Yule 1996: 79 points out that the preference organization divides the SPPs into two kinds, namely preferred and dispreferred social act. The preferred
social act is described as an expected response performed in the next act, while the dispreferred social act is an unexpected response performed in the next act. Mey
2009: 140 adds that an agreement in the SPP is considered as the preferred social act and it is conveyed in an unmarked form. It means that the preferred
social act is performed without delays and designed directly and briefly. On the other hand, a disagreement is considered as the dispreferred social act and it is
carried out in a marked form. In other words, the dispreferred social act tends to be performed with some delays, mitigations, excuses, etc.
a. Types of Dispreferred Social Acts
Levinson in Mey, 1993: 231 presents the general patterns of dispreferred
social act as follows: 1
The Dispreferred Social Act of Request - Refusal
According to Becker in Achiba, 2003: 5, request is used by a speaker when he or she wants to ask the hearer to perform something. Levinson in Mey,
1993: 231 explains further that the request sets up an expectation of acceptance in the SPP; meanwhile the dispreferred social act of request is a refusal. For the
illustration, Richards and Smith 1983: 129 give an example as follows: A
: Can you mail this for me please? B
: Sure, but I won’t have time today
Richards and Smith, 1983: 129 The example above illustrates the dispreferred social acts of request. In
the FPP, A performs a request to B to mail something. In this case, A expects that
B will accept the request. As the response, B refuses to perform the request by saying “Sure, but I won‟t have time today”. This statement means that B would
not be able to help A to mail the letter because he or she is busy. 2
The Dispreferred Social Act of Offer - Refusal
According to Tsui 1994: 107, both request and offer intend to get the hearer to perform future actions. However, there is a difference between them. In
a request, the future action of the hearer will be beneficial for the speaker; meanwhile in an offer, the future action gives a benefit for the hearer.
Levinson in Mey, 1993: 231 points out that an acceptance is the preferred response of offer. On the other hand, a refusal is considered as the
dispreferred social act. Richards and Smith 1983: 129 provide an example of the dispreferred social act of offer as follows:
Amy : Like a lift?
Chloe : Thanks, but I am waiting for my friend.
Richards and Smith, 1983: 129 In the FPP, it can be seen that Amy gives an offer to Chloe for a ride. In
this case, an acceptance is obviously the expected response. Nonetheless, Chloe chooses to perform a dispreferred social act by giving a refusal. In the SPP, it can
be seen that Chloe refuses the offer because she is waiting for her friend.
3 The Dispreferred Social Act of Invitation - Refusal
According to Verschueren and Ostmant 2009: 233, when a speaker invites the hearer, it means he or she wants to perform future actions. In
preference organization, Levinson in Mey, 1993: 231 says that an invitation sets
up an expectation of acceptance; meanwhile a refusal is considered as the dispreferred social act of invitation.
Anne : I have a birthday party tomorrow. Will you come? Beth :
I’d love to but I have to go LA tonight.
The example above shows the occurrence of dispreferred social act in an
invitation which is responded by a refusal. In the FPP, Anne invites Beth to come to her party. As the response, Beth gives her dispreferred response by refusing
Anne‟s invitation. It happens since Beth has another obligation which makes her cannot perform the preferred action.
4
The Dispreferred Social Act of Assessment - Disagreement
Tsui 1994: 142 states that an assessment is an act in which a speaker states about his evaluative opinion or perspective of certain people, things,
actions, state of affairs, etc. According to Levinson in Mey, 1993: 231, the SPP of assessment is preferred to be an agreement, whereas a disagreement is the
dispreferred social act of assessment. The example of dispreferred social act in assessment is:
John : I‟m sure they‟ll have yummy food there
Jack : Hmm
m―I guess the food isn’t great
In this example, John expresses his assessment about a restaurant that he
thinks serving a delicious food. In this matter, he expects that his assessment will be responded by an agreement from Jack. Nevertheless, Jack gives a dispreferred
response; that is a disagreement. In performing his disagreement, he states an opposite judgment to John
‟s assessment.
