Slide Note
0 likes | 0 Views
Explanation of negative politeness, positive politeness, face-threatening acts, and politeness maxims with examples from a political campaign. Strategies for effective communication to save face and maintain social harmony are detailed through various conversational scenarios.
E N D
Understanding concepts Negative politeness Positive politeness Maxims of politeness
During her successful General election campaign in 1979, Margaret Thatcher undertook various photo opportunities to emphasize how in touch she was with ordinary people. On photographed standing on the back of a platform bus. As this was taking some time, she said, ‘I’m beginning to feel like a clippie…’ And then, observers recall, you see the realization in her eyes that she might have said something patronizing, so she added, ‘… who are all doing a wonderful job.’ one occasion, she was (Cutting 2002: 45)
Face – the public self-image, the sense of self, of the people that we address. Face threatening acts (FTA) Negative politeness Negative face – the need to be independent, have freedom of action, and not be imposed by others. Positive politeness Positive face – the need to be accepted and liked by others, treated as a member of the group, and to know one’s wants are shared by others.
FTA off record, offering verbal hints ‘I wonder where on earth the website is. I wish I could remember the address.’
Indirectness, maxim flouting and politeness Flouting the maxim of quantity A Well, how do I look? B Your shoes are nice… Flouting the maxim of relation Interesting book. Pity I don’t have $30 on me. Flouting the maxim of quality Why does no one ever throw out the rubbish in this house? Flouting the maxim of manner Looks like someone had a good time last night.
FTA bald on record Mark, tell me the address for that website they were talking about this morning. This door handle’s falling off. Fix it. Give that note to me. Have another biscuit. Marry me.
Negative negative face, by demonstrating the distance between interlocutors, and avoiding intruding on each other’s territory. Speakers use them to avoid imposing or presuming, and to give the hearer options. Speakers can avoid imposing by emphasizing the importance of the other’s time and concerns, using apology and hesitation, or a question giving them the opportunity to say no. politeness strategies pay attention to
I don’t want to be nuisance, but could you possibly tell me the address for that website they were talking about this morning? No I’m sorry but you can’t have the cars and bikes out because it’s tea-time and you’re going home for your tea. Sorry to bother you. I couldn’t borrow $30, could I, if you don’t need it right now? Feel free to come to the party if you have got the time.
I couldn’t borrow $30, could I, if you don’t need it right now? Could I borrow $30? I sort of think that Fran is a bit of mean person. Would you mind moving just slightly? I can’t see the screen very clearly. Er, I think you may be late if you don’t go now. The aim is not to – not to gain weight, and, the control has been lost – when it’s necessary to binge.
A You know that French film that’s on in the Odeon? B Yes? A Do you want to go and see it tonight? B Yeah, why not?
• FTA on record • On record, with negative politeness redress ◌ • Redressive action to negative face ◌ • Apology Hesitation Option-giving Hedging • Impersonalising Nominalising Pre-sequences •
Positive politeness strategies aim to save positive face, by demonstrating closeness and friendship, making other people feel good, and emphasizing that both speakers have a common goal. solidarity, appealing to Marky, you’re computer whiz-kid – I’d really appreciate it if you ‘d tell me the address for that website they were talking about this morning. I know you hate parties, Jen, but come anyway. We’ll all be there, and it’ll be cool seeing if Ally is with Andrea! Come on – get a life!
Jean Don’t wash them and put them on the rack. Raymond But all // Jean // Get the dryer, dry them, do the tops, and then it’s all done. Raymond Yes – yes but if you do that, your – your – your tea-towel’s soaking and at the end of the night, nothing’s getting dried. I will always do what you ask, but I’ll never stop loving you. And if you need me, I’ll always be here.
Violating the maxim of quality A How do I look? B Good! (Thinks: Awful) Opting out of the maxim of quantity I’m terribly sorry to bother you but I couldn’t help noticing that you seemed to have a copy of the programme, and I wondered whether you wouldn’t mind me just having a look for a moment – I’d give it straight back to you.
