The Use of Mitigating Devices in Requests by Serbian EFL Learners

Abstract

The paper presents the examination of the ways Serbian EFL students use mitigating devices in realizing the speech act of requesting. Beginning with definitions and classifications of the main concepts, the paper presents the two main objectives of the study: the use of mitigating devices in requests by Serbian learners of EFL, and, the emphasis on the importance of teaching pragmatic aspects in schools. The method used in the research is presented, and the process of data collection explained. The data obtained from the discourse completion task are analyzed, and the possible results discussed. Finally, the research results are stated, and the attention is drawn to the importance of teaching the use of mitigating devices and to the promotion of students’ pragmatic development in EFL classroom settings.