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The role of language is pivotal in creating and conveying a meaning besides understanding between individuals. Politeness, which plays this role, strengthens interpersonal interaction with subtle, respectful and thoughtful behaviors of the language and it ensures better transmission of meaning. Politeness research is a subfield of pragmatics that examines the interpretation of context and the meaning. Politeness was first searched by Robin Lakoff (1973). Grice (1975), in his approach to politeness called “Conversational Implicatures”; He emphasized that speakers often collaborate in communication. Geoffrey N. Leech (1983), who explained the principles of cooperation and extensively searched his own principles of politeness, also investigated the “politeness principle” and its principles of “tact, humility, appreciation, generosity, compromise, sympathy”. In this article, the six principles of Leech’s politeness theory are taken as a basis and examples of the principles are identified in the novel Cevdet Bey and His Sons (Cevdet Bey ve Oğulları). This study, based on Leech’s principle of politeness and politeness, aims to understand the role and importance of politeness in this work, supported by examples from the novel Cevdet Bey and His Sons (Cevdet Bey ve Oğulları). The novel is chosen as the main subject of the research which is considered as an important work in modern Turkish literature since the Nobel Prize-winning author examines the historical and cultural development of Türkiye in his work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In pragmatics, study of how context influences interpretation of meaning, "on record" and "off record" strategies play crucial roles in communication. These strategies are part of the politeness theory developed by Penelope Brown and Levinson. This study uses Brown & Levinson's Politeness Theory to study politeness tactics used in familial interactions in Sialkot, Pakistan. Thus, surveying 40 families from urban and rural areas, the research uses a mixed-methods approach to examine the effects of gender, socioeconomic status & cultural norms. The results show complex communication dynamics where politeness techniques are shaped by societal and gendered factors. Rural families take a diversified approach, whereas urban families tend to communicate on-record. The study revealed that effective communication involves a balance between on record and off record strategies, depending on context, the relationship amid speaker and listener, and potential facethreatening nature of communication. The study provides significant and leading outcomes about pragmatics and further highlights the significance of realizing cultural subtleties in familial interaction & proposes directions for future studies that will use multimodal analytic approaches & examine regional variances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

В статье представлены результаты исследования, посвященного распространенному в современной речи устойчивому выражению типа простите за тавтологию, которое выполняет функцию регуляции речевого поведения. Интерес к данному выражению вызывает причина, по которой поводом для извинений становится именно тавтологическая ошибка. Исследование направлено на поиск языковых и внеязыковых условий использования данного выражения. С этой целью описываются структурные, типологические и прагматические особенности данного выражения. Выявленные языковые факты свидетельствуют о том, что регуляция речевого поведения носит не только языковой, но и психологический характер, поскольку коммуникант реализует актуальную для него в процессе коммуникации потребность в соблюдении социальных норм.

Mastery of the art of crafting online reviews and responses is essential as a valuable additional tool for enhancing learners' English proficiency in specialised contexts. This study aims to: 1) Examine the formality levels in crafting reviews and responses; 2) Explore face-threatening acts utilised in reviews and politeness strategies employed in responses; and 3) Uncover moves and steps in composing reviews and responses. Data was collected from the Top 25 Hotels in the World in 2022 according to Tripadvisor.com. Six distinct corpora were formed, comprising positive, negative, and mixed reviews, along with corresponding responses, resulting in 87,973 tokens. Findings show reviewers leaned towards casual language (85.87%), while respondents used a consultative style (82.67%) in their responses. The shift from casual to consultative occurred most frequently (70.67%). For politeness, admiration (73.07%) and expressions of complaints/reprimands (64.53%) were common in reviews. In responses, strategies like offering, promising, or giving gifts (72.00%) and apologising and begging for forgiveness (50.40%) were prevalent. Reviews used three moves and ten steps, while responses employed six moves and 16 steps. These insights can be integrated into ESP classrooms to enhance review and response writing skills effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to investigate the misunderstanding of Jordanian requests by non-Arab students at the northern universities of Jordan. The misunderstanding among the students at these universities restricts building strong relationships among the students which could expand the problem of making successful communications among them. Brown and Levinson's (1987) politeness theory is adopted to analyze the data together with Austin's (1975) and Searle's (1975) speech act theories. A mixed method is used to collect the data. For the quantitative data, the Discourse Completion Test (DCT) will be used, and for the qualitative data, a semi-structured interview will be conducted. The results are expected to achieve the objectives of this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We use recent developments within philosophy of science and within certain strands of linguistic research to