Language and Politeness

language
&
POLITE
NESS
by sumaira malik
What is politeness?
According to Brown and Levsinson (1987), politeness is the way to

convey the utterance as polite as possible which in this case is needed to
minimize conflict with others
Example
In Asian culture, we use polite language when we speak to older people and
for the same age people, we use casual language instead
Linguistic politeness?
• Can be defined as the ways in which language is employed in conversation to

show consideration for the feelings and desires of one's speech partners, to create
and uphold interpersonal relationships
• To comply with the rules for what society or one's culture considers appropriate
behavior
• Brown and Levinson (1978) suggest that a need to be polite is common
to all cultures.
• Expression of concern for the feelings of others.

• Being polite means expressing respect towards others
• In a common sense: being polite- showing good manners and

consideration for other people (e.g. open the door for a lady)
• Choices that are made in language use

• The linguistic expressions that give people space and show a
friendly attitude to them
Politeness varies from place to place
• Leech, G. N. (2014) said that Honorification is very important in some

societies like in Japan and Korea whereas English has limited
opportunities for honorification. "Sir" and "Madam" are generally
optional and infrequent. (page no 10)
• Politeness varies place to place. Example: rude to show soles of your feet
to someone in Arabic culture
• We use euphemism in English to show that English has special respectful

vocabulary
Brown and Levinson 3 factors in choosing politeness strategies
1: Power
more polite to people who have great social power

for getting favor
2: Social Distance
more polite to strangers and abrupt with friends
3: Cost of imposition
Asking for time is a minor imposition like What is a time?
Asking for money is greater imposition to a friend

Face and Politeness Theory by Brown and Levison
• Formulated by Penelope Brown and Stephen Levinson in 1978

• Extended the idea of face given by Goffman's (1967) work on face
Brown and Levinson (1978) have concluded that, in order to enter into social
relationsips, all people must acknowledge the face of people.
As a technical term, face means the public self-image of a person. It refers to

that emotional and social sense of self that every one has and expects that
everyone else to recognize.
Face Wants
People generally behave as if their expectations concerning public self-image, or

their face wants, will be respected.
Face wants are the desire to protect our positive face and negative face from
threat or damage” – Meyerhoff, p.84)
Positive face Negative face
Is desire not to be imposed upon,

Is desire to be liked, appreciated,
intruded, or otherwise
approved
Negative face is need to be
Positive face is the need to be
independent
connected
Not to build solidarity
To build solidarity
Example: Example:
Let's do it together. I know you are busy.

Face Threatening Act
A direct speech act can give the impression that yoh have a social power over
the other person.
Example: Give me that!
Face Saving Act

An indirect speech act in the form of question removes assumption of power.
Example: Can you give me that?

Politeness Strategies
used by people to maintain a balance in protecting the positive and the

negative faces of each other and acting appropriately in social interactions
Four types of politeness strategies
On-record Baldly
Negative politeness
Positive politeness
Off-record strategy
Off-record strategy Negative Positive On-record Baldly
politeness politeness
least direct and more direct more direct least polite and
most polite very polite most direct
Example: If you want to borrow your neighbor's vacuum cleaner, this is how you
may ask:
Off-record strategy
"Our vacuum cleaner just broke down! The floors are very dusty!"
• No mention of an act to be requested

• Need is only hinted not mentioned
• Left for hearer to infer the need
Negative Politeness
Could I, please ,borrow your vacuum cleaner for just an hour
• Act is mentioned
• Use of yes or no question
• Use of please
• minimizing the imposition by using the prepositional time prase "for just
an hour"
Positive politeness
Jennie, dear, I need to borrow the vacuum cleaner right away"
• Use of nick name “Jennie"

• Use of term of endearment "dear"
• Use of time expression "right away"
• These three linguistic features show closeness of speaker to hearer
On-record Baldly
Get the vacuum cleaner!
• Explicit mention of act

