A Pragmatic Study of Apologies Posted on Weibo by Chinese Celebrities

Xu Zhanghong; Li Yanan

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ijla.20200802.14

| Peer-Reviewed

A Pragmatic Study of Apologies Posted on Weibo by Chinese Celebrities

Xu Zhanghong, Li Yanan

Published in International Journal of Literature and Arts (Volume 8, Issue 2)

Received: 27 February 2020 Accepted: 10 March 2020 Published: 31 March 2020

Views: Downloads:

Download PDF

Share This Article

Twitter
Linked In
Facebook

Abstract

As we are living in the “Age of Apology” (Brooks, 1999), our ability to say “I’m sorry” does matter considerably, for an appropriate apology would not only express regret but also contribute to interpersonal relationship management and image restoration. Although apology as a social phenomenon has been extensively studied in the English-speaking world, Chinese apologies have not drawn due attention from linguists and management scientists. This paper investigates formal apologies made by Chinese celebrities between 2018 and 2019 in the context of social media by scrutinizing 30 cases collected from Weibo, a Chinese micro-blogging site. Based on Cross-Cultural Speech Act Realization Patterns (CCSARP) and image repair strategies, it is found that (1) IFID (Illocutionary Force Indicating Device) is the most common strategy in apologies, followed by Explanation or Account, whereas Offer of Repair is the least; (2) In terms of image restoration, Chinese celebrities tend to employ Reduce Offensiveness and Mortification to offset negative impressions; (3) Being shamed or being embarrassed (“羞愧”) and self-examination (“反省”) are specific IFID types in Chinese, and some mitigation strategies distinct from those in other languages are found. The research has revealed the specific features of Chinese apologies on social media and will shed light on ways of image management for the ordinary Chinese in general and Chinese celebrities in particular.

Published in	International Journal of Literature and Arts (Volume 8, Issue 2) This article belongs to the Special Issue Humanity and Science: China’s Intercultural Communication with the Outside World in the New Era
DOI	10.11648/j.ijla.20200802.14
Page(s)	52-61
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Apologies, Image Repair, Weibo, Celebrities

References

[1]	Brooks, R. L. (1999). When sorry isn’t enough: The controversy over apologies and reparations for human injustice. New York: New York University Press.
[2]	Chen, J. (2015). A pragmatic study of Chinese corporate apologies posted on Weibo. Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, China.
[3]	Yang, W. X. (2017). A Study of the Image Restoration Discourse on Micro-blog Apologies Posted by Entertainment Celebrities. Fujian Normal University, China.
[4]	Cui, P. K (2014). Study in Government Weibo Utterances from the Speech Act Theoretic Perspective. East China Normal University, China.
[5]	Hu, L. B. C. (2015). Study of governmental “Micro-apology” in crisis communication strategy. Journal of the Party School of Guizhou Provincial Committee of the C. P. C, 4, 101-104.
[6]	Olshtain, E. and Cohen, A. (1983). Apology: a speech act set. Sociolinguistics and Language Acquisition. Rowley: Newbury House.
[7]	Holmes, J. (1990). Apologies in New Zealand English. Language in Society, 19 (2), 155-199.
[8]	Trosborg, A. (1995). Interlanguage Pragmatics: Requests, Complaints and Apologies. Berlin/New York: Mouton de Gruyter.
[9]	Blum-Kulka, S., and Olshtain, E., (1984). Requests and apologies: a cross-cultural study of speech act realization patterns (CCSARP). Applied Linguistics, 5, 196–213.
[10]	Shahrokhi, M., and Jan, J. M. (2012). The Realization of Apology Strategies Among Persian Males. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 46, 692-700.
[11]	Afghari, A. (2007). A sociopragmatic study of apology speech act realization patterns in Persian. Speech Communication, 49 (3), 177-185.
[12]	Kadar, D. Z., Ning, P. Y. and Ran, Y. P. (2018) Public ritual apology - A case study of Chinese. Discourse, Context & Media, 26, 21-31.
[13]	Kampf, Z. (2009). Public (non-) apologies: The discourse of minimizing responsibility. Journal of Pragmatics, 41 (11), 2257-2270.
[14]	Benoit, W. L. (1997). Image Repair Discourse and Crisis Communication. Public Relations Review, 23 (2), 177–186.
[15]	Page, R. (2014). Saying ‘sorry’: Corporate apologies posted on Twitter. Journal of Pragmatics, 62, 30–45.
[16]	Sandlin, J. K., and Gracyalny, M. L. (2018). Seeking sincerity, finding forgiveness: YouTube apologies as image repair. Public Relations Review, 44, 393–406.
[17]	Zhang, A. L. (2018). A Review on the Study of Apology Expressions at Home and Abroad. Overseas Chinese Education, 5, 131-137.
[18]	Austin, J. L. (1962). How to do things with words. London: Oxford University Press.
[19]	Searle, J. R. (1979). Expression and Meaning: Studies in the Theory of Speech Acts. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
[20]	Leech, G. N. (1983). Principles of Pragmatics. London: Longman.
[21]	Goffman, E. (1959). The Presentation of the Self in Everyday Life. New York: Anchor Books.
[22]	Brown, P., and Levinson, S. (1987). Politeness: Some Universals in Language Use. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
[23]	Wang, M. (2010). A Survey of Apology Studies Abroad. Journal of University of Science and Technology Beijing (Social Sciences Edition), 2, 107-112.
[24]	Demeter, G. (2000). A Pragmatic Study of Apology Strategies in Romanian, North University of Baia Mare, Romania.
[25]	Benoit, W. L. (1997). Hugh Grant’s image restoration discourse: An actor apologizes. Communication Quarterly, 45, 251–267.
[26]	Benoit, W. L. (1999). Queen Elizabeth's Image Repair Discourse: Insensitive Royal or Compassionate Queen? Public Relations Review, 25 (2): 145–156.
[27]	Benoit, W. L., and Henson, J. R. (2009). President Bush’s image repair discourse on Hurricane Katrina. Public Relations Review 35 (2009) 40–46.
[28]	Benoit, W. L. (2014). President Barack Obama's image repair on HealthCare. gov. Public Relations Review, 40 (5), 733-738.
[29]	Blum-Kulka, S., House, J. and Kasper, G. (Eds.), (1989). Cross-Cultural Pragmatics: Requests and Apologies. Norwood, NJ: Ablex Publishing Corporation.