throw light on each other. According to Ronald Giere's perspectivist philosophy of science, the scientific understanding of reality must proceed along different, mutually irreducible lines of approach. Giere's proposal, however, leaves unresolved the problem of how to integrate the ever‐growing multitude of highly diverse scientific accounts of what is, after all, one and the same world. We propose a technique for the alignment of different perspectives that will permit cross‐perspectival explanation, and thus allow for a more holistic picture of reality to emerge. With respect to modern linguistics, however, Giere's perspectivism merely legalises a de facto state of affairs, as this discipline displays the peaceful coexistence of a multitude of different theoretical perspectives. Still, this makes it all the more important to show how the different aspects of language picked out by these different perspectives combine to form one single complex reality. During our investigation, a largely overlooked type of reduction within linguistics comes to light, prevalent in classical as well as current work within speech act theory and politeness theory. We suggest how a more holistic understanding of language can be attained through our technique for integrating different perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Folklor / Edebiyat is the property of Cyprus International University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Human joint action seems special, as it is grounded in joint commitment-a sense of mutual obligation participants feel towards each other. Comparative research with humans and non-human great apes has typically investigated joint commitment by experimentally interrupting joint actions to study subjects' resumption strategies. However, such experimental interruptions are human-induced, and thus the question remains of how great apes naturally handle interruptions. Here, we focus on naturally occurring interruptions of joint actions, grooming and play, in bonobos and chimpanzees. Similar to humans, both species frequently resumed interrupted joint actions (and the previous behaviours, like grooming the same body part region or playing the same play type) with their previous partners and at the previous location. Yet, the probability of resumption attempts was unaffected by social bonds or rank. Our data suggest that great apes experience something akin to joint commitment, for which we discuss possible evolutionary origins.

This research project analyzes politeness in naturally occurring and authentic conversations. The study begins with an introduction to the importance of politeness in daily communication and its significance in respecting others and avoiding misunderstandings. Politeness theory, as a topic in pragmatic discourse research, is discussed, highlighting its role in language teaching. The project explores different politeness strategies, including openly and publicly practicing face threats, positive politeness strategies, negative politeness strategies, non-public politeness strategies, and the non-performance of face-threatening behaviors. The advantages and limitations of politeness strategies are also examined, considering cultural differences, educational backgrounds, and generational gaps. Furthermore, the project presents an analysis of social media data, focusing on a specific case of business negotiations between a Chinese company and a Nigerian company. The negotiation stages are divided into relationship creation, information exchange, negotiation and persuasion, and conclusion. The language strategies and skills used by the negotiators at each stage are explored. The findings reveal the use of relaxing topics to establish a pleasant atmosphere, clear and concise expression of important information, and persuasive techniques to resolve differences and achieve desired goals. Overall, this analysis provides insights into politeness theory and its application in authentic conversations, emphasizing its relevance in effective communication and the need for further research to develop more comprehensive and culturally sensitive politeness strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article addresses the problem of communicative strategies for conveying criticism and disapproval in statements of appellative genre issued by presidents of American and British top universities. We claim that discursive representation of university chief leaders who are critically evaluating government decisions and incidents forms a linguistic and sociocultural communicative genre system with a set of effective rhetoric and communicative means. In academic administrative discourse, statements of appellative genre are characterized by dynamic application of positive and negative politeness strategies and regular reproduction of value-centered arguments, which update the system of values of the American and British academic communities. Discursive behavior of university chief academic administrators contains the rhetoric that appeals to logic, addressee’s emotions (pathos) and is based on the arguments to ethos, combining this with lexical and stylistic means that ‘threaten’ addressee’ face. Speakers use strategic tautology to increase the significance of the value system of an academic community. The concepts, themes, tasks, and tactical means, identified in the appellative statements of university leaders, contribute to the formation of the concept sphere of American and British academic communities. The results of this present study detail discursive and genre characteristics of the administrative academic discourse and the strategies of conflict (disapproving) discourse in particular. Communicative behavior of university leaders determined, on the one hand, by the value system and, on the other, by strategic aims of communication, can serve as a model of leadership communication and a resource for improving the competence of modern academic leaders.

