Intonation Attitudinal Function of Directive Speech Acts Used by Iraqi University Students of English

Intonation is a key resource for signalling attitudes and managing interpersonal relations in spoken English, yet relatively little attention has been given to how it is used to convey attitudinal meanings and to shape the interpersonal force of directive speech acts, particularly requests and advice, in Arab English as a foreign language (EFL) contexts. This study investigates how Iraqi EFL university students employ English intonation to realise attitudinal meanings in requests and advice, and clarifies its pedagogical significance for phonopragmatic instruction. Using a descriptive qualitative design, thirty seniorEnglish majors at the University of Anbar completed two role-play scenarios eliciting spontaneous directives; sessions were audio-recorded in a quiet environment. An eclectic analytical model combined Searle’s (1976) taxonomy of directives with Roach’s (2009) intonation framework. Recordings were analysed acoustically in Praat to identify Rising, Falling, Rise–Fall, Fall–Rise, and Level tones. Findings show Rising tones dominated requests, indicating politeness, hesitation, and deference, whereas Rise–Fall and Falling tones prevailed in advice, conveying encouragement, reassurance, and certainty. This distribution suggests learners can use intonation systematically to differentiate directive subtypes and signal stance. However, some requests displayed more statement-like, decisive tones (especially Falling and Rise–Fall), suggesting prosodic–pragmatic misalignment, where the attitudinal force is stronger or less mitigated than expected for highly polite requests in English. The study recommends integrating explicit phonopragmatic work into EFL pronunciation courses so learners can use intonation more effectively in spoken directives. Future research could include larger samples and varied interactional settings.