Cite This Article

Plain Text BibTeX RIS

APA Style

Xu Zhanghong, Li Yanan. (2020). A Pragmatic Study of Apologies Posted on Weibo by Chinese Celebrities. International Journal of Literature and Arts, 8(2), 52-61. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20200802.14

Copy | Download

ACS Style

Xu Zhanghong; Li Yanan. A Pragmatic Study of Apologies Posted on Weibo by Chinese Celebrities. Int. J. Lit. Arts 2020, 8(2), 52-61. doi: 10.11648/j.ijla.20200802.14

Copy | Download

AMA Style

Xu Zhanghong, Li Yanan. A Pragmatic Study of Apologies Posted on Weibo by Chinese Celebrities. Int J Lit Arts. 2020;8(2):52-61. doi: 10.11648/j.ijla.20200802.14

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.ijla.20200802.14,
  author = {Xu Zhanghong and Li Yanan},
  title = {A Pragmatic Study of Apologies Posted on Weibo by Chinese Celebrities},
  journal = {International Journal of Literature and Arts},
  volume = {8},
  number = {2},
  pages = {52-61},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijla.20200802.14},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20200802.14},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijla.20200802.14},
  abstract = {As we are living in the “Age of Apology” (Brooks, 1999), our ability to say “I’m sorry” does matter considerably, for an appropriate apology would not only express regret but also contribute to interpersonal relationship management and image restoration. Although apology as a social phenomenon has been extensively studied in the English-speaking world, Chinese apologies have not drawn due attention from linguists and management scientists. This paper investigates formal apologies made by Chinese celebrities between 2018 and 2019 in the context of social media by scrutinizing 30 cases collected from Weibo, a Chinese micro-blogging site. Based on Cross-Cultural Speech Act Realization Patterns (CCSARP) and image repair strategies, it is found that (1) IFID (Illocutionary Force Indicating Device) is the most common strategy in apologies, followed by Explanation or Account, whereas Offer of Repair is the least; (2) In terms of image restoration, Chinese celebrities tend to employ Reduce Offensiveness and Mortification to offset negative impressions; (3) Being shamed or being embarrassed (“羞愧”) and self-examination (“反省”) are specific IFID types in Chinese, and some mitigation strategies distinct from those in other languages are found. The research has revealed the specific features of Chinese apologies on social media and will shed light on ways of image management for the ordinary Chinese in general and Chinese celebrities in particular.},
 year = {2020}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - A Pragmatic Study of Apologies Posted on Weibo by Chinese Celebrities
AU  - Xu Zhanghong
AU  - Li Yanan
Y1  - 2020/03/31
PY  - 2020
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20200802.14
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijla.20200802.14
T2  - International Journal of Literature and Arts
JF  - International Journal of Literature and Arts
JO  - International Journal of Literature and Arts
SP  - 52
EP  - 61
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2331-057X
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20200802.14
AB  - As we are living in the “Age of Apology” (Brooks, 1999), our ability to say “I’m sorry” does matter considerably, for an appropriate apology would not only express regret but also contribute to interpersonal relationship management and image restoration. Although apology as a social phenomenon has been extensively studied in the English-speaking world, Chinese apologies have not drawn due attention from linguists and management scientists. This paper investigates formal apologies made by Chinese celebrities between 2018 and 2019 in the context of social media by scrutinizing 30 cases collected from Weibo, a Chinese micro-blogging site. Based on Cross-Cultural Speech Act Realization Patterns (CCSARP) and image repair strategies, it is found that (1) IFID (Illocutionary Force Indicating Device) is the most common strategy in apologies, followed by Explanation or Account, whereas Offer of Repair is the least; (2) In terms of image restoration, Chinese celebrities tend to employ Reduce Offensiveness and Mortification to offset negative impressions; (3) Being shamed or being embarrassed (“羞愧”) and self-examination (“反省”) are specific IFID types in Chinese, and some mitigation strategies distinct from those in other languages are found. The research has revealed the specific features of Chinese apologies on social media and will shed light on ways of image management for the ordinary Chinese in general and Chinese celebrities in particular.
VL  - 8
IS  - 2
ER  -