This research was conducted to observe impoliteness strategies employed by Jeremy Clarkson in his humor in the TV Series Top Gear with the intention to unveil which strategy he utilized most and elucidate the reason upon the most and least occurring impoliteness strategies. The present research utilizes Culpeper's (1996) model of impoliteness super strategies as the main framework to identify, analyze, and elaborate the research data. Other theories related to impoliteness such as face-threatening act and politeness was also utilized to assist the analysis process. The result of the research revealed that negative impoliteness strategy was the most commonly used strategy through which Jeremy Clarkson delivers his humor. Contrary to the withhold politeness strategy which accounted for the least occurring strategy. The explanation upon the result to be the way they are could be referred back to Jeremy Clarkson's main intentions of uttering impolite remarks--in an effort to amuse the audience and keep the show entertaining. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have shown that when interpreting scalar terms like quantifiers (e.g., some) and probability expressions (e.g., possibly), recipients tend to take into account the speaker's face management concerns (e.g., to save the recipient's face). In this study, we presented two experiments in Chinese that examined the recipient's perception of the speaker's implicit promise, a speech act that threatens the speaker's own (negative) face (by restricting the speaker's subsequent freedom). Results showed that participants, as recipients, considered the speaker to be less committed to the implicit promise when the speaker's negative face was threatened. We suggest that the perceived lower speaker commitment in face-threatening contexts is motivated by participants' recognition of facework. During social interactions, people recognize the speaker's face management concerns not only when the recipient's face is threatened, but also when the speaker's own face is at stake. • Speakers are less committed to implicit promises in face-threatening contexts. • Hearers recognize speakers' face concerns when perceiving implicit promises. • Speaker commitment to promises is modulated by the nature of the context. • Speaker commitment can be measured more directly in future experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents pieces of evidence of the use of Politeness Strategies and Face threateningActs in dialogues between characters in two drama texts: Death and the King’s Horseman by Wole Soyinka, a Nigerian author (text A) and Othello by William Shakespeare, an English author (text B). This research analyses the relationship between Pilkings, Amusa and Joseph in Death and the King’s Horseman and the relationship between Othello and Iago in Othello. The analysis utilisesthe politeness theory by Brown and Levinson (1978 and 1987) which revolves around the concept of face by Erving Goffman(1967). The thrust of thistheory is to minimise conflict and foster harmony in social interaction. In order to answer the following questions, the data werepurposively selected and qualitative research design is utilized: Do the speeches in the texts satisfy the principle of politeness? What kind of meaning interpretation is depicted in these drama texts? How has speech been used to show the kind of relationship that exists between these characters? It was discovered that while Amusa is utilising negative strategy, Pilkings always makesuse of negative face-threatening actsto avoid his subordinates losing their fear and respect for him; he usespositive face strategy when he dearly needshis subordinates to give him the response he needs. In Othello, the positive face strategy is deployed to enhance an ideal and harmonious master-servant relationship. This paper concludes that the use of politeness strategies is contextualised by the use of power relations between speaker and listener. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Popular knowledge management platforms such as community-based question answering sites (CQAs) and electronic networks of practice (ENPs) rely on accurate quality assessment of user-contributed content to ensure effective knowledge creation and exchange. However, quality assessment is subjective by nature. Based on the politeness theory, we hypothesize that answers written more politely are more likely to be perceived as high quality answers by the question asker due to the low face threat. We first test our hypotheses through a random coefficient logit model with data obtained from Stack Exchange, a popular CQA platform. We then conduct a randomized experiment where we exogenously manipulate the politeness level of otherwise similar answers. Our analyses, based on both the Stack Exchange dataset and the randomized experiment, lend strong support to the existence of a politeness bias, which affects question askers’ subjective evaluation of answer quality. This study contributes to the literature in knowledge management, cognitive bias, and behavioral issues in information systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DOI: https://doi.org/10.26333/sts.xxxvi2.03 Insinuations are indirect speech acts done for various reasons: a speaker S may insinuate P (i) because an insinuation is more polite, and S can save face by non-explicitly saying P (Brown, Levinson, 1987; Searle, 1975), (ii) because S can deny having insinuated P and avoid the responsibility of explicitly stating P, or (iii) because S perceives herself to be in a competitive rather than cooperative conversation, and she wants to pursue her interests strategically (Asher, Lascarides, 2013; Camp, 2018; Lee, Pinker, 2010; Pinker et al., 2008). These views assume that to insinuate P, S must also intend to use the deniability of P for dealing with a possible non-cooperative hearer. I argue that this requirement is too strong and falls short of accounting for cases in which S intentionally performs a deniable indirect speech act, but S has no intention to use that deniability.

