Journal Article

Cultural nuances in pre-request speech acts: a pragmatic analysis of the Minangkabau language

Anindya Zalfikhe, Farah, Syaputri, Wuri, Oktavianus, Oktavianus, Revita, Ike

2025

Overview

The article aims to identify the research gap by qualitatively analyzing request speech acts in the Minangkabau language. This study uses a qualitative approach to investigate ‘naturally happening talks data’, which refers to real-life conversations and interactions from Minangkabau speakers to identify the linguistic strategies used in pre-request speech acts. The findings demonstrate that these strategies are depicted in the cultural values of the community – such as respect for class structure, holding harmony and drift to communicate indirectly. The results indicate that Minangkabau speakers often use polished and culturally nuanced politeness strategies, contemplating the community’s commitment to reciprocal respect and social unity. This research contributes to the field of pragmatics by enlightening the interactions between language and culture in forming speech acts. It focuses on the importance of cultural consciousness in understanding the communication system. It proposes a perception that can build up cross-cultural interactions, especially when the nuances of pre-demand strategies are essential. In addition, this study is widely applied to pragmatic theory and practice, granting a functional and cultural lens for analyzing speech acts in the context of the Minangkabau language with its rule of speaking called as Kato nan Ampek.

• Publisher: Taylor & Francis Group
• Subject: Cultural nuances / Cultural Studies / Language & Linguistics / Minangkabau language / pragmatics / pre-request speech acts