Apologies and Face: An Exploration in Iranian Culture

The object of the present study is to examine the relationship of “prototypical” apologies (containing an Illocutionary Force Indicating Device (IFID)) in Persian to interlocutors’ (perceived) damage to social face (shakhsiat). Our hypothesis is that in Iranian culture such apologies are generally seen as admission of wrongdoing/responsibility and therefore as serious threats to speakers’ social face (shakhsiat/vejheh), so they are often consciously avoided or at times replaced with alternative strategies aimed at neutralizing this face threat and to normalizing the relationship. Since our focus has been interlocutors perceptions of apologies and alternatives, various methods were employed in data collection. The main body of data was collected through participant observation, which was then supplemented by post-event interviews where possible. In addition, a number of ethnographic interviews consisting of open-ended questions yielded valuable data on participant perspectives. Lastly, the researchers’ introspection and intuitions as members of the community (one a long-term, semi-insider participant, the other a full native speaker) provided additional insights. Data analysis confirms our initial hypothesis of the face-threatening quality of prototypical apologies and after identifying a range of alternative strategies, it puts forward a new definition of apologies in Persian.