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Conversando en Español: ¿Cómo rechazamos una invitación en español?
Teacher Manual: The Art of Refusing in Spanish

Introduction | Section A | Section B | Section C | Refusing Invitations

Introduction

The activity presented here is targeted to intermediate learners of Spanish and is designed to be taught entirely in Spanish during a 50-minute class period. The lesson plan includes an introduction to refusals and principles for teaching how to refuse in Spanish with equal friends. This activity provides the tools for analyzing refusals at the discourse level.

Level: Intermediate level

Time: 50 minutes

Level of formality: Informal - Status equals (friends, classmates)

Materials:

Please bear in mind that although Mexican Spanish was the language variety adopted here for teaching refusals in the classroom, please make sure to emphasize to your students that the patterns observed in this interaction can also be found in other varieties of Spanish. Take this opportunity to address the issue of regional variation in other Spanish-speaking countries with which you are familiar. This is explained in further detail below.

The three components of the lesson plan are:

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Section A: Communicative actions and cross-cultural awareness

1. Description of refusals and relevance for using them in everyday communication

Time: 5 minutes. PowerPoint Slides: 1-5

Instructions for the teacher: This section is comprised of two parts. After a brief introduction calling students’ attention to the concept of communicative actions (e.g., requesting, complimenting, complaining) and other extralinguistic elements involved in communicating (señales no verbales, la risa, el tono de voz), the instructor introduces and focuses on the action of refusing in English and Spanish.

Slides 1-2 Conversando en Español: ¿Qué hacemos cuando conversamos?

Slide 3 One of the main functions of language is to accomplish communicative actions such as requesting information, expressing disagreement, complimenting or complaining, etc.

Slide 4 When we communicate, we need to keep in mind how we can use language appropriately according to the situation we’re in, the social status of the person with whom we are talking, and even the gender of the other speaker.

Slide 5 We also need to be aware of how we communicate meaning through our tone of voice, laughter, body movements, and facial expressions.

Exercise for Developing Cross-Cultural Awareness of Refusals

Slide 6 Práctica: Identificación de Acciones Comunicativas

In order to make sure students understand the concept of “actions”, specifically, doing things with words, students will read various responses in Spanish and English and will identify the type of action intended by the speaker in each situation. These actions are listed below (Slides 7-9).

Students can choose from the following actions: asking for information, apologies, complaints, refusals, compliments, expressions of gratitude, etc. They should not try to focus on understanding every word in the situation, the important thing is to understand the gist of the actions described.

Instructions: Identify the actions in the situations below and write them in the spaces provided on as the answers appear: What are the intentions of the speakers? (Suggested answers are include at the bottom of each slide and are revealed when clicking again on the mouse/down arrow)

a. Slide 7 Email message sent to a professor by a male student:

Prof “X”: Here is today's homework. Thank you very much for allowing me to do this. Also, I was wondering if it would be possible for you to tell me how many absences I have this semester. Thank you again.
_______________________, _______________________
(Suggested answers: giving thanks, asking for information)

b. Slide 8 Two friends from the university:

Carlos: Oye, fíjate que, este, el próximo viernes es mi cumpleaños, voy para cumplir veintiuno y pues ya sabes voy a hacer una fiesta en mi casa, es a las 8 de la noche, pues, estás invitado, es en mi casa, no puedes faltar, tienes que ir.
_______________________
Jorge: U:yuy yuy, viernes a las 8, ¡qué problema! es que, ps, salgo de trabajar hasta ocho y media, como trabajo en las tardes.
_______________________
(Suggested answers: an invitation, refusal of the invitation)

c. Slide 9 A Mexican male to another:

!Qué carraso! Es nuevo el carro ¿verdad? ¡Está padrísimo! Es una joyita.
___________
(Suggested answer: a compliment)

Slide 10 ¿Cómo rechazamos una invitación en español?

In this activity, we will learn how to refuse appropriately in Spanish in informal situations with a friend. Learning to speak Spanish as a foreign language requires that students know not only vocabulary and grammatical information, but also the sociocultural norms that are appropriate for refusing in Spanish. In this exercise we will examine different strategies used by native speakers of Spanish and English to refuse in situations of equal (informal) status. You will notice that saying ‘no' varies in English and Spanish.

Although both the U.S. American and Spanish-speaking cultures use almost the same expressions (or strategies) to say ‘no', the frequency and content of these expressions is usually different in each culture. In addition to learning the vocabulary and linguistic information for refusing in Spanish, students will observe that there are social norms and levels of politeness that pertain to the Spanish culture that are different from English. Also, the norms of interaction are different when refusing in Spanish and English.