Being visually impaired is an inherently face threatening and potentially stigmatizing experience that can greatly affect personal relationships. Those with a visual impairment frequently miss nonverbal cues, must rely on others for transportation and other assistance, and can be overtly marked as different through their use of a cane or a guide dog. Framed by the theoretical lens of facework and using in-depth interviews of 24 visually impaired individuals, this study uncovered how people with a visual impairment engaged in facework to mitigate and remediate the low-vision-related face threats they and others experienced. Participants reported using preventive facework, including politeness and humor, as well as corrective facework (avoidance, apologies, accounts, and humor) to manage face threats. Interviewees also engaged in a new type of facework that was simultaneously corrective and preventive: future facework (education and advocacy). Findings offer practical strategies visually impaired individuals can use to ward off or repair face threatening acts, contesting stigma and potentially improving relationships and fostering allyship among sighted individuals. The study also suggests that facework be incorporated into a biopsychosocial model of disability to help combat disabling social barriers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While there is substantial research on how firms successfully end project initiatives deemed unsuitable for them very few studies focus on how leaders and managers communicate termination messages. Drawing from politeness theory and organizational support theory we explore the impact termination messages varying in face sensitivity have on innovators' feelings of psychological safety, affect, and their willingness to continue to innovate We find that face-threatening messages significantly and negatively affect innovators' psychological safety, affect, and willingness to further innovate. The negative effects are amplified when innovators feel high commitment to their projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The affordances of instant messaging platforms (IMPs) have made them ready conduits for misinformation, with their popularity aggravating the misinformation problem. At present, IMPs have limited systems in place to reduce misinformation, so the burden of correcting misinformation rests on users. This article examines reactions to misinformation and the factors influencing users' correction of misinformation, both as senders and receivers. Interviews with 35 Singaporean youths aged 21-25 years were conducted, as youths are deemed to have the greatest propensity to correct misinformation. By drawing on politeness theory and impression management theory to understand social-, cultural-, and individuallevel factors, our findings reveal a proclivity for self-corrections but a disinclination to social corrections. Recommendations for motivating misinformation corrections are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Brazilian English Language Teaching Journal is the property of Brazilian English Language Teaching Journal and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Based on Buber's dialogic philosophy, ideas from the ethics of dialogue and politeness theory, we analyze letters written by members of an Israeli organization named Besod Siach – who come from both the left and right wings, are both religious and secular, who decided to broaden and deepen the dialogue between different groups in Israeli society against the backdrop of the polarization, alienation and violence threatening the state's integrity and democratic foundations. Our analysis has three focal points: the language of the letters themselves, meta-linguistic utterances that appear in the letters and explicitly refer to the language the writers choose to use or refrain from using, and meta-textual utterances that relate more generally to the dialogic approach guiding the members of the group. Harmony is evinced among these three perspectives, thus exemplifying the conditions needed in order to hold an argumentative discourse that promotes dialogue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phatic communion is a type of speech that is used to facilitate social relationships without informational value, and its influence on advice taking is underexplored. Therefore, we conducted a pilot study and two main studies to explore the influence of phatic communion on advice taking. In the pilot study, we asked participants to evaluate experimental material stating phatic communion, which confirmed that the manipulation for phatic communion was effective. Study 1 explored the main effect of phatic communion on advice taking using a quantitative estimation task. Study 2 explored whether interpersonal familiarity had a moderating effect on the indirect relationship between phatic communion and advice taking via positive face threats. Overall, our results showed that advice given with phatic communion decreased (positive) face threats, and in turn, increased advice taking, but only when the relationship between the advisee and the advisor was unfamiliar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While there is substantial research on how firms successfully end project initiatives deemed unsuitable for them very few studies focus on how leaders and managers communicate termination messages. Drawing from politeness theory and organizational support theory we explore the impact termination messages varying in face sensitivity have on innovators’ feelings of psychological safety, affect, and their willingness to continue to innovate We find that face-threatening messages significantly and negatively affect innovators’ psychological safety, affect, and willingness to further innovate. The negative effects are amplified when innovators feel high commitment to their projects.

