DOI: https://doi.org/10.14710/kiryoku.v11i1.1-16

A Preliminary Study of Complaint Speech Act Strategies between Indonesian and Japanese Female Students

Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Indonesia

Open Access Copyright (c) 2027 by authors under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.

Citation Format:
Abstract

This preliminary study aims to examine similarities and differences in the use of complaint strategies by Indonesian and Japanese speakers in relation to interpersonal closeness. The study employed a descriptive qualitative design using contrastive analysis. Data were collected through a written Discourse Completion Test (DCT) involving an academic situation in which a friend neglected a group assignment, with five Indonesian female university students (IFS) and five Japanese female university students (JFS) as participants. A questionnaire was also administered to obtain contextual information supporting the DCT responses. The complaint utterances were coded according to the five complaint strategies proposed by Olshtain and Weinbach (1993) and compared across the two groups and interlocutor conditions. The findings show that interpersonal closeness was associated with differences in the use of complaint strategies in both groups. JFS employed a wider range of strategies, whereas IFS predominantly used Complaint and Warning and Accusation, which represent more direct complaint strategies. Interpersonal closeness was also reflected in the linguistic realization of complaints. JFS more often used interrogative and context-dependent forms, while IFS relied more on explicit negative evaluations and prohibitive forms. The role of interpersonal closeness differed between the groups: it was more apparent in linguistic realization among IFS and in both strategy distribution and linguistic realization among JFS. These findings highlight the relevance of interpersonal closeness in understanding cross-cultural differences in complaint strategies in Indonesian and Japanese.

Fulltext View|Download Email colleagues
Keywords: Contrastive Analysis; Complaint Speech Act Strategy; Interpersonal Closeness

Article Metrics:

Article Info
Section: Articles
Language : EN
Most cited articles
Verba Kompon Hajimeru, Dasu, Dan Kakeru Sebagai Penanda Aspek Inkoatif Bahasa Jepang More cited articles
  1. Al-Ebadi, H. K., Ulaiwi, W. A., & Murdas, S. A. (2020). Speech Act of Complaining in Hamlet. International Journal of Innovation, Creativity and Change, 13(1), 1448-1464
  2. Auliya, N., Djatmika, & Abdullah, W. (2021). Complaining Strategies Used by Indonesian Online Shoppers: A Pragmatics Study. International Journal of Linguistics, Literature and Translation, 4(10), 104-110. https://doi.org/10.32996/ijllt.2021.4.10.14
  3. Brown, L. & Hübscher, I. (2022). 13. Distance and closeness: The im/politeness of space in communication. In A. Jucker & H. Hausendorf (Ed.), Pragmatics of Space (pp. 399-428). Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter Mouton. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110693713-013
  4. Fiqih, E.A., & Sudana, D. (2022) The Speech Act of Comsumers’ Complaining and Sellers’ Responses on the Review Page of E-Commerce Platforms. AMCA Journal of Science and Technology, 2(1), 14-17. https://doi.org/10.51773/ajst.v2i1.132
  5. Furkatovna, S. A., Jurabekovna, T. M., & Mamurjonovna, T. P. (2021). Gender aspect of politness strategy in speech acts. Linguistics and Culture Review, 5(S2), 1488-1496. https://doi.org/10.21744/lingcure.v5nS2.1962
  6. Ikeuchi, H. (2010). The Psychological Mechanism of Complaining Behavior. Japanese Journal of Social Psychology, 25(3), 188-198. https://doi.org/10.14966/jssp.KJ00006203284
  7. Ilham., et al. (2019). The Analysis of Booster Expression in Complaining Speech Act. Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, 338, 344-351. https://doi.org/10.2991/prasasti-19.2019.59
  8. Indahningrum, M., et al. (2023). Tutran Keluhan pada Anime Naruto Shipuden. Jurnal Education and Development, 11(3), 390-397. https://doi.org/10.37081/ed.v11i3.5083
  9. Ishizuka, Y. (2015). A Comparative Study of Complaining Behaviors Between Japanese and Korean: Focusing of Unpleasant Emotions and Personality Characteristics. Journal of Aomori University Multidisciplinary Reasearch Institute, 16(2), 1-15
  10. Koseki, K., & Nguyen, Ha T. V. (2025). Pragmatic Strategies in Vietnamese and Japanese Complaints and Complaints Responses: A World Englishes Perspective on Learner Agency. Tesol in Context, 34(2), 114-143. https://doi.org/10.21153/tesol2025vol34no2art2225
  11. Lailiyah, N., et al. (2023). Realizing Complaining Speech Acts of Covid-19 Survivors with a Gender and Education Perspective. International Journal of Society, Culture & Language IJSCL, 11(1), 171-188. https://doi.org/10.22034/ijscl.2023.1986798.2905
  12. Lee, S. H. (2006). Complaints Expressed by Japanese and Korean Native Speakers: A Comparison between Japanese and Korean Students. The Japanese Journal of Language in Society, 8(2), 53-64. https://doi.org/10.19024/jajls.8.2_53
  13. Li, R., & Suleiman, R. R. R. (2017). Language Proficiency and the Speech Act of Complaint of Chinese EFL Learners. 3L the Southeast Asian Journal of English Language Studies, 23(1), 60-74. http://doi.org/10.17576/3L-2017-2301-05
  14. Malki, I. (2022). Gender Differences in the Usage of Speech Act of Promise among Moroccan Female and Male High School Students. International Journal of Social Science Studies, 10(2), 50-64. https://doi.org/10.11114/ijsss.v10i2.5472
  15. Mulawarman, W. G., Hudiyono, Y., Andri, A., & Ningsi, H. W. (2021). Gender representation and language politeness in speech acts: A pragmatic study. Masyarakat, Kebudayaan Dan Politik, 34(3), 329–339. https://doi.org/10.20473/mkp.V34I32021.329-339
  16. Olshtain, E., & Weinbach, L. (1993). Interlanguage Feature of the Speech Act of Complaining, dalam Blum-Kulka,S., & Kasper, G., Interlanguage Pragmatics (108-122). New York: Oxford University Press
  17. Qizi, D. M. A (2026). Sociolinguistic And Pragmatic Foundations Of The Social Distance Phenomenon. Advances in Science and Education, 2(07), 72-75. https://doi.org/10.70728/edu.v02.i07.016
  18. Satriatama, P. E. (2024). Inclusive Japanese Language Use in Support of Gender Equality. KIRYOKU, 8(2), 397-403. https://doi.org/10.14710/kiryoku.v8i2.397-403
  19. Takamizawa, H., et al. (2016). Shin Hajimete no Nihongo Kyouiku: Kihon yougo Jiten. Tokyo: ASK
  20. Trosborg, A. (1995). Interlanguage Pragmatics: Request, Complaints, and Apologies (Vol. 7). New York: Walter de Gruyet
  21. Zhang, D. (2017). An overview of the Speech Act of Complaining. 7th International Conference on Education, Management, Information and Computer Science (634-636). Atlantis Press. https://doi.org/10.2991/icemc-17.2017.127

Last update:

No citation recorded.

Last update: 2026-11-05 01:20:07

No citation recorded.