How Do I Apologize in English? Do I Say Sorry, Pardon, or Excuse Me? CITATION: Clayton, Cecily and Ma Shu Hong (2009), Do I Say Sorry, Pardon, or Excuse Me. In 中小学英语教学与研究 English Teaching and Research for Primary and Middle School 2008 1. Forms of Social Negotiation This paper dealing with the complex issue of when and how to use the English phrases sorry, excuse me, pardon, and pardon me, recognizes that these phrases are forms of apology that allow us to interact with others and solve the social glitches that occur as part of our everyday life. However, the cultural nuances of apology that underlie the use of these phrases make the choice of which phrase to use and when, somewhat confusing and even difficult. For example, pardon, excuse me and even sorry are quite often used as a form of question, a simple request to repeat what has been said. Therefore it is necessary firstly to address the embedded nature of words and phrases, to recognize that words are not a mirror to the world, that is to say words and phrases do not reflect the objects to which they refer. This article then attempts to offer guidelines for both the intermediate and the advanced ELL by providing semantic fields, origins as well as analyzing the phrases sorry, excuse me, pardon me, and pardon? It is hoped these guidelines can act as a framework to equip the ELL with some understanding of these particular cultural/social negotiations. 2. Semantic Fields and Categories The historical development of thought and language reveals that in earlier understandings words themselves were considered as independent entities reflecting their place in the world, having a one-to-one correspondence between language and the outside world. This understanding is known as Classical Objectivism (CO). In this view the purpose of language is understood as directly referring to or mirroring objects in the world or to express truth about the external state of affairs. In critiquing this old view of language, Lakoff and Johnson in their seminal work Philosophy of the Flesh provide a comprehensive critique of CO, stating COs founding premise as “A statement is true when it fits the way things are in the world. It is false when it fails to fit the way things are in the world.” (Lakoff & Johnson, 1999, p. 98). Lakoff and Johnson show this statement of CO to be untenable as it does not ‘fit’ our life experience and reality, because not all linguistic symbols or concepts have their 1