Words not only describe the world but also influence the world or modify relationships (Austin, 1965; Pinker et al,, 2008). Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has presented his competence in influencing or even shaping diplomatic relationships through his words and utterances. This study explores the ways in which he has been successful as a strategic speaker (Lee & Pinker, 2010), establishing solidarity with Japan using the soft power introduced by Nye (2004, 2011). By closely examining his 12-minute online speech at the Japanese parliament in March 2022, it investigates the extent to which his speech has exerted influence on the Japanese people as well as on the two countries’ relationship. As for methodology, the data of an English-translated script were analyzed by adopting politeness theory (Brown & Levinson, 1987), which stems from the concept of “face” (Goffman, 1967), a positive social value in social interaction. Specifically, all of President Zelensky’s utterances were evaluated by three factors that account for politeness strategies – relative power, social distance, and weight of imposition. Based on this analysis and the responses in Japan, this study argues that his speech adopted not only face-threatening but also face-boosting effects (Bayraktaroğlu, 1991), building common ground as an affiliation strategy and generating solidarity and soft power. This study concludes that President Zelensky’s speech to Japan contributes to consolidating solidarity in Japanese minds and soft power, which have encouraged the Japanese government and its citizens to continue supporting Ukraine financially, psychologically, and diplomatically.

Based on Rauen’s goal-conciliation theory, Sperber and Wilson’s relevance theory, and Brown and Levinson’s politeness theory, we model in this essay the utterance “Can you pass the salt?”—taken as a classic example of a polite request between politeness theorists—assuming the mobilization of a polite or attenuated speech act contributes to the accomplishment of practical goals. Next, we discuss the modeling considering some criticisms produced by second-wave politeness studies and politeness relevance-theoretic studies. We conclude that politeness aspects are part of intentional action plans, affecting the design of the lowest level practical goal superordinating the respective informative and communicative subgoals. We claim the speaker defines—in the scope of that lower-level practical goal—the speech-act, the politeness super-strategy, and the formulation of the polite utterance considering a palette of linguistic possibilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Using politeness theory, this study investigates how preregistrant pharmacists engage in workplace disputes., Methods: Overall, 56 students participated in 2 mock job judgment scenarios. In scenario A (n = 25), the conflict was with a colleague of lower hierarchical status, while in scenario B (n = 32), the conflict was with a colleague of equal hierarchical status. Using politeness theory, responses were coded into 3 tiers: (1) engagement in the face-threatening act (FTA); (2) use of on/off-record approaches; and (3) communicative strategies. For tier 1, reasons for engaging in the FTA were also coded., Results: 89% of the participants indicated they would unequivocally engage in the FTA. For scenario A, the pharmacist's roles and responsibilities (40%) and for scenario B, situational urgency/safety (65%) were the key drivers. Scenario A participants were more likely to use an on-record approach (80%) than those in scenario B (68%). Empathetic approaches (56%) were more common in scenario A, while explanatory approaches (64%) were more frequent in scenario B., Conclusion: This study shows that preregistrant pharmacists are aware of the principles of face-work. While the study only reflects what participants believe they would do, not their actual ability in professional disputes, it supports current research that students need simulated low-stakes opportunities to practice communication skills before entering the workplace, especially where situational urgency is present. Integration of politeness theory in workshop and feedback design could help students to link awareness to actual interaction, although the theory should be expanded to integrate urgency as a factor impacting all levels of interactional decision-making., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest None declared., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To identify factors influencing patient responses in potentially sensitive situations that might lead to embarrassment (defined by politeness theory (PT) as positive face-threatening acts [FTAs]) or a sense of imposition (defined by PT as negative FTAs) during Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) and to assess the participant's ability to mitigate such situations., Methods: Nineteen OSCE video recordings of 10 pharmacy trainees interacting with mock patients were examined using the PT framework. All relevant participants' speech acts were coded and quantified into type of FTAs and the mitigation strategies used. Patient (assessor) responses were classified then quantified into preferred responses (ie, quick response) vs dispreferred (ie, delayed or hesitant responses) using conversation analysis. The chi-square test was used to identify any association between relevant variables according to predefined hypotheses using SPSS version 27., Results: A total