The document discusses politeness from both an average person's perspective of showing good manners, and from a sociolinguist's perspective of how people choose to speak and how listeners react. It notes that ideas of politeness vary between cultures. Specifically, telling a woman she gained weight can be a compliment in some cultures but rude in others. The document also examines Brown and Levinson's concept of face and how politeness is used to avoid threatening someone's positive or negative face through face threatening acts. Various linguistic politeness strategies are presented.
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Politeness
1.
2. To the average person:
Being polite means showing good
manners and thinking about other
people’s feelings
For the sociolinguist:
The way that people choose to speak
and how their listeners react to what they
say
3. Ideas of politeness vary between
cultures
What is polite in one culture is not
necessarily polite in another
4.
5. Saying to a woman “You’ve gained
weight.”
Compliment in Africa and Arab
cultures
• Means that you’re looking healthy.
Very rude in America, Europe and
most of Asia
Better to say the opposite “Have you
lost weight?”
6. 1. Get me a Coke.
2. Get me a Coke, Andy!
3. You’ll be a pal and get us a Coke won’t you Andy?
4. Could you possibly get me a Coke from the machine
please, Andy?
5. If you’re going to the machine, could you possibly get
me a Coke while you’re there?
6. If you’re going to the machine, would you possibly be
so kind as to get me a Coke while you’re there
please?
7. I’m really sorry to ask, but if you’re going to the
machine, I’d be ever so grateful if you would possibly
be so kind as to get me a Coke while you’re there
please.
7. A person’s self-image
Other people’s image of a person
In Japanese: 体面 or 面子
8. Positive face
Self
Want to be liked
and respected
Desire for approval
from others
Negative face
Others
Desire to act freely
9. Politeness is used when your face is
threatened
When you might lose other’s respect
When you can’t act freely
Called face threatening acts (FTA)
10. Request: Asking for money
“Could I borrow 5,000?”
Compliment: Man complimenting a
woman
“You’re really beautiful.”
Expressing thanks
“Thank you for your help.”
11. Taboo topic
“How old are you?”
Apology
“I’m sorry for being late.”
12. Social distance
Friends have more flexibility than strangers
Social status
Equals have more flexibility than unequals
Nature of the threat
Some threats may be bigger
13. Politeness is a way to show awareness of
another person’s face
Face-saving act: saying something that
lessens the possible threat to another’s
face
14. Shut the door!
Does not leave the hearer with any choice
Makes the speaker sound more powerful
15. Please: “Shut the door please.”
Hedges: “If it isn’t too much trouble, shut
the door.”
Questions: “Could you pass the salt?”
Provisional language: Using if, would,
can, etc.
Make refusing easier
16. In general terms, politeness is being nice
to other people.
More formally, politeness is concern for
someone’s face.
Negative face: be able to act freely
Positive face: be liked and admired
Interaction with people can threaten
people’s face
People avoid face threatening acts with
polite strategies
Notas do Editor
Average person: Using please and thank you; giving your seat to older people; not interrupting when someone is talking
Acceptable in American and most of western Europe, but extremely rude in Greece and Turkey
Depends on who you are asking, how well you know them, how much power they have over you, how much effort it costs them to get the can of Coke, and if there is a benefit for them.
Positive face – how others view you (self) Negative face – how free you are to act, what you think you can do
The hearer may need the money and not really be able to be able to lend the money, but feel obliged because the person requesting is a close friend. The woman may feel obliged to talk the men when she doesn’t really want to. Thanking someone for something obliges you to sometime return the favor.
In some cultures asking someone’s age is a sign of disrespect. An apology is an admission that you have made a mistake.
It is easier to ask a friend or family member for money than an acquaintance Asking your boss for money is more difficult than asking a co-worker Borrowing \\5,000 is easier than \\50,000