APOLOGIES BETWEEN MARRIED COUPLES Apologies Between Married Couples: Iraqis and Americans

This study aims at examining the apology behavior of married couples; Iraqis and Americans. Gender- based differences are taken into consideration. The data is collected by means of DCTs (discourse completion tasks). The findings show that both American and Iraqi couples are in favor of long apologies. Yet, more Iraqi wives than Americans used long apologies. The American and Iraqi husbands used long apologies at the same rate. As to gender differences, they are more obvious in the American than Iraqi data. However, it is hard to say that women are more apologetic than men. The findings are interpreted and discussed according to several different factors