of 848 FTAs were analyzed. Participants failed to meet patient face needs in 32.4% of positive FTAs, in 11.5% of negative FTAs, and 44.4% of positive and negative FTAs. Although patients disclosing information about any inappropriate lifestyle behavior (as per OSCE scripts) expressed these via dispreferred mannerisms, participants were less likely to provide patients with reassurance when patient face needs were challenged in this way (68.2% of these dispreferred responses were not given reassuring feedback) than when they were maintained., Conclusion: Improving educational programs to include the context of patient face needs and conversational strategies for properly dealing with highly sensitive situations was suggested as a way to equip trainees with the skills to effectively build rapport with patients., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest None declared., (Copyright © 2024 American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Insinuations are indirect speech acts done for various reasons: a speaker S may insinuate P (i) because an insinuation is more polite, and S can save face by non-explicitly saying P (Brown, Levinson, 1987; Searle, 1975), (ii) because S can deny having insinuated P and avoid the responsibility of explicitly stating P, or (iii) because S perceives herself to be in a competitive rather than cooperative conversation, and she wants to pursue her interests strategically (Asher, Lascarides, 2013; Camp, 2018; Lee, Pinker, 2010; Pinker et al., 2008). These views assume that to insinuate P, S must also intend to use the deniability of P for dealing with a possible non-cooperative hearer. I argue that this requirement is too strong and falls short of accounting for cases in which S intentionally performs a deniable indirect speech act, but S has no intention to use that deniability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the fast-paced and dynamic world of social media communication, misunderstandings frequently arise due to the absence of non-verbal cues and the limited nature of online interactions. This paper explores the role of politeness theory in resolving misunderstandings in social media communication. Politeness theory, a pragmatic framework by Brown and Levinson (1987), provides insights into how individuals manage and maintain face in communication. By examining the use of politeness strategies in online contexts, this paper highlights the importance of explicitness, pragmatic adaptations, and politeness strategies in resolving conflicts and clarifying intentions. It also discusses the challenges posed by the absence of non-verbal cues and the potential for misinterpretation in digital interactions. Understanding and employing politeness theory can enhance effective communication, promote empathy, and mitigate misunderstandings in the ever-evolving landscape of social media platforms. This paper emphasises the significance of incorporating politeness as a tool for navigating social media communication and fostering harmonious online interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article appraises teachers’ use of compliments as linguistic politeness strategies (PSs) in a non-native English-speaking community. It is guided by Brown and Levinson’s (1987) Politeness Theory and Austin’s (1962) Speech Act Theory. The paper uses materials recorded in 32 lessons by 16 teachers of different subjects which took place in selected secondary schools in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Purposive sampling was used to obtain the participants. Data was collected through classroom observation and interview. Results show that the teachers used a variety of compliments as linguistic PSs, including compliments, compliments with gratitude, and compliments with congratulatory notes. By so doing, they positively influenced various aspects of the classroom interaction, for example raising students’ feeling of being admired by their teachers, promoting students’ confidence, encouraging active participation in lessons, and promoting students’ relaxation. This study traced the use of compliments as linguistic PSs using cross-sectional data; future studies may examine longitudinal data to unearth a number of key issues with regard to compliment use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Adab Al-Kufa is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study investigated whether and how young adults disclose their political views to a parent who supports a candidate from an opposing party during election season. Using politeness theory, the study identified predictors of young adults' political disclosure decisions and the amount of face‐saving efforts they will make during the disclosure to influence the voting of their parent. How their face‐saving efforts predict strategic attitude disclosure and postdisclosure outcomes was also examined. An online survey was administered to 176 South Korean young adults 10 days before the 2017 presidential election. Results showed that frequent political talks in a parent–child dyad predicted more disclosure attempts. Consistent with politeness theory, an increased perception of power difference in the parent–child relationship predicted more face‐saving efforts made by young adults for their parent. Contrary to politeness theory, a greater political difference in the parent–child relationship was associated with fewer face‐saving efforts. Parental solicitation of disclosure moderated the effect of power difference