Since students are learning Spanish, they need to be aware of these cross-cultural differences to communicate successfully with native speakers of the target language.

2. Developing a Cross-Cultural Awareness of Refusing in Spanish and English: Same or Different? (Slide 10, continued)

Time: 8-10 minutes. PowerPoint Slides: 11-15

Instructions for the teacher: This section is divided into four components.

a.Slides 11-12 Situation: Declining an invitation in Spanish

b. Slides 13 A Escuchar

Listening to role-play samples by native speakers. Students listen to two role play interactions, one in English and one in Spanish. Before they listen to the interactions, students are asked to pay attention to the following questions
Instructor: “Ahora vamos a escuchar dos conversaciones entre estudiantes universitarios, dos americanos y dos mexicanos. Uno de ellos hace una invitación a una fiesta de cumpleaños y el otro rechaza la invitación. Antes de escuchar cada conversación, lean las siguientes preguntas: (slide 15)

c. Slide 14 Click here to listen to a sample role-play interaction between native speakers of English (AUDIO) and native speakers of Mexican Spanish (AUDIO). A transcript of the interaction in Spanish is provided on the student handout and at the end of this lesson plan.

Please play the English version once and the Spanish version twice. If necessary, direct the students’ attention to page 2 of the handout to follow the Spanish transcription of the conversation the second time they listen.

d. Slide 15 Discusión en pares.
Teacher guides discussion of answers to questions above after students have listened to the sample role play interactions. Teacher should raise students' awareness of cross-cultural differences in refusing in Spanish and English.

3. Pragmatic Input: Cross-Cultural Refusal Responses in English and Spanish

Time: 10 minutes. PowerPoint Slides: 16-20

Instructions for the teacher: This section is divided in four components.

a. Slide 16 ¿Qué expresiones usamos al decir ‘no’ en español?
Students will read different refusal responses from males and females in both English and Spanish which are on their handout on page 1. Then, working with a classmate, students will compare responses in English and Spanish when refusing a friend's invitation to a birthday party. The English responses come from native speakers of American English and the refusals in Spanish come from native speakers of various Spanish-speaking countries.

The refusal segments include both male and female responses in English and Spanish. Male students should be directed to read the male refusal responses and females to read the female refusal responses in English and Spanish. Certain expressions in the refusal responses are highlighted in bold in order to direct the students' attention to important features of the refusal response.

While it is important for the students to notice these strategies in conversation, the purpose of this section is simply to provide them with appropriate input regarding the strategies native speakers of Spanish and English use when declining an invitation. Later, in Part C (Práctica Comunicativa) students will practice these strategies in a conversation in Spanish.

Note: The words or phrases in bold in the Spanish refusal responses are typical refusal expressions. Students will find them useful when they practice a refusal. Also, these phrases come from different Spanish speaking countries. Later in this section (Section D. Variación Lingüística en el Mundo Hispano), we will discuss pragmatic variation in Spanish.

Refusing an invitation to a friend's birthday party: Equal status (Friends)

The following examples are included in the student’s handout (page 1) (please have the students read the examples in class)

Slide 17 Typical Responses by U.S. Male Students

Slide 18 Typical Refusal Responses by Male Spanish-Speaking Students

Slide 19 Typical Responses by U.S. Female Students

Slide 20 Typical Responses by Spanish-Speaking Females

b. Slide 21 Preguntas de Discusión
After the brief cross-cultural segment comparison above, the instructor should introduce the following questions (on Slide 22) in order to further raise students’ awareness of cross-cultural differences in Spanish and English.

Slide 22 Discusión en pares

c. Slides 23-26 La Insistencia en el Mundo Hispano

Slide 24 In many Spanish speaking regions, insistence is used as expected or even polite behavior after a refusal of an invitation or offers. Please explain that an insistence after refusing an invitation in the United States is generally not the appropriate behavior. Let’s look at an example of insistence in a conversation between Jorge and Manuel. (Students can follow the transcription in their guide or may follow along with the PowerPoint)

Slide 25 Selections from conversation between Jorge and Manuel (transcription on student handout p. 2). Analyze turns 7-10 of the conversation to see where instances of insistence occur. Direct students’ attention to the insistence in most regions of the Spanish-speaking world.

Slide 26 Nota Cultural
How is insistence viewed between Americans?

d. Slide 27 Variación Lingüística en el Mundo Hispano

Slide 28 Performing an invitation and a refusal can vary in different regions of the Spanish speaking world. Here we have focused on some general strategies between speakers from Mexico and other Latin American countries, but when in other countries, it is important to pay attention to the way in which speakers communicate. Some aspects to be aware of are:

  1. the use of linguistic expressions
  2. cultural norms of that particular region

Note: Please emphasize to the students that although there are different ways to refuse in Spanish, the strategies and the notion of the insistence presented in this lesson are representative in most regions of the Spanish-Speaking world.

