The present study was carried out with the aim of examining Farsi ostensible invitations in terms of the universals of pragmatics. To this end, 45 field workers observed and reported 566 ostensible and 607 genuine invitations. In addition, 34 undergraduate students were interviewed and afforded 68 ostensible and 68 genuine invitations. 41 pairs of friends were also interviewed and afforded 41 ostensible invitations. The results of the data analysis revealed that Farsi ostensible invitations go by the universal norms that affect language use.
Key words:;;;;
)