POLITENES

COURSE INS
S
TRUCTOR: V
ERONICA T
OMESCU
0 The Politeness Principle = the ef>iciency of
communication depends on the mutual satisfaction of
participants social needs
0 Maxims are violated in order to satisfy the Politeness
Principle

A: Well all miss Bill and Angela.

B: Well all miss Bill

0 white lies: Maxim of Quality
I know all. And I should like to begin," I said, sinking
my personal opinion that the female in question was a
sloppy pest in my desire to buck and encourage, "by
saying that Madeline Bassett is a charming girl. A
winner, and just the sort for you."


0 The sociological concept of face: public self-image

1. negative face the want to be unimpeded, freedom
from imposition, freedom of action
2. positive face the need for approval

Face Threatening Act:
illocutionary acts have face-threatening potential

1. negative
2. positive
1. threaten negative face:
0 by directives -- competitive illocutions

0 by commissives: e.g. put pressure to reject offer --

convivial illocutions
I promise I will teach you German.
No thank you.
2. threaten positive face: con/licting illocutions
0 constative acts expressing disapproval, criticism, etc.
0 dissentive acts: contradictions, challenges
0 mention taboo topics, controversial topics, mention
things which are bad for the hearer

0 vs. collaborative illocutions
When performing a face-threatening act:
1. the want to communicate the act and obtain
illocutionary aim
2. the want to be ef>icient or urgent (Grices maxims)
3. the want to maintain face

unless the urgency of the act predominates, speaker
will not want to threaten face
=> degree of directness or literalness

Communicative strategy:
1. social distance
2. relative power
3. absolute ranking of impositions :culture-speci>ic
Sources of power (Brown and Levinson)
0 material control
0 metaphysical control

0 great power difference: deference

0 social roles certain role sets are asymmetrical:

You must hand in the paper next Monday. vs.
You must cook me a rice meal tomorrow (unless
teaches cooking)

Absolute ranking of impositions:
Leech
0 taking into account the rank of impositions a speaker
should be tactful, that is minimize cost to others and
maximize bene>it to others (Maxim of Tact)
0 and he should be generous: minimize bene>it to self
and maximize cost to self (Maxim of Generosity)
0 minimize criticism of others, maximize praise
(Approbation Maxim)
0 minimize praise of self (Modesty Maxim)

Estimation of risk of face loss:

qDont do the FTA
qDo the FTA
1. on record:
a) without redressive action
b) with redressive action
u positive politeness strategies
u negative politeness strategies
2. off record
Estimation of risk of face loss:

qDont do the FTA
qDo the FTA
1. on record:
a) without redressive action
b) with redressive action
u positive politeness strategies
u negative politeness strategies
2. off record
Bald on record : in conformity with Grices maxims:
maximally ef>icient communication
0 urgency
Help! Your pants are on >ire! Stop thief!
vs. I wonder if you would mind terribly stopping that
person.
0 metaphorical urgency: Look, listen,
0 entreaties: e.g. Forgive me!

Bald on record : in conformity with Grices maxims:
maximally ef>icient communication
0 FTA is in hearers interest:
a. Careful, hes a dangerous man.
b. You dropped your keys!
c. Dont worry!

0 communication dif>iculties (e.g. bad phone

connection), text messages

Bald on record : in conformity with Grices maxims:
maximally ef>icient communication
0 task oriented: face redress is irrelevant:
Give me the needles. That is wrong, the cut should be
bigger.
Shake well before use.
Add three cups of >lour.
Bald on record : in conformity with Grices maxims:
maximally ef>icient communication
0 hearer is powerless, speaker does not care about
maintaining face
Bald on record : FTA-oriented bald on record usage
0 when speaker assumes that hearer will be careful not
to infringe on speakers face
speaker insists that hearer may impose on speakers
negative face : You must have some more cake. Come
in!
positive face:
Dont let me keep you (= I wont be offended if you tell
me you are busy)
Never mind the mess (= I wont be offended that your
room is messy)
Dont mind me (= Im not expecting you to go to any
trouble on my account)
You are becoming thoroughly demoralized. I told you
to look after yourself. This is the >irst time you have ever
refused to take my orders. I hope you will not make it a
precedent.
Estimation of risk of face loss:

