Probing into the Use of Politeness Strategies in Human-Chatbots Conversations: A Qualitative Analysis of EFL Learners’ Socio-Pragmatic Competence in Artificial Intelligence-Generated Interactions

The present qualitative study sought to examine Iranian EFL learners’ interactions with AI-powered bots around contextually-relevant topics to delve into the way politeness is used in such interactions. The data gathered involved utterances provided by both language learners and AI-powered bots. The data was analyzed by carrying out deductive content analysis through the lens of the theory of politeness strategies by Brown and Levinson (1987) and Lakoff’s (1973) politeness principles. The analysis of the data gathered from language learners revealed the prevalence of positive strategies of reciprocity, the tendency to ask for reasons, and optimistic act. Moreover, AI-powered interlocutors mainly used positive strategies of intensifying approval, giving reasons, and noticing attentively. Both language learners and AI-powered tools sought to make their interlocutors feel good by practicing Rule 3 of politeness proposed by Lakoff. The politeness used in the interactions shaped between language learners and bots highlighted the possibility created for finding the right to articulate information, indicating the epistemic status of interlocutors. Moreover, reciprocity underscored the equal balance of payment, justice concern, and care work. Attentiveness, reflecting conscientiousness in bots, enhanced the level of cognitive and affective trust in AI-powered tools, while explainability made interactions with bots transparent. Generally, findings showed how language learners’ pragmalinguistic and sociopragmatic accuracy was fostered through the interactions with a socially competent bot perceived as a proxy. It was revealed that the interaction between language learners and AI-powered tools is more similar to inter-human interactions than interactions established between humans and machines regarding sociopragmatic features. • The study explored EFL learners’ interactions with bots regarding politeness. • Learners used strategies of reciprocity, act optimistically, and asked for reasons. • Bots offered reasons, noticed attentively, and intensified approval. • Findings highlighted the equal balance of payment and justice concern. • Learners’ pragmalinguistic accuracy was fostered through interactions with bots.