THE POLITENESS PRINCIPLE Besides cooperation, most interactions are governed by politeness, that is to say by hat is considered a !

po"ite socia" behavio#r$ ithin a certain c#"t#re% The Po"iteness Princip"e is a series o& ma'ims, hich (eo&&rey Leech has proposed as a ay o& e'p"aining ho po"iteness operates in conversationa" e'changes% LEECH)S *+,I*S Leech de&ines po"iteness as a type o& behavio#r that a""o s the participants to engage in a socia" interaction in an atmosphere o& re"ative harmony% In stating his ma'ims Leech #ses his o n terms &or t o -inds o& i""oc#tionary acts% He ca""s representatives !assertives$, and ca""s directives !impositives$% Each ma'im is accompanied by a s#b.ma'im, hich is o& "ess importance% They a"" s#pport the idea that negative po"iteness /avoidance o& discord0 is more important than positive po"iteness /see-ing concord0%

Not a"" o& the ma'ims are e1#a""y important% 2or instance, tact in&"#ences hat e say more po er&#""y than does generosity, hi"e approbation is more important than modesty%

Spea-ers may adhere to more than one ma'im o& po"iteness at the same time% O&ten one ma'im is on the &ore&ront o& the #tterance, hi"e a second ma'im is imp"ied%

2+CE +N3 POLITENESS STR+TE(IES Face /as in !"ose &ace$0 re&ers to a spea-er4s sense o& social identity% +ny speech act may impose on this sense, and be there&ore face threatening%

Spea-ers have strategies &or "essening the threat%

Positive politeness means being comp"imentary and gracio#s to the addressee /b#t i& this is overdone, the spea-er may a"ienate the other party0% Negative politeness is &o#nd in the vario#s ays o& mitigating an imposition%

Negative po"iteness can ta-e the &orm o&5 Hedging5 Er, co#"d yo#, er, perhaps, c"ose the, #m , indo 6 1

Pessimism5 I don4t s#ppose yo# co#"d c"ose the Indicating de&erence5 E'c#se me, sir, indo 6

indo , co#"d yo#6

o#"d yo# mind i& I as-ed yo# to c"ose

the

+po"ogi7ing5 I4m terrib"y sorry to dist#rb yo#, b#t co#"d yo# c"ose the indo 6 Impersona"i7ing5 The management re1#ires a"" indo s to be c"osed%

LEECH)S *+,I*S IN 3ET+IL Tact maxim /in directives 8or impositives9 and commissives05 minimi7e cost to other: 8ma'imi7e bene&it to other9

Generosity maxim /in directives and commissives05 minimi7e bene&it to se"&: 8ma'imi7e cost to se"&9 Approbation maxim /in e'pressives and representatives 8assertives905 minimi7e dispraise o& other: 8ma'imi7e praise o& other9 Modesty maxim /in e'pressives and representatives05 minimi7e praise o& se"&: 8ma'imi7e dispraise o& se"&9 Agreement maxim /in representatives05 minimi7e disagreement bet een se"& and other: 8ma'imi7e agreement bet een se"& and other9 ympathy maxim /in representatives05 minimi7e antipathy bet een se"& and other: 8ma'imi7e sympathy bet een se"& and other9 BRO;N +N3 LE<INSON)S THEOR= Perhaps the most thoro#gh treatment o& the concept o& po"iteness is that o& Pene"ope Bro n and Stephen Levinson, hich as &irst p#b"ished in >?@A and then reiss#ed, ith a "ong introd#ction, in >?A@% In their mode", po"iteness is de&ined as redressive action ta-en to co#nter.ba"ance the disr#ptive e&&ect o& face!threatening acts /FTAs0% In their theory, comm#nication is seen as potentia""y dangero#s and antagonistic%

The basic notion o& their mode" is !&ace$% This is de&ined as !the p#b"ic se"&. image that every member o& society ants to c"aim &or himse"&$% In their &rame or-, &ace consists o& t o re"ated aspects% 2