The tact maxim The maxim of generosity The maxim of approbation The modesty maxim The maxim of agreement The sympathy maxim (Leech: 1983)
The tact maxim ‘minimise cost to other’ and maximise benefit to other’ Could you I interrupt you for half a second – what was that website address? If I could just clarify this then. The maxim of generosity ‘minimise benefit to self’ and ‘maximise cost to self’ Could I copy down the website address? You relax and let me do the dishes.
The maxim of approbation ‘minimise dispraise of other’ and ‘maximise praise of other’ Mark, you’re very efficient, and make notes of everything – you must have a copy of that website address we were given today. I heard you singing at the karaoke last night. It was, um… different.
The modesty maxim ‘minimise praise of self’ and ‘maximise dispraise of self’ Oh, I’m so stupid – I didn’t make a note of that website address! Did you? I don’t dislike going to the dentist, but, but I’m terrible with dentists, hairdressers, and all these things, though, I work quite hard, I never really sort of…
The maxim of agreement ‘minimise disagreement between self and other’ and ‘maximise agreement between self and other’ Raymond Yes – yes but if you do that, your – your – your tea- towel’s soaking and at the end of the night, nothing’s getting dried. The sympathy maxim ‘minimise antipathy between self and other’ and ‘maximise sympathy between self and other’ I was so sorry to hear about your sister.
Consideration maxim (Cruse: 2000) ‘minimise discomfort/displeasure of other and maximise comfort/pleasure of other’ Seeking to cheer up a patient in hospital, the visitor told her: ‘You’re lucky to be in here. It’s pelting outside.
One utterance can contain both positive and negative politeness: Could you be a pal and give me a lift home? Don’t bother if you’re not going my way. One utterance can obey two or more maxims: Have as many cakes as you want. (tact maxim and the maxim of generosity)
Form and function Politeness – a pragmatic phenomenon Politeness lies not in the form and the words themselves, but in their function and intended social meaning: Do me a favour – piss off. So, if you’d be as kind as to shut up, I’d appreciate it. Inappropriate use of polite forms: Cat, I wonder if you could possibly let me have my seat back?
Politeness vs. deference Politeness is not the same as deference, which is a polite form expressing distance from and respect for people of a higher status, and does not usually include an element of choice. Shortly after being a Dame of the British Empire, Edith Evans was appearing on the stage and heard her addressed by a call-boy with the words, ‘Ten minutes, Miss Evans’. She exclaimed: ‘Miss Evans! It’ll be Edie next!’
Situational context Two situational context factors that influence the way we make a request: the size of imposition, the routiness and reasonableness of task; the formality of context. The greater the imposition, the more indirect the language is: I couldn’t borrow $30, could I, if you don’t need it right now? vs. Give me 5 cents. The greater the formality, the more indirect the language is: Hang on – I haven’t finished. vs. I wonder if I might just finish what I’m trying to say.
Social context Social distance Power relation between speakers When there is social distance, politeness is encoded and there is more indirectness. Where there is less social distance, there is less negative politeness and indirectness. The variables that determine social distance: degree of familiarity, and differences of status, roles, age, gender, education, class, occupation and ethnicity.
Exemplification The degree of familiarity Will you be kind enough to tell me what time is it? If you’ll be kind enough to speed up a little? Power relations Now. What we’re going to do is um a quick game of twenty questions: you’ll get some points up here. Now these people can only answer YES or NO, so you must ask YES/NO questions. So you can’t ask a question like: ‘What happened?’
Cultural context Politeness is culture-bound. The use of indirectness can hardly be understood without the cross-cultural perspective. In some cultures, for example, a lecturer making suggestions to students would do so directly, bald on record, because of their status. In Britain, however, the emphasis is on negative politeness, as in: I think this part of your essay could possibly come a little bit nearer the beginning, if you like.
Brown, P. and S. Levinson. (1987). Politeness. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Cruse, A. (2000). Meaning in Language. An Introduction to Semantics and Pragmatics. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Cutting, J. (2002). Pragmatics and Discourse. London and New York: Routledge. Grundy, P. (2000). Doing Pragmatics. London: Edward Arnold. Leech, G. (1983). Principles of Pragmatics. Harlow: Longman. Mey, J. (1994). Pragmatics: An Introduction. Oxford: Blackwell.
