《Linguistic Politeness.docx》由会员分享，可在线阅读，更多相关《Linguistic Politeness.docx（16页珍藏版）》请在三一文库上搜索。
1、Linguistic PolitenessLinguistic PolitenessLinguistic PolitenessAbstract: As a linguistic universal we view politeness as one of the major social constraints on human interaction which regulates participants communicative behavior by constantly reminding them to take the feeling of the others into co
2、nsideration. It is necessary to consider their feelings so as to establish levels of mutual comfort and promote harmony, which in turn accelerate and facilitate human communication. Furthermore, politeness is a symbol of human civilization and an important criteria of human activities, which are cer
3、tainly indulged in language communication, such as business communication, classroom teaching, and cabin service.Key Words: linguistic, politeness, communication, maximAs a kind of social activity, language is sure to be restricted by a certain standard, specifically the politeness. The politeness p
4、rinciples to some degree do good to the speaker or utterer but leave less chance for the hearer or interpreter to think. On the contrary, polite expressions leave more chance for the hearer or interpreter to consider. In most cases, polite utterances are supposed to be applied among the communicator
5、s, particularly between strangers, upper class and lower class, or seniors and juniors. Suppose that you want to borrow a pen from a stranger besides you, you should say Could you lend me your pen? Or Would you please lend me your pen? On the other hand, polite expressions which depend on the relati
6、onships between the speaker and the hearer are not suitable for every occasion. Impolite languages are commonly adopted under some casual circumstances, such as communications between you and your family, friends or acquaintances. Here is an example. Providing that you and your family are drinking c
7、offee and youd like to add some sugar into your coffee, it is common to say pass me the sugar. It is strange and uncomfortable to utter Would you mind passing me the sugar? Or would you please pass me the sugar?, for this reason that such kind of formula which is obviously too formal and polite is e
8、xpressed as if your family are outsiders. In the same way, in specific emergencies, impolite imperative words are needed, because imperative sentences are comparatively clearand precise. Supposed that a speaker encounters a building on fire, in order to rescue people, he or she has to use impolite u
9、tterances, such as Fire! Get out! rather than Fire! Might i possibly ask you to leave the dangerous building? we can judge that the latter example is too polite and it is unnecessary in such an emergent occasion. Besides, polite expressions usually take more time to utter.In addition, it is worth no
10、ting that polite expressions embody not only politeness but also request and discontent. We can regard the sentence “Would you please open the window? as a request in one occasion. In another situation, if there is a person who is smoking beside you, we reasonably look at this expression as a discon
11、tent or a complaint. It probably means that would you please stop smoking?Therefore, polite expressions play an important role under different circumstances and in various activities. When to adopt polite expressions, what kind of polite expressions to put into use and in what situations to utilize
12、impolite utterances rely on the relationships between the speaker or the utterer and the hearer or the interpreter as well as the occasion where the interlocutors locate.Frequently using polite words is a salient feature in business English letters. From Geoffrey Leechs and Verschuerens views, the a
13、pplication of languages should yield to politeness principles and adaptation theory.Leech put forward six maxims of the Politeness Principles (PP) which runs as follows:Minimize (other things being equal) the expression of impolite beliefs and maximize (other things being equal) the expression of po
14、lite beliefs:The six maxims of the PP:Maxim of Tact (in directives and commissives)(i) Minimize cost to other(ii) Maximize benefit to otherMaxim of Generosity (in directives and commissives)(i) Minimize benefit to self(ii) Maximize cost to selfMaxim of Approbation (in expressives and assertives)(i)
15、Minimize dispraise of other(ii)Maximize praise of otherMaxim of Modesty (in expressives and assertives)(i) Minimize praise of self(ii)Maximize dispraise of selfMaxim of Agreement (in assertives)(i) Minimize disagreement between self and other(ii)Maximize agreement between self and otherMaxim of Symp
16、athy (in assertives)(i) Minimize antipathy between self and other(ii)Maximize sympathy between self and other(注: 以上Leech的礼貌原则来自新编语言教程，刘润清，文旭编著)In the view of Leech, people unconsciously abide by some principles of language in communication. That is to say, the addresser and addressee subconsciously
17、attempt to express their politeness and reduce impolite utterances. Just as business letters which function as a medium in writing language communication should obey the politeness principles in the same way. Only in this way can we write decent and appropriate letters to ensure successful proceedin
18、g of business communication activities. Verschueren, Secretary of International Pragmatics Committee, came up with the Adaptation Theory in the book Understanding Pragmatics. In the light of Verschueren, the selection of language must coincide with dynamic contexts. Constant changes of contexts cons
19、train the adaption of language. Any language should dynamically conform to diverse contexts.Both on business contracts and in business letters, politeness aims to build up and sustain good relationships. Naturally, for the sake of setting up a good trade relationship with trade accompanies, we commo
