CLOSING CONVERSATION: LEAVE-TAKING IN AUSTRALIAN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE

Abstract

This paper analyses leave-taking patterns made by Australian native speakers of English, comparing these with those made by Vietnamese informants, both in English and their mothertongue.

Analysing the data collected through discourse completion questionnaires, this paper aims at:

• Summing up main leave-taking strategies and patterns in Australian English and Vietnamese;
• Drawing some similarities and differences in the routine of leave-taking in Australian English and Vietnamese;
• Pointing out to what extent such factors as gender, age, social roles affect the choice of leave-taking patterns;
• Suggesting some practical implications for teaching English to speakers of the Vietnamese language.