Indirect Speech Acts in Graduation Research Discussions among Fourth-Year University Students

Abstract

This revised study analyses indirect speech acts in the graduation-research talks of the fourth-year students and improves the analysis by adding insights from the master’s thesis of Aya Sarmad Fathi Al-Sheikh on mitigation in Iraqi postgraduate student-student interaction. Drawing on speech act theory (Austin, 1962; Searle, 1975, 1976), Fraser’s (1980, 2010) account of mitigation and Brown and Levinson’s (1987) politeness framework, the paper argues that indirectness in undergraduate research discussions is not simply a stylistic choice but a functional strategy to manage evaluation, save face and maintain collaboration in a high-stakes academic environment. The new study indicates the centrality of indirect requests, clarification moves, provisional evaluations and suggestion forms in the structure of graduation research conversation. These acts are often realised through modal verbs, interrogative forms, introduction phrases and conditional structures that attenuate the illocutionary impact of commands and judgements. Comparative insights by Al-Sheikh (2022) contribute to the explanation of why, in Iraqi academic discourse, indirect speech acts are best understood as part of a larger repertory of mitigation, particularly when speakers are expected to negotiate epistemic caution, solidarity with peers, and respect for the responsibilities of academic actors. The study suggests that pragmatic training in Iraqi higher education should emphasise the explicit treatment of indirectness, mitigation, and audience awareness in the research supervision and presentation courses.