【文章內(nèi)容簡(jiǎn)介】 threatening acts as the motivation for using politeness strategies. Whenever people request, invite, suggest, or order, they might all pose a threat to the hearer’s positive or negative face. Their act is against the hearer’s wishes. That’s why people refuse. Moreover, the refuser often needs to use certain strategies to efface the impression that they are inconsiderate, selfish, stingy or cruel in the munication. The Target of Refusal Any linguistic choice is the municators adaptation to the various contextual factors, so does refusing. All municators can be said to be living in the three worlds: physical world, social world and mental world. Therefore, it is safe to say that they will try their best to adapt their linguistic behavior to fit the conditions of those worlds. The Variability Shown in English Refusal. VariabilityVariability, defined as a language property, denotes the range of possibilities from which choices can be made (Verschueren).Let’s try to illustrate it:(1) A: What do you think of the skirt on me? B1: (Say nothing).B2: I can’t tell you.B3: (change the topic).B4: I don’t know.B5: Why do you want my opinion?B6: I don’t have an eye for fashion. … From this fabricated example we can see that there are various ways for a particular taskrefusing: different ways might have different pragmatic, municative and effective considerations and values. Furthermore, the same linguistic form may be used to realize different functions. Variability in English RefusalEnglish refusal can be classified into direct and indirect ones .Direct refusals are very clear and effective in expression, for they cause no misundersatanding. However, they should be used carefully because they are much more facethreatening than indirect ones. They fail to take the interlocutor into consideration, or make reservation for the future interaction. Look at the following example:(2) Lockwood: Perhaps I can get a guide among your lads, and he might stay at the Grange till morningcould you spare me one?Heathcliff: No, I could not. (Emily Bronte: Wuthering Heights) Here” No, I could not” is a direct refusal, It is facethreatening in that its illocutionary force is not mitigated. Though Heathcliff succeeded in expressing his idea clearly, it leaves the tenant the impression that the host was a terribly rude and mean man. Generally speaking, indirect refusals are much more frequently use in daily munication because they help to conceal the real intention of the speaker and show the speaker’s consideration of the interlocutor’s face wants. Firstly excuse/ reason/ explanation/ is probably the most frequently used semantic element in indirect refusals according to other scholars and our data. Let’s see some examples:(3) The old man: Another brandy.The waiter: Finished.The old man: AnotherThe waiter: No .Finished. (張昕，張蕾：英語(yǔ)經(jīng)典電影對(duì)白朗誦，2005) （4）A: Can you help me move tomorrow morning? B: Well, er, let me see, I have to take Cindy to nursery school and take my motherinlow who has just broken her arm to the doctor and Fred my handy man is ing over to fix the attic window. (王守元， 張傳真： 交際英語(yǔ)口語(yǔ)，1991) Now, let’s e to avoidance next. Although avoidance is indirect and evasive, it is still impolite. It can be realized in several different ways, . topic switch, joke, repetition of part of request, postponement and hedging (5): A: Can you lend me some money? B: Let me think it over, and I’ll let you know later. (王守元， 張傳真： 交際英語(yǔ)口語(yǔ)，1991) （6）Principle： All right. What was something you saw? Charlie: I…I couldn’t say. (hedge) （張昕，張蕾：英語(yǔ)經(jīng)典電影對(duì)白朗誦，2005） Generally speaking, alternative can be used to avoid a direct confrontation. Though it is used to perform the facethreatening act, it also shows the refuser’s concern for the speaker’s needs, thus soften or mitigate the threatening force. For example:(7) Teacher: You’re required to hand in your paper this afternoon. Student: can we make it tomorrow?(8)A: Can you lend me the book for a while? B: Sorry, I’m in a hurry. I think there is another one in the library. (Emily Herrick: Conversational campus English, 2004) Criticizing or questioning is also a strategy to dissuade interlocutor, that’s to persuade the interlocutor to give up. It can be realized in several other ways: threat or statement of negative consequences to the requester。 request for help, empty, and assistance。 letting the interlocutor off the hook, etc. （9）Deer: Come into the words with me. Madge: Don’t be absurd. You’re a deer. (張建秋： 美國(guó)當(dāng)代短劇選，2005) （10）Nora: Yes, it’s awfully sweet of you. But couldn’t you get rid of somebody else in the office instead of Krogstad? Helmer: This really is the most incredible obstinacy! Just because you go and make some thoughtless promise to put in a good word for him, you expect me… (Aristophanes: Four Major Plays, 1969)To sum up, this part aims to show the variabil