External modifications supportive moves
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gratitude, begging for help, sweetener, disarmer, asking hearer’s opinion, and joking and upgrading external modifications i.e., reprimanding, confirmation of
request, and moralizing. The coding of the external modifications are displayed in table 13.
Table 13. Coding of External Modifications in Requests External modifications
Strategies Description and example
Downgrading external modifications
DEM Preparator
Prep
‘I have something to say to you’ or ‘May I ask you something?’
Grounder Grnd
‘I lost my wallet, can you lend me some money?’ or ‘There is a wedding at 3 o’clock,
so come by 11 o’clock’. Cost minimizer
Cost
‘I will return it to you tomorrow’ and ‘It won’t take long’.
Promise of reward Prom
‘Do me a favor this time’, ‘allow me to treat you’ and ‘I will treat you’.
Apology Apol
‘Sorry’ and ‘I am sorry, but…’ Humbling oneself
Humb
‘I think I’m not capable of .....’ Self-introduction
Intrd
‘I am a student of Beijing University’ and ‘I am from the Management Department’
Gratitude Grat
‘Thank you for your cooperation’ and ‘I’d appreciate it if you could help me’.
Begging for help Beg
‘I beg you’ Sweetener
Sweet
‘I know you are very good at making money’ and ‘No one can do this work as well as you’
Disarmer Disa
‘I know you don’t have time, but…’ and ‘I know it is very difficult, but…’
Asking the hearer’s opinion Askop
‘How about it?’, ‘Is that OK to you?’, and ‘What do you think?’
Joking Joke
‘I don’t want to let you move…’ Note: the boss said the sentence tongue in cheek
Upgrading external modifications
UEM Reprimanding
Repr
‘Why can only you do these?’ and ‘This one is wrong. Don’t you know?’
Confirmation of request
Conf
‘Confirm that document again. Are you clear about what I said?’ and ‘You should hand it
by tomorrow. When can you do it?’ Moralizing
Moral
‘Is your behavior appropriate?’ and ‘This is good for everyone, so…’
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