dimension of speech act performance and is related to the ability to express a variety of communicative function.
In the English as Foreign Language EFL context, Interlanguage pragmatics is a study that investigates EFL learners’ knowledge, perception,
comprehension and acquisition of pragmatic of second languages Alcon, 2008 cited in Baron and Maria, 2010: 39. Moreover, interlanguage pragmatic is used to
investigate the ability of EFL learners in understanding and performing action in target language that in this research is English language. In this research, the
research employ interlanguage pragmatics in order to analyze how EFL learners from Javanese, Madurese and Using tribes, whose language background and
culture are different from the target language, use their ability in performing target language pragmatics, especially gratitude expression and the acquisition of
linguistic action pattern in the second language.
2.3 Expressing Gratitude
Gratitude expression is always related to daily social life. Its aim is to make and maintain good relationship with others, especially after someone is helped by
others. As cited on Cheng 2005: 12, Leech 1983 describes thanking from social perspective as “a friendly function, and its goal of stating appreciation is to
establish and maintain a polite and friendly social atmosphere.” Gratitude begins with an inner feeling. The feeling of love and tenderness will grow if we are
grateful for all the good things happening around us, especially when we are united
with our
dear one
http:education.byu.eduyoucandothisexpressing_gratitude.html , accessed on 06
March, 2014 . There are several reasons of why expressing gratitude or saying
thank you is important based on the etiquette advantage: 1
Saying thank you acknowledges our dependence on others. 2
It is important to recognize the time it took, especially because we are a time deprived society.
3 If we do not express gratitude, our relationship might change because we
show that we do not care about the other person. 4
By undermining the code of conduct, we belittle the worth of others. What we are saying is: I do not have to thank you because you mean nothing to
me. 5
It is contagious. If you do something nice for someone, they will do something nice for someone else.
6 If we start chipping away at gratitude and common courtesy, life becomes
very unpleasant. http:etiquetteadvantage.caresourcesgratitude
, accessed on 06 March 2014
Gratitude expression in pragmatics study belongs to speech acts. Austin 1962: 94-107 defines speech act as the action of saying something. Speech act is
divided into three groups—locutionary, illocutionary, and perlocutionary. Expressing gratitude belongs to illocutionary act. Illocutionary acts are acts done
in speaking, including and especially that sort of act for using a performative
sentence such as christening, marrying and so on Austin, cited in Laurence and
Ward, 2006: 54
Gratitude expression is appreciation for all kinds of big and small favors, gifts, and compliments in various situations such as when exchanging goods, at
parties, etc. Most of the expressions of gratitude involve the word thank, as in many thanks, thank you, thank you very much, thanks, thanks a lot. Eisenstein
Bodman in Kasper Bulm-Kulka 1993: 64 said that usually native speakers and second language learners are unaware with the complex rules of significant
differences in its cross cultural realization. It also happens in the expression of gratitude because they assume that expression of gratitude is universal. Eisenstein
and Bodman 1986 conducted an experiment on gratitude expression on native speakers of American English whose language background is different. They gave
questions that are applied in several conditions. The research shows that thanking appears as a universal function. Because of the universality of using thanking,
every place has different way in thanking. As a result, every EFL learner who has different language background has different way in expressing gratitude. It will
affect them in performing gratitude expression in target language in certain situation.
2.4 Cheng’s Taxonomy