in an unexpected way; young adults made more face‐saving efforts for their parent who was perceived to have more power over them and have solicited a political disclosure. Young adults presented an attitude toward the parent's preferred candidate more favourable than the actual attitude. Despite the compromised truthfulness, more face‐saving efforts were associated with a perceived narrowing of the political difference and an increased willingness to engage in political talk with the parent in the future. The findings are discussed from psychological and societal perspectives, with implications for cross‐cutting political conversations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A few studies suggest that, in interpreter-mediated mental health settings, the interpreter participates in the therapeutic alliance (TA) via relational agency within the triad. We have explored this hypothesis through the thematic analysis of 19 semi-structured interviews and the discursive analysis of three excerpts from an authentic interpreter-mediated French-Russian psychotherapeutic consultation using the conceptual tools of Brown and Levinson's politeness theory enriched by Kerbrat-Orecchioni (1992) and taking into consideration discourse markers. The results of this descriptive and exploratory study show that the interpreter actively co-creates a supportive relationship in each of the three dyads, in particular through mitigation of Face-Threatening Acts and Face-Flattering Acts. In doing so, it may be that the interpreter co-constructs the affective dimension of a triadic TA that promotes the patient's self-expression and underpins therapeutic work. A better understanding of the mechanisms of establishing and maintaining TA in interpreted mental health settings is crucial since research in monolingual contexts shows that the quality of TA is predictive of successful care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Íkala: Revista de Lenguaje y Cultura is the property of Universidad de Antioquia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Asynchronous, anonymous online debaters might be less likely than face-to-face debaters to value their public self-image (face), and thus disagree more freely. In this study, we examined whether polite disagreements (as opposed to rude ones) help online debaters win over audience members. An analysis of the most voted-on 100 political debates on Debate.org (200 debaters; 1,750 voters; 472,652 words) showed that debate initiators who used politer face-saving strategies to disagree (i.e., using expressions such as negatives with agree words rather than disagree or harsh rejection words) were more likely to receive more audience votes and win their debates. These results suggest that politeness tactics during online debates increase effectiveness, align with normative ideals, and yield pragmatic gain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to identify the politeness strategies employed by Iraqi EFL undergraduate learners in their request emails to their lecturers during their study period in Malaysia. A content and discourse analysis approaches were conducted to quantitatively and qualitatively analyze the data. Emails were analyzed first for the level of directness following the framework proposed by BlumKulka et al. (1989). This contributed to assign the types of the politeness strategy used in students’ emails following Brown and Levinson’s (1987) politeness theory. The results showed that students used almost a variety of politeness strategies as they used varied levels of directness. Positive politeness strategy was the most prominent as the students mainly expressed their opinion, agreement and disagreement through their requests, which requires positive politeness to save the positive face of the addressee. The findings also showed that Iraqi undergraduate students are mitigating the possible threat to each other’s face by using expressions of positive politeness to show solidarity, like-mindedness and friendship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although sexual refusal can be a complex, face-threatening interpersonal exchange, the nuances of these encounters are often overlooked by sexual and consent education messages. To examine this phenomenon more closely, the current study analyzed emerging adult college women's descriptions of past sexual refusal episodes to better understand how they frame their sexual refusal experiences in terms of face needs and risks, and the cultural roles and scripts are reflected in the descriptions of sexual refusal. Two primary frames emerged through the analysis: Refusal as successful and refusal as failure. Thematic characteristics within each frame are examined in terms of politeness theory and face needs, as well as the broader cultural sexual scripts that impact norms surrounding who, how, when, and if sexual refusal can occur. Theoretical implications include consideration of how the discourse of U.S. sexual consent education emerges in the findings, the limitations of politeness theory in understanding sexual refusal, and suggest alternative theoretical approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The declining of an invitation is an important type of speech act since it needs to deal with the face of the person receiving the decline. The objective of this study is to investigate refusal strategies for invitation using WhatsApp in the Malay community by comparing two different actions, that is an invitation