VietTESOL International Convention 2026

Refusal is a face-threatening speech act that requires a high level of pragmatic competence influenced by sociocultural factors. While L1 speakers navigate these nuances intuitively, L2 speakers often face pragmatic failure due to cross-linguistic interference. This study employs discourse completion tasks, role-play scenarios, and semi-structured focus group interviews to collect data from 20 L1 speakers from the United States and 60 L2 speakers at Tien Giang University. Situations were designed to vary according to key social variables: Power Relations (P), Social Distance (D), and Rank of Imposition (R). The primary objective is to explore and compare the refusal strategies utilized by L1 speakers and L2 speakers and to investigate how social factors influence their linguistic choices. The findings reveal differences in the frequency and types of refusal strategies. While L1 speakers favored indirect strategies to maintain solidarity, L2 speakers tended to rely on more direct refusals or inappropriate shifts in politeness markers, especially in high-imposition scenarios. The analysis suggests that L2 speakers often lack sociopragmatic awareness. However, L2 speakers, lecturers of English can use English with a level of fluency comparable to that of L1 speakers. This comparative analysis highlights the critical gap between grammatical competence and pragmatic competence in second language acquisition. Consequently, the study suggests implementing explicit pragmatic instruction and cultural-awareness training in L2 language teaching to foster effective intercultural communication.