qDont do the FTA
qDo the FTA
1. on record:
a) without redressive action
b) with redressive action
u positive politeness strategies
u negative politeness strategies
2. off record
Negative politeness strategies:
be direct (it is polite to come to the point) => be
conventionally indirect:
Can you pass the salt?
Negative politeness strategies:
dont presume/assume: use questions, hedges
really now, if I may ask, if you can, if at all possible
tag questions
maxims
Negative politeness strategies:
dont presume/assume
Quality hedges:
0 not taking responsibility: There is some evidence
that My best recollection is thatAs far as...
0 underline commitment to truth: With complete
honesty...
0 disclaim assumption that assertion will inform
hearer: As you probably know...

Negative politeness strategies:
dont presume/assume
Quantity hedges:
roughly, more or less, give or take a few, Ill just say
Relevance hedges:
I realize it may not be the best time, since you brought it
up, I dont know whether you are interested
Manner:
to put it bluntly, properly speaking

Which maxims are used to hedge ?
"May I speak frankly? What I have to say may wound
you.Now let me get it straight. If I follow your reasoning
correctly, you think that, stimulated by being upholstered
throughout in scarlet tights, Mr. Fink-Nottle, on encountering
the adored object, will generally let himself go with a whoop.
I don't agree with you, Jeeves. In fact, not to put too >ine a
point upon it, I consider that of all the dashed silly, drivelling
ideas I ever heard in my puff this is the most blithering and
futile. It won't work. Not a chance. All you have done is to
subject Mr. Fink-Nottle to the nameless horrors of a fancy-
dress ball for nothing. And this is not the >irst time this sort
of thing has happened. To be quite candid, Jeeves, I have
frequently noticed before now a tendency or disposition on
your part to become--what's the word?"

Listen, bud, he said aggressively. Do I look like I know
much?
I hedged. At >irst sight, no.

But through no ones fault, Penny, the quality of dinner
conversation in this apartment has declined. And again,
Im looking at no one in particular, Penny.
Through no ones fault, Sheldon, were leaving.


I have a question to ask...
Yes? What is it?
Im about to ask it. That was why I had Mr Goodwin
learn you number and call it and ask for you so you
could be on one end of the telephone and me on the
other end, and then I could ask you this question. Tell
me when you are ready sir.

Negative politeness strategies:
dont presume/assume
Prosodic and kinetic hedges: frowning, raising
eyebrows, going ummm, ah

Negative politeness strategies:
dont coerce
0 be pessimistic: You couldnt possibly, I dont suppose
0 give options, allow room for no: Can you answer the
phone?
0 minimize imposition - diminutives, euphemisms:
Could I borrow a tiny bit of paper, have just a taste
May I offer 27 little tweaks to make it slightly less
embarrassing?
0 give deference: Maxim of Modesty, Approbation


Negative politeness strategies:
communicate want not to impinge on hearer
0 apologize + admit imposition: Im sure you must be
very busy, I normally wouldnt, I can think of
nobody else who, Excuse me...

Negative politeness strategies:
communicate want not to impinge on hearer
0 impersonalize:
It would be nice to have tickets.
Is there more cake?
Somebody broke that.

Negative politeness strategies:
communicate want not to impinge on hearer
0 state the FTA as a general rule: Passengers will please
refrain from smoking
0 represent imposition as a case of general obligation:
We dont sit on tables, Johnny.

Which strategies are used?
[Sheldon wants to persuade Penny to throw out a chair
she has found in the street and which he thinks might
be a health hazard]
You have to get rid of the chair. You...
Nope.
For your safety, please wait in my apartment as I call
the authorities so they may remove the chair of death.
No.
Under my authority as a self-appointed member of the
Centers for Disease Control street team these premises
are condemned.
As a man with a keen sense of style I must tell you that
chair does not work with the room.

Who pays you?
Better start over. Show a gun or a steak knife or
something. Even if Im not hard to persuade , I must
keep up appearances.