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Section B: Doing Conversation Analysis in the Classroom

Time: 15 minutes. PowerPoint Slides: 29-35

Slide 29 Estructura de una conversación

In this section, students and the instructor will do conversation analysis in the classroom, examining the structure of a refusal interaction between native speakers of Spanish. Instructors should mention that the structure of conversations consists of the following parts: sequences (e.g., openings, closings, refusal responses), actions (e.g., refusing, requesting), different ways used to realize those actions (e.g., a direct vs. an indirect refusal), and turns across the interaction (Student handout, bottom of page 1). Below is a description of each of these concepts.

Slide 30 Using lay terms, explain each of these concepts (secuencias, acciones, realización de acciones y turnos [information provided below]) and use the transcript of the Spanish role play to do conversation analysis in the classroom.

For the following section, please refer your students to the conversation on page 2 of the their handout. (Declining an invitation in Mexican Spanish)

Slide 31 Análisis de Conversación

4. Conversations have sequences

Instructions for the teacher: Slide 32 Secuencias
Briefly explain that conversations are comprised of sequences and consist of at least two turns. Sequences have boundaries, that is, they have a beginning and an end. For example, sequences may signal a greeting or a closing in a conversation, an invitation and a response to an invitation, an insistence and a response to that insistence, or any other topic addressed in the interaction.

Instructions for students: Using the transcript of the refusal interaction in Spanish, identify the opening sequence, the refusal sequence, and the closing sequence. Pay close attention to the turn that opens the sequence and to the turn that closes the same sequence. Identify each sequence using the line numbers on the left hand side of the transcript of the role play interaction.

5. Slide 33 Acciones

Instructions for the teacher: Ask students to focus on the Spanish refusal sequence (lines: 5-10) to answer the following questions: What are the participants doing in each turn? Ask students to identify the actions performed in each turn throughout the sequence. Remind students that one action may be realized in one or more turns.

6. Slide 34 Realización de las acciones

Instructions for the teacher: A refusal sequence may be realized by means of a direct response (i.e., I can't) or and indirect response (i.e., I already made plans for that day).

Direct the students' attention to the refusal sequence (lines 5-10) in Spanish and examine how the refusal response is realized across turns. Focus on the following questions (on slide 34):

7. Slide 35 Turnos

Instructions for the teacher: Focus on the refusal sequence (lines 5-10 of transcription) and analyze the taking of turns during the sequence. Using the role play interaction, discuss the following questions:

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Section C: Communicative Practice and Feedback

Time: 10 minutes. PowerPoint: Slides 36-41

Slide 36 Práctica Comunicativa

Taking into account the various ways students have learned to negotiate a refusal - including strategy use, sequences, and turns – students will role play the situation (declining an invitation) with a classmate.

Slide 37 Rechazando una invitación en español

Students read the situation again and are asked to role play it with a classmate: one person issues the invitation and the other declines. Then, one group will be asked to role play the situation in front of the class and the rest of the class will provide feedback regarding the linguistic information used, the distribution of sequences, and the organization of turns across the interaction.

Slide 38 Situación 1:

Imagine that you are in (Spanish-speaking country of your choice). You are walking across campus when you run into a good friend of yours whom you haven’t seen for about a month. You and he have been studying in the same program at the University for three years, and have studied and written papers together in the past, but you don’t have any classes together this semester. S/he invites you to his/her 21st birthday party at his/her house next Friday night at 8pm. S/he tells you that a group of mutual friends that you both used to hang out with and whom you haven’t seen since the semester started will also be there. You know that this would be a good time to see everyone again and to celebrate this occasion with him/her. Unfortunately you cannot make it.

Slide 39 Práctica comunicativa

If you have time, have students perform the role-play in Situation #2 and then have one group model the role play in front of the class and have other students provide feedback.

Slide 40 Rechazando una sugerencia de su compañero de clase

Slide 41 Situación 2:

Imagine that you are in (Spanish-speaking country of your preference). You are having lunch at the University cafeteria about half an hour before your Spanish class. While eating, another student from the class that you get along well with comes to join you at your table. You have worked on projects in class and have gone out together occasionally, and have become close friends recently during this semester. Over lunch you begin to discuss different types of movies and you realize that you have similar taste. After about 20 minutes, you finish eating and are both getting your books together to walk over to the class, when s/he suggests skipping Spanish class, and going to the movie theater down the street to catch the matinee, but it’s time to go to class.

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