One is negative face, or the rights to territories, &reedom o& action and &reedom &rom imposition . anting yo#r actions not to be constrained or inhibited by others%

The other is positive face, the positive consistent se"&.image that peop"e have and their desire to be appreciated and approved o& by at "east some other peop"e%

The rationa" actions peop"e ta-e to preserve both -inds o& &ace, &or themse"ves and the peop"e they interact ith, add #p to po"iteness% Bro n and Levinson a"so arg#e that in h#man comm#nication, either spo-en or ritten, peop"e tend to maintain one another4s &ace contin#o#s"y%

In everyday conversation, e adapt o#r #tterances to di&&erent sit#ations% +mong &riends e ta-e "iberties or say things that o#"d seem disco#rteo#s among strangers%

In both sit#ations #ncom&ortab"e%

e try to avoid ma-ing the hearer embarrassed or

2ace.threatening acts /2T+s0 are acts that in&ringe on the hearers4 need to maintain hisBher se"&.esteem, and be respected% Po"iteness strategies are deve"oped &or the main p#rpose o& dea"ing these 2T+s% ith

S#ppose I see a crate o& beer in my neighbo#r4s ho#se% Being thirsty, I might say5

I ant some beer% Is it OC &or me to have a beer6 ;o#"d it be possib"e &or me to have a beer6 It4s so hot% It ma-es yo# rea""y thirsty%

Bro n and Levinson s#m #p h#man po"iteness behavio#r in &o#r strategies5 bald on record, negative politeness, positive politeness , and off!record!indirect strategy%

The bald on!record strategy does nothing to minimi7e threats to the hearer4s !&ace$ /I ant some beer0

The positive politeness strategy sho s yo# recogni7e that yo#r hearer has a &ace to be respected% It a"so con&irms that the re"ationship is &riend"y and e'presses gro#p reciprocity% /Is it o- &or me to have a beer60

The negative politeness strategy recogni7es the hearer4s &ace% b#t it a"so admits that yo# are in some ay imposing on himBher% /I don4t ant to bother yo# b#t, o#"d it be possib"e &or me to have a beer60

"ff!record indirect strategies ta-e some o& the press#re o&&% =o# are trying to avoid the direct 2T+ o& as-ing &or a beer% =o# o#"d rather it be o&&ered to yo# once yo#r hearer sees that yo# ant one% /I)t so hot, it ma-es yo# rea""y thirsty0

Other e'amp"es &rom Bro n and Levinson4s po"iteness strategies #ald on!record Emergency5 He"pD Tas- oriented5 (ive me thoseD Re1#est5 P#t yo#r Eac-et a ay% +"erting5 T#rn yo#r "ights onD / hi"e driving0 Positive Politeness +ttend to the hearer5 =o# m#st be h#ngry, it4s a "ong time since brea-&ast% abo#t some "#nch6

Ho

+void disagreement5 +5 ;hat is she, sma""6 B5 =es, yes, she4s sma"", sma""ish, #m, not rea""y sma"" b#t certain"y not very big%

+ss#me agreement5 So

hen are yo# coming to see #s6

Hedge opinion5 =o# rea""y sho#"d sort o& try harder% Negative Politeness Be indirect5 I4m "oo-ing &or a pen% Re1#est &orgiveness5 =o# m#st &orgive me b#t%%%% Co#"d I borro *inimi7e imposition5 I E#st yo#r pen6

anted to as- yo# i& I co#"d #se yo#r pen%

P"#ra"i7e the person responsib"e5 ;e &orgot to te"" yo# that yo# needed to b#y yo#r p"ane tic-et by yesterday% 4

"ff!record $indirect% (ive hints5 It4s a bit co"d in here% Be vag#e5 Perhaps someone sho#"d open the indo %

Be sarcastic, or Eo-ing5 =eah, it)s rea""y hot here%