What the devil has someone done? Not, what have you
done.
Negative politeness strategies:
redress other wants
0 offer partial compensation: give deference,
ackonwledge debt , go on record as incurring a debt:
claim explicit indebtedness to hearer; Id be eternally
grateful if you would

0 disclaim indebtedness of hearer:

It wouldnt be any trouble, I have to go by there anyway

Estimation of risk of face loss:

qDont do the FTA
qDo the FTA
1. on record:
a) without redressive action
b) with redressive action
u positive politeness strategies
u negative politeness strategies
2. off record
Positive politeness strategies:
0 addressed to hearers positive face
You must be hungry, would you like smth to eat?
Youve had a haircut
It was wise of you
0 avoid bringing up divisive topics
0 claim common ground by using jokes, gossip
0 seek agreement, at the risk of making contradictory
statements:
A: She is tall, I think
B: Yes, tall, tallish, well, rather short Id say

PENNY: Oh look, its Shamy.
AMY: Shamy?
SHELDON: A juvenile amalgamation of our names.
AMY: I dont like that, dont do that.
PENNY: Whats new?
AMY: Recently, I learned that you refer to us as Shamy
and I dont like that.
PENNY: What I was going for was, hows your life?
AMY: Like everybody elses. Subject to entropy, decay
and eventual death.

Estimation of risk of face loss:

qDont do the FTA
qDo the FTA
1. on record:
a) without redressive action
b) with redressive action
u positive politeness strategies
u negative politeness strategies
2. off record
Off-record behaviour:

0 leave a way out
0 leave it up to the hearer to decide on interpretation
0 there are enough clues for interpreting implicature
0 >lout maxims: e.g. Quantity (overstatement,
understatement, tautology: Boys will be boys

0 reason to be indirect: face-preservation ->
Cooperative Principle, Politeness principle
0 The Irony Principle: off-record behaviour
0 irony has a positive function in allowing aggression to
manifest itself in a less dangerous verbal form than by
direct insults, criticisms, threats
0 an insult will lead to counter-insult
0 ironic remark is less easy to answer

Your names Goodwin.
Thanks. How much do I weigh?

Drop in again before you leave. I may want to ask you
something.
Okay. Ill have something thought up to tell you.


0 banter: an apparently offensive way of being friendly

Look what the cats dragged in!

0 must be recognizable as unserious
0 implicature: what speaker says is impolite therefore
clearly untrue; therefore speaker must mean the
opposite

"But why do you want me? I mean, what am I? Ask
yourself that. "I often have. "I mean to say, I'm not the
type.
0 overpoliteness: ironic distance

0 underpoliteness: maintain a bond of familiarity
0 Maxim of Manner : ambiguity:
Johns a pretty sharp cookie = both positive and negative
meaning
0 deliberate ambiguity: means of saving face - the speaker
may have smth to lose if an assumption turns out not to be
true

Im curious to know what went on. (inquiring directly may
lead to blunt refusal)
The reporters would love to get their hands on a transcript
= hearer may choose to answer or not
= speaker can always back out: I wasnt asking you to tell me!

0 vagueness, incompleteness
Someones got to mow that lawn
0 communication: culture speci>ic!
e.g Japanese culture emphasizes the Maxim of Modesty
CULPEPERS impoliteness strategies:
0 the use of strategies meant to create social disruption
0 attack face or enhance face threat
0 hearer must perceive behaviour as impolite!
0 Bald on record impoliteness: high risk of losing face -
speaker has intention of attacking hearer
0 Positive impoliteness: damage hearers positive face:
show lack of interest, seek disagreement, deliberately
use words that will not be understood, snub, ignore,
taboo words
0 Negative impoliteness: damage hearers negative face:
coerce hearer into embarking upon unwanted course
of action, restrict freedom, frighten, hinder, belittle,
not take him seriously
0 sarcasm, mock politeness: insincere politeness
-> different from banter!
0 withhold politeness: refuse to thank, greet, etc.

Its practically certain that the body was in the closet
while you were there in the room. As nosy as you are,
youre telling me that you didnt open the door and see
the body?
Yep. I apologize. Next time Ill open every damn door in
sight.
You didnt look through the desk drawers?
No. I apologize again.