Copy | Download

Author Information

Xu Zhanghong

School of English for International Business, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou, China
Li Yanan

School of English for International Business, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou, China

Download PDF

Sections

Plain Text BibTeX RIS

APA Style

Xu Zhanghong, Li Yanan. (2020). A Pragmatic Study of Apologies Posted on Weibo by Chinese Celebrities. International Journal of Literature and Arts, 8(2), 52-61. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20200802.14

Copy | Download

ACS Style

Xu Zhanghong; Li Yanan. A Pragmatic Study of Apologies Posted on Weibo by Chinese Celebrities. Int. J. Lit. Arts 2020, 8(2), 52-61. doi: 10.11648/j.ijla.20200802.14

Copy | Download

AMA Style

Xu Zhanghong, Li Yanan. A Pragmatic Study of Apologies Posted on Weibo by Chinese Celebrities. Int J Lit Arts. 2020;8(2):52-61. doi: 10.11648/j.ijla.20200802.14

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.ijla.20200802.14,
  author = {Xu Zhanghong and Li Yanan},
  title = {A Pragmatic Study of Apologies Posted on Weibo by Chinese Celebrities},
  journal = {International Journal of Literature and Arts},
  volume = {8},
  number = {2},
  pages = {52-61},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijla.20200802.14},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20200802.14},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijla.20200802.14},
  abstract = {As we are living in the “Age of Apology” (Brooks, 1999), our ability to say “I’m sorry” does matter considerably, for an appropriate apology would not only express regret but also contribute to interpersonal relationship management and image restoration. Although apology as a social phenomenon has been extensively studied in the English-speaking world, Chinese apologies have not drawn due attention from linguists and management scientists. This paper investigates formal apologies made by Chinese celebrities between 2018 and 2019 in the context of social media by scrutinizing 30 cases collected from Weibo, a Chinese micro-blogging site. Based on Cross-Cultural Speech Act Realization Patterns (CCSARP) and image repair strategies, it is found that (1) IFID (Illocutionary Force Indicating Device) is the most common strategy in apologies, followed by Explanation or Account, whereas Offer of Repair is the least; (2) In terms of image restoration, Chinese celebrities tend to employ Reduce Offensiveness and Mortification to offset negative impressions; (3) Being shamed or being embarrassed (“羞愧”) and self-examination (“反省”) are specific IFID types in Chinese, and some mitigation strategies distinct from those in other languages are found. The research has revealed the specific features of Chinese apologies on social media and will shed light on ways of image management for the ordinary Chinese in general and Chinese celebrities in particular.},
 year = {2020}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - A Pragmatic Study of Apologies Posted on Weibo by Chinese Celebrities
AU  - Xu Zhanghong
AU  - Li Yanan
Y1  - 2020/03/31
PY  - 2020
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20200802.14
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijla.20200802.14
T2  - International Journal of Literature and Arts
JF  - International Journal of Literature and Arts
JO  - International Journal of Literature and Arts
SP  - 52
EP  - 61
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2331-057X
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20200802.14
AB  - As we are living in the “Age of Apology” (Brooks, 1999), our ability to say “I’m sorry” does matter considerably, for an appropriate apology would not only express regret but also contribute to interpersonal relationship management and image restoration. Although apology as a social phenomenon has been extensively studied in the English-speaking world, Chinese apologies have not drawn due attention from linguists and management scientists. This paper investigates formal apologies made by Chinese celebrities between 2018 and 2019 in the context of social media by scrutinizing 30 cases collected from Weibo, a Chinese micro-blogging site. Based on Cross-Cultural Speech Act Realization Patterns (CCSARP) and image repair strategies, it is found that (1) IFID (Illocutionary Force Indicating Device) is the most common strategy in apologies, followed by Explanation or Account, whereas Offer of Repair is the least; (2) In terms of image restoration, Chinese celebrities tend to employ Reduce Offensiveness and Mortification to offset negative impressions; (3) Being shamed or being embarrassed (“羞愧”) and self-examination (“反省”) are specific IFID types in Chinese, and some mitigation strategies distinct from those in other languages are found. The research has revealed the specific features of Chinese apologies on social media and will shed light on ways of image management for the ordinary Chinese in general and Chinese celebrities in particular.
VL  - 8
IS  - 2
ER  -

Copy | Download