for "shopping" and "holding a party". The data for the study were obtained using open role-play through WhatsApp by involving 20 Malay informants. Discourse data were analysed quantitatively and qualitatively from three perspectives. These are the frequency of semantic formula usage, the average usage of semantic formulas per capita and the average usage of emojis. The strategies adopted by informants were discussed based on the politeness theory introduced by Brown and Levinson. The results showed that overall, the informants tended to emphasise positive politeness for both actions. Two types of semantic formulas showed significant differences between the two actions. {Alternative} was used significantly more often for "shopping", while {positive exclamation} was used more often for "holding a party". Further, {additional reason} also tended to be used more often for "holding a party". However, there were no significant differences from the perspective of the average usage of semantic formulas per capita. Emojis representing facial expressions [positive emotions] were also found significantly more often for "holding a party". This study highlighted that Malay informants reinforce the use of positive politeness strategies for actions that are more special, rather than adjusting to negative politeness strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conversational strategies are an important element of any modern English language syllabus. Much attention is paid to teaching these strategies in Business English classrooms. A crucial component of conversational strategies in business is politeness strategies. Awareness of linguistic politeness as a strategy of speech behaviour allows interlocutors to maintain a felicitous pattern of communication and prevent conflict. The present research focuses on politeness strategies realised in business English discourse. Within the framework of the study a corpus of cases was subjected to a comparative analysis in the course of which their overall pragmatic effect on the interlocutor was revealed. Considerable attention was paid to the statistical analysis of the distribution of the four strategies of politeness and their respective sub-strategies in English business communication. The study contains comparative statistical data illustrating manifestations of different strategies of politeness in modern Business English and provides a description of the most common cases of their realisation. Raising awareness of politeness strategies and acquiring practical skills can help both the speaker and the listener to understand implied meanings conveyed in different communicative situations and adjust their speech behaviour to achieve the aims of communication, which ensures success in business.

This investigation explores the linguistic mitigation strategies employed by language supervisors in giving critical feedback to language teachers. The provision of feedback is personal and may be intense as a supervisor needs to meet two goals: clarity in feedback-giving and maintenance of relationships. One way to achieve these goals is through the use of linguistic mitigation, which blunts the harshness of a message. To study language mitigation, post-lesson conferences between four in-service teachers and two supervisors, and between four preservice teachers and two university supervisors were recorded and transcribed. A discourse analysis was then conducted to identify specific linguistic mitigation strategies in supervisory discourse using a taxonomy (Wajnryb, 1994). Results showed that supervisors used a variety of linguistic mitigation strategies that could be classified under three major groups: syntactic, semantic, and indirect mitigation techniques. This extensive use of mitigation strategies showed that the supervisors were aware of the threat posed by their feedback on the teachers’ face and the need to balance clarity and maintenance of personal relationships. The prevalence of mitigation in supervisory discourse also demonstrated that politeness may be an important consideration for teachers to accept feedback. The data also suggested that mitigation may be performing both personal and institutional roles for supervisors. Finally, the study would support the applicability of Brown and Levinson’s (1987) face-saving model in the Philippine context. The implications of this study for supervision and language research were likewise discussed in the conclusion of this paper.

Human joint action seems special, as it is grounded in joint commitment—a sense of mutual obligation participants feel towards each other. Comparative research with humans and non-human great apes has typically investigated joint commitment by experimentally interrupting joint actions to study subjects’ resumption strategies. However, such experimental interruptions are human-induced, and thus the question remains of how great apes naturally handle interruptions. Here, we focus on naturally occurring interruptions of joint actions, grooming and play, in bonobos and chimpanzees. Similar to humans, both species frequently resumed interrupted joint actions (and the previous behaviours, like grooming the same body part region or playing the same play type) with their previous partners and at the previous location. Yet, the probability of resumption attempts was unaffected by social bonds or rank. Our data suggest that great apes experience something akin to joint commitment, for which we discuss possible evolutionary origins.