Two experiments were undertaken in Hong Kong to examine sociocultural factors in the speech acts of making apologies in Cantonese. The first experiment involved ten men who were given role cards describing various situations with minor to serious problems for which they must apologize. The influence of certain situational variables on the expressions used was examined. In the second experiment, both male and female individuals elicited apologies in department stores by intentionally bumping others. The kinds of apologies used in the situations were recorded. A series of assumptions about the usual forms and patterns of apologetic utterances and more significant contextual variables, including role identities, sex, age, and socioeconomic background of the interlocutors, were generally confirmed. (MSE)