Genderlect and Apology

If we reconsider our daily-life, we can notice that we apologize and/or are apologized to in various ways for different reasons according to different situations. This is so because face is easily threatened and as such the social norms are violated. Non-apologizing, when the situation demands it, constitutes another offence. Therefore, the person who is supposed to apologize runs the risk of being regarded as impolite and rude. As a result, apology is needed to settle the matter in this respect. The following questions need to be answered in this study:1. What are the strategies Iraqi EFL learners use to apologize?2. Who uses apology more: male learners or females?3. Do female learners apologize to females more than they do to males overall?4. Do male learners apologize to females more than they do to males?