Theory Of Politeness Essay

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The notion(s) of politeness For a reason that will be made explicit subsequently, it may be helpful to begin with a dictionary definition of ‘politeness’, or all the more easily,‘polite’: Polite, adjective [1] Having or indicating conduct that is respectful and considerate of other individuals: they thought she was not right but were too polite to say so. [2] [attrib.] relating to individuals who see themselves as more cultured and refined than others: the image angered polite community. The Concise Oxford English Dictionary (2004). Even from such a brief abstraction of regular utilization of the notion, it is clear that politeness does not have a quiet unambiguously value. Despite it is predominantly associated with a ‘nice’ and considerate sort of conduct and subsequently has a positive value [1], it can, however, at the same time convey negative connotations of insincere motives resulting from the tension between genuine beliefs and what is thought to be socially suitable, as the example implies. The second part of its meaning [2] appears to propose the historical background of the notion which was primarily the court and elitist circles in general, thus maybe evoking connotations of hypocritical superiority (although question of connotations is, to a certain extent, an issue of opinion). The …show more content…

According to Kasper (2004), most authors concur that politeness is a matter of language utilization, in this manner coming under the area of pragmatics. However, there have been contradictory claims about innately polite or impolite speech acts even within the same hypothesis focusing on the significance of context. In addition, some authors propose that politeness be ascribed to speakers, not their speech, or conversely, that languages can be characterized according to their politeness

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