Social Interaction Strategies among Malay ESL Learners: Preserving Harmony in L2 Oral Communication

Aside from conveying intended messages, maintaining social harmony in oral communication is one of the communicative goals in oral interactions. This could be done by employing Social Interactions Strategies. With English being recognized as a second language (ESL) in Malaysia, the current study seeks to examine how Malay ESL speakers employed such strategies in their conversations and subsequently, maintained social harmony with their interlocutors. The oral data obtained were mapped according to Kumar and Rose’s (2010) categories of Social Interaction Strategies namely, Solidarity, Showing Tension Release and Agreeing which are adapted from Bales’ (1950) concept of three positive social-emotional interactions. The data were elicited from video-recorded oral interactions in students’ role play assessments at one public university in the east of peninsular Malaysia. The results showed the emergence of various types of Social Interaction Strategies that relate to Showing Solidarity, Showing Tension Release and Agreeing. These include showing solidarity by praising and agreeing to other’s ideas by showing attention through words of encouragement. Since the respondents consisted of Malay students, the findings led to a suggestion that the use of Social Interactions Strategies did not only promote harmony in their oral interactions but were also in line with the Malays’ non-confrontational behaviour as highlighted in past literature. Additionally, the findings also indicated the influence of one’s culture and behavioural traits on his or her language use.