Abstract
This study is an attempt to explore the use of group counseling suggestions in Chinese, through audio-taped data gathered from the discourse of the undergraduates’ and graduates’ counseling practices in class. Suggestion exchanges between suggestion giving and receiving usually carry some precoded sentential units, conversational and interactional routines. Besides, social factors, such as intimacy, gender, authority, etc., can influence the speaker’s linguistic expressions, including the choices of linguistic forms and strategiesThere are general aspects of suggestions we examine in this study: the analysis of the composition of a suggestion speech act, the study of suggestion strategies, the format of counseling and the sequence of a suggestion speech act, and the influence of social factors on the speaker’s choice of linguistic forms and strategies. The findings of the influence of social factors on suggestions from data analysis are as follows:1.In general, the expressions of counseling suggestions are more indirect and polite. Under the influence of counseling principles, the most frequently used expressions are Interrogatives and the most frequently adopted strategy is Preparatory Condition Inquiry.2.Under the influence of the public setting and counseling principles, the intimacy of Speakers does not have any influence on the choices of linguistic forms and strategies.3.The frequency of female’s speaking, suggestion giving, and question raising are higher than that of male’s. Females tend to express a sense of solidarity and support, using more positive and encouraging words. No obvious distinction of the linguistic forms between males and female exists. With regard to the strategies, Males like to use Option Offering Strategy, while females love to use Preparatory Condition Inquiry Strategy. The data shows that female expressions are in general more indirect and polite.4.The teacher of the counseling course uses a lot of indirect and polite expressions. Compared with the students, she uses more interrogatives and adopts more Preparatory Condition Inquiry Strategy. It shows that she chose to assume the role of a counselor who possesses only knowledge authority rather than that of a teacher who possesses in addition power authority.From the findings of the study, counseling suggestions different from everyday suggestions are more indirect and polite. It shows that suggestions are greatly influenced by counseling principles.