To be anxious, or not to be? : expressing anxiety in chosen speech acts by Polish and American students

Abstract

The main aim of this paper is to compare and contrast various ways of expressing anxiety in chosen speech acts by Polish and American students. It is important to mention that every day people convey different types of messages by means of using speech acts. For most of us, the idea of using them in everyday conversations has an informative function and is connected with receiving feedback. However, only some of us pay attention to feelings, emotions, and symptoms which can be the final result of using particular speech acts. Sometimes people do not realize that by extending invitations, giving commands, or even making a promise, specific reactions may be evoked in our interlocutors. In this paper one can find out more information concerning the idea of speech acts, their divisions and functions. Moreover, data which have been obtained from the research illustrate how Polish and American students express anxiety in chosen speech acts and how they feel in these specific situations.