2 Politeness

Lesson Overview

  • Title: Lesson Twenty-Five: How to be Polite

Politeness

  • Definition of Politeness: The quality of being courteous and considerate in one's speech and actions.

Key Concepts

  • Face: The public self-image of a person (Yule)

  • Deference and Solidarity: Recognition of social distance vs. social equality.

  • Negative and Positive Face: Negative face is the desire for independence, while positive face is the need for acceptance/connection.

  • Face Threatening Acts (FTAs): Actions that threaten an individual’s social self-image.

  • Face Saving Acts (FSAs): Actions that mitigate the threat to face.

  • Politeness Strategies: Methods of requesting while maintaining politeness, e.g., asking for a pen.

  • Pre-sequences: Introductory remarks that assess the hearer's disposition to respond.

  • T/V Forms: Linguistic distinctions showing levels of formality or intimacy, e.g., usage in various languages.

Social Context of Communication

  • Interactions: Generally, linguistic interactions are social interactions.

  • Factors Influencing Communication: Status (age, power, familiarity), social context.

Understanding Face

  • Goffman's Theory: Developed the concept of 'facework'—efforts to maintain one's social identity.

  • Public Face: Approved social identity.

  • Facework: Maintenance of social image; includes strategies to avoid FTAs.

Negative vs. Positive Face

  • Negative Face: Desire for independence and freedom from imposition.

    • Example: Reluctance to drive a friend to the airport due to personal time constraints.

  • Positive Face: Desire for acceptance and belonging.

    • Example: Purchasing trendy items to gain social approval.

Face Threatening Acts (FTAs)

  • Instances that jeopardize another's self-image.

  • Examples: Asking for time, expressing disagreement; require careful management via politeness strategies.

Politeness Strategies

  1. Bald-On-Record: Direct requests without redressive action.

  2. Positive Politeness: Strategies that enhance the hearer’s sense of belonging/camaraderie.

  3. Negative Politeness: Strategies that recognize the hearer’s autonomy and freedom.

  4. Off-Record: Indirect requests that allow for ambiguity and avoid threats.

  5. Opting-Out: Not making a request at all.

Strategies Examples

  • Asking for a pen requires understanding of FTAs and using politeness markers (e.g., "Could you please lend me a pen?").

Importance of Pre-sequences

  • Pre-invitation and Pre-request: Setting the stage to either support or halt the potentially risky act of a request.

    • Example: Asking about someone's availability before making an invitation.

Cultural Considerations

  • Politeness varies significantly across cultures, represented through various forms in different languages (T/V forms).

Impoliteness on Social Media

  • Reference to Donald Trump's tweets—analysis of aggressive language impacting Quality and Social Identity Face.

  • Statistics highlight the types of face attacks present in his communication style.

Practice and Applications

  • Exercises: Suggested activities and resources for understanding and applying politeness strategies in conversations.

  • Recommended Viewing: TEDx talk on politeness dynamics in American and British contexts.

Conclusion

  • Emphasizing the importance of politeness in communication—fostering better interactions across social contexts.