situation uses query – prepatory strategy. Comparing the Javanese utterances, the strategy for situation uses hedged performative, because the participant is asking in good way eventhough having closed relation towards the question situation. In summary, the utterances between Sumateran and Javanese participants are different. Mostly, Sumateran try to reduce the kinship or adressing towards someone. For Javanese situation, they uses strategy that saying in mannerly situation eventhough having good relation towards the speaker. The interesting here, the Javanese participants tend to explanation by giving reason but the question is not asking about the reason. This different with Sumateran, the participants are rarely to giving explanation behind the question. Besides, the participants are tended to explanation by their translation without giving a proper sentence as target language. So, the participants have awareness that the necessary of answering question is bringing their L1 knowledge by translation eventhough it is not very well good as target language. CONCLUSION This research is very insightful from the participants to answers the questions. In conclusion, the way of participants thinking are representative differents. In matter of Sumatera, these communication are not pay attention to other people whether has difference ages or knowing the position from its person. The Javanese students represent culture that still shows the not direct utterances even in written area. This might have consideration of difference ages and knowledge someone’s position. This research has potential to contribute teaching and learning at school and university in Indonesia. Teachers and pre-service teachers must be have some awareness toward using indirect speech that in term to let L1 cultural no longer as translation in speaking practically. Teachers and pre-service teachers get any surfaces communication from L2 situation. As the result, the teacher and pre-service teachers during learning performances are effectively answer in proper without L1 culture. After the teacher and pre-service teachers are ready to deliver proper speaking skill, they should try to communicate for students who are missunderstood on L2 situation speaking. To support the finest communication, the teachers have to reflecting during lesson (i.e: feedback written and text) as tranformation of L2 knowledge context. The target of this research are to know the potential English language practical in use. Especially , the participants come from different areas, so this might be the lecturer or even profesional educators want to hit the target of L2 level practical. In certain case, speaking sample material from Indonesian school books from government are still less keen on target language situation, since the translation utterances on textbook are unsuitable to understand and sample of English context. This area needs more development with proper translation of target language, so the readers and students who use the school books are in same understanding of utterances and respond like a native speaker of target language. Hopefully, this research has potential to get the participants in target L2 level higher in future. ACKNOLEDGEMENTS This research was funded under Penelitian DPP / SPP 2023 by Universitas Brawijaya, Indonesia. REFERENCES Akmal, H., Syahriyani, A., & Handayani, T. (2022a). Request speech act of Indonesian English learners and australian english speakers through cross- cultural pragmatic perspectives. 15(2). Akmal, H., Syahriyani, A., & Handayani, T. (2022b). Request speech act of indonesian english learners and australian english speakers through cross- cultural pragmatic perspectives. 15(2). ENGLISH REVIEW: Journal of English Education p-ISSN 2301-7554, e-ISSN 2541-3643 Volume 12, Issue 2, June 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/ERJEE 867 Babaie, S., & Shahrokhi, M. (2015). A cross-cultural study of offering advice speech acts by Iranian EFL learners and english native speakers: Pragmatic transfer in focus. English Language Teaching, 8(6), p133. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v8n6p133 Blum-Kulka, S., & Olshtain, E. (1984). Requests and apologies: a cross-cultural study of speech act realization patterns (CCSARP). Applied Linguistics, 5(3), 196–213. Boux, I. P., Margiotoudi, K., Dreyer, F. R., Tomasello, R., & Pulvermüller, F. (2023). Cognitive Features of indirect speech acts. Language, Cognition and Neuroscience, 38(1), 40–64. https://doi.org/10.1080/23273798.2022.207739 6 Byon, A. S. (2006). Developing KFL students’ pragmatic awareness of Korean speech acts: The use of discourse completion tasks. Language Awareness, 15(4), 244–263. https://doi.org/10.2167/la410.0 Chen, Y., & Liu, J. (2016). Constructing a scale to assess L2 written speech act performance: WDCT and E-mail Tasks. Language Assessment Quarterly, 13(3), 231–250. https://doi.org/10.1080/15434303.2016.121384 4 Chintawidy, P. A., & Sartini, N. W. (2022). A cross- cultural pragmatics study of request strategies and politeness in Javanese and Sundanese. Journal of Pragmatics Research, 4(1), 152–166. https://doi.org/10.18326/jopr.v4i2.152-166 Hikmatulloh, H., & Syafia, A. (2020). The role of ccu in english classroom in Indonesia. JELLT (Journal of English Language and Language Teaching), 4(1), Article 1. https://doi.org/10.36597/jellt.v4i1.7691 Huang, Y. (2014). Pragmatics. Oxford University Press, USA. Jandevi, U., & Zareen, M. (2020). Cross-cultural communication of the Indonesian students in China. International Journal of Communication and Society, 2(2), 79–85. https://doi.org/10.31763/ijcs.v2i2.96 Karatepe, Ç. (2016). Indirectness in requests in complaint letters to the higher institution by Turkish EFL students. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 232, 354–361. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2016.10.050 Nugroho, A., & Rekha, A. (2020). Speech acts of requests: A case of Indonesian EFL learners. Journal of English Language Teaching and Linguistics, 5(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.21462/jeltl.v5i1.371 Obdalova, O. A., Minakova, L. Yu., Soboleva, A. V., & Tikhonova, E. V. (2019). Modes of wording direct into indirect speech in intercultural communication. In Z. Anikina (Ed.), Going Global through Social Sciences and Humanities: A Systems and ICT Perspective (pp. 183–194). Springer International Publishing. Pase, F. (2015). “ I’m Sorry for the mistakes i’m about to make”: interaction, social status and emotion in the Indonesian EFL classroom (1591038) [Thesis Master , Northern Illinois University]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global. Searle, J. R. (1969). Speech Acts: An Essay in the Philosophy of Language. Cambridge University Press. Syahri, I., & Kadarisman, A. E. (2015). Pragmatic transfer in request realizations. TEFLIN Journal - A Publication on the Teaching and Learning of English, 18(2), 123. https://doi.org/10.15639/teflinjournal.v18i2/123 -147 Tajeddin, Z., Alemi, M., & Razzaghi, S. (2014). Cross- cultural perceptions of impoliteness by native English speakers and EFL learners: The case of apology speech act. Journal of Intercultural Communication Research, 43(4), 304–326. https://doi.org/10.1080/17475759.2014.967279 Toyosaka, N. (2021). Pragmatic task difficulty and l2 politeness strategies in disagreement situations across proficiency. Core, 49, 45–85. Zamroni, Z., Dwiningrum, S. I. A., Hope, J., Kartowagiran, B., Sudartinah, T., Siteine, A., & Yao, Z. (2021). Cross-cultural competence in multicultural education in Indonesian and New Zealand high schools. International Journal of Instruction, 14(3), 597–612. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2021.14335a Widya Caterine Perdhani, Didik Hartono, Dita Grace, Ardafa Rizko Ubadillah, & Indriyani Annisa’ Cross cultural speech acts of indirect request in EFL 868