• Use of direct order
• Imperative syntactic structure
One language tends to use negative politeness strategies while other uses positive
or negative politeness strategies
Negative politeness strategies
Negative political strategies are intended to avoid giving offense by showing

deference
Indirect Questions, Hedges

Minimize the Imposition
Apologize
Give Deference
Example:
If you are requesting drink in a bar you usually use strategies that attend to
addressee's negative face wants e.g. Could I have a glass of red wine, please?
German pays less attention to the server's negative face wants and he will say it
with no "please" or "could".
• cause social difficulties when learners try to transfer their native language
strategies into language they are learning
Politeness Principle || Leech's six maxims of politeness (1983)
• Tact Maxim
Deals with listener+ gives him respect
Minimize cost to others
Maximise benefits for others
Ex: Could I interrupt you for a second?

Would you mind answering the phone?
Enjoy the dinner!
• Generosity Maxim
Maximise cost to self
Minimise benefits for self
Ex: You relax and let me do the dishes

You can use my computer, if you want.
• Approbation Maxim (flattery maxims)
Minimise dispraises of others
Maximise praises of others.
Ex: What do you think about my hairstyle?

It’s very beautiful, I like this when I saw it first time.
What a tasty meal you cooked!
• Agreement Maxim
Maximise agreement of self and others
Minimise disagreement between self and others
Ex: English is difficult language to learn.
True, but grammar is quite easy. (politeness) partial agreement
It was an interesting match, wasn’t it? (rude dialogue)

No it was very boring.
• Modesty Maxim
Maximise dispraise of self
Minimise praise of self
Polite: How clever of you!

Impolite: How stupid of you!
Your new coat is beautiful.

It has been brought by my brother.
• Sympathy Maxim
Maximise sympathy with others
Minimise antipathy with others
Ex: I’m sorry to hear about your father.
Polite: I’m terribly sorry to hear that your dog died.

Impolite: I’m terribly pleased to hear that your dog died.
References
Fuller, J. M., & Wardhaugh, R. (2020). An introduction to sociolinguistics.
Meyerhoff, M. (2018). Introducing sociolinguistics. Routledge.
Leech, G. N. (2014). The pragmatics of politeness. Oxford Studies in

Sociolinguis.

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language

According to Brown and Levsinson (1987), politeness is the way to

• Can be defined as the ways in which language is employed in conversation to

• Expression of concern for the feelings of others.

• In a common sense: being polite- showing good manners and

• Choices that are made in language use

• Leech, G. N. (2014) said that Honorification is very important in some

• We use euphemism in English to show that English has special respectful

more polite to people who have great social power

more polite to strangers and abrupt with friends

Asking for time is a minor imposition like What is a time?

Asking for money is greater imposition to a friend

• Formulated by Penelope Brown and Stephen Levinson in 1978

As a technical term, face means the public self-image of a person. It refers to

People generally behave as if their expectations concerning public self-image, or

Is desire not to be imposed upon,

Let's do it together. I know you are busy.

Example: Give me that!

Face Saving Act

Example: Can you give me that?

used by people to maintain a balance in protecting the positive and the

Four types of politeness strategies

• No mention of an act to be requested

Could I, please ,borrow your vacuum cleaner for just an hour

Jennie, dear, I need to borrow the vacuum cleaner right away"

• Use of nick name “Jennie"

Get the vacuum cleaner!

• Explicit mention of act

Negative politeness strategies

Negative political strategies are intended to avoid giving offense by showing

Indirect Questions, Hedges

Ex: Could I interrupt you for a second?

Ex: You relax and let me do the dishes

Ex: What do you think about my hairstyle?

It was an interesting match, wasn’t it? (rude dialogue)

Polite: How clever of you!

Your new coat is beautiful.

Polite: I’m terribly sorry to hear that your dog died.

Fuller, J. M., & Wardhaugh, R. (2020). An introduction to sociolinguistics.

Meyerhoff, M. (2018). Introducing sociolinguistics. Routledge.

Leech, G. N. (2014). The pragmatics of politeness. Oxford Studies in

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