Influence goals in seeking compliance in persuasive messages in isiXhosa
Monwabisi K. Ralarala · SUNScholar (Stellenbosch University) · 2010
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: It has been observed in human interaction within our social milieu that individuals make attempts from time to time to influence others in order to accomplish their goals. The scholarly interest in the message-production side of this phenomenon has assumed the study of compliance gaining or persuasion (Wilson 2002; Dillard 2004). According to Wilson (2002:15), “contemporary theories of persuasive message production are guided by a metaphor of ‘goal pursuit’” .This study pursues this proposition by focusing on the following purposes: (a) To explore the social influence goals that are characteristic of interpersonal persuasive communication in Xhosa (b) To explore the empirical and theoretical properties of communicative competence of isiXhosa speakers as exemplified in the planning and accomplishment of influence goals within the framework of Wilson’s (1997, 1998, 2002) Cognitive Rule (CR) model of interaction goals, Berger’s (1997) approach to planning social influence goals in persuasive messages, and Dillard’s (2004) Goal Plan Action (GPA) model (c) To establish the theoretical questions raised by the empirical evidence of social influence goals of Xhosa speakers for the extension, refinement and modification of the cited models of interaction goals and persuasive message production The data, from which the written descriptions of the persuasive messages were analysed, were collected from college students at False Bay College in Khayelitsha, in the Western Cape. A total of 24 Xhosa-speaking students (12 women and 12 men) within the age range of 18 to 23 years were asked to write self-reports on their recollection of recent influence episodes in which they attempted to change other fellow students’ behaviour on specific themes, i.e. Religion, Education, Parent-child relationship, Social/casual relationship, Favour from a friend and Intimacy/relationship. The research data were analysed and evaluated against the amalgamation of the concepts, principles and propositions that constitute the designated theoretical frameworks, namely the CR model, the planning approach and the GPA model. The results indicate that the proposed theoretical mechanisms are applicable and profitable in the analysis of the research data of the current study. This finding is evidenced by the frameworks’ utility in addressing and explaining the nature and scope of persuasive imperatives that presumably underlie the influence goals in seeking compliance in Xhosa. The results indicate that the proposed theoretical mechanisms are applicable and profitable in the analysis of the research data of the current study. This finding is evidenced by their utility in addressing and explaining the nature and scope of persuasive imperatives that presumably underlie the influence goals in seeking compliance in Xhosa.