20、nly take advantage of polite dictions to express our intentions indirectly. For another thing, any change of contexts, to a large extent, impact on the ways of language behaviors and the accuracy of conveyed information. Whats more, with a further understanding each other of the communicators, the d
21、egree of interpretation about the business letters changeaccordingly. Thus, the communicators should make a relevant adaptation in using polite words. Specifically speaking, in initial mutual trade, on account of completely unfamiliar with each other, the communicators frequently apply polite expres
22、sions. Gradually, with the increasing familiarity, the contexts change. The expressions in letters start to divert from politeness and indirectness to causality and directness. The following letters reflect the conformity of Polite Principles and Context Adaptation Theory.Letter one:Dear Sirs,We tha
23、nk you your letter of 10th January, kindly send us your complete catalogue and price list quoting the best discount for quantity buying. Thanking you for your kind attention to the matter and trusting to hear from you in the near future.Yours truly,H. SmithLetter twoDear Mr. H. Smith,Thank you for y
24、our require of March 8. We have pleasure in quoting as follows: we hope that this meets your approval. Please let us know if you require any further information or samples. We are looking forward to receiving your order.Yours sincerely,DavidLetter threeDear David,We have received your quotation but
25、regret to find the price irrelevant to current market trend. We hope you will reconsider the matter and send us a new offer.Smith Letter fourWe are indeed sorry you find our prices too high. We wish we could lower our prices but unfortunately we cannot do so. Despite our inability to offer you lower
26、 prices, we still hope we may receive an order from you.Another common circumstance under which proper language is applied is classroom teaching. As is known to us, a teacher in classroom is confronted with students in different ages and diverse characteristics. As a consequence, the teacher should
27、decently and appropriately use words for distinctive students. Politeness is a premise in teaching. In classroom, the process of teaching students is actually a type of linguistic communication. For the purpose of obtaining the greatest effect and boosting smooth teaching and learning, both teachers
28、 and students, on the premise of mutual respect, are supposed to pay attention to the linguistic tactics. During communicating, politeness means the speakers are usually expected to think more about others and comparatively think less of themselves, consequently gaining respect and winning favorable
29、 impressions from others. The view is based on face. Apparently, linguistic politeness plays a key role in diminishing menace to face. It is an efficient strategy.The linguists Brown and Levinson at quite early time pointed out that all the human beings have recognition of face. Treated as self-imag
30、e, face contains general significance. Face is request and hope for both teachers and students in classroom teaching. The teachers raise questions and hope to receive responses and cooperations from their students. Contrarily, the students answer the questions, on the one hand, representing their re
31、spect to their teachers; on the other hand, showing what they have learned in class, as well. For this reason that what politeness focused on is others rather than ourselves, the teachers should, to a large degree, concern about the benefit of students and try to use indirect expressions when commun
32、icating with their students. Meanwhile, at the time of asking questions or demanding students to finish some tasks, teachers are ought to lay emphasis on politeness, because requesting or demanding itself means requiring students to do certain illocutionary acts(the extra meaning of the utterance pr
33、oduced on the basis of its literal meaning). Politeness is a bridge to keep peaceful and harmony relationships between human beings. It can eliminate confliction and then facilitate friendly cooperation. For example, a teacher ask a student to answer a question by such an attitude, this student, ple
34、ase stand upand answer this question, will you？” Because of the regulation function of politeness which can effectively sustain mutual equal status and friendly relationships, the teacher are sure to receive a satisfactory reaction from this student. It is worth noting that the degree of politeness
35、should keep pace with the degree of linguistic indirectness. In other words, the more indirect the linguistic approaches are, the more polite the expressions are, for instance, Would do you share your ideas with us? Teachers are hoped to adopt subjunctive mood, conditional sentences, parenthetical e
36、xpressions to strengthen the extent of politeness. Before teachers criticize students or do something harmful for students self-esteem, they are ought to use stop or fill-in words to avoid students embarrassment.Linguistic politeness also takes a significant position in cabin service. Whether one Ai
37、rline Company can keep a steady foothold among fierce market competition, the key point is based on the belief and the level of service which is also a vital criteria for passengers to judge the total image of the company. The serving language is the most direct representation of flight attendant qu
38、ality. Having a good knowledge of decent and elegant expressions will, on a massive scale, improve the quality of cabin service. There are some basic techniques during serving.Firstly, polite words are the foundation of enhancing communication between passengers and flight attendant crew. In the pro
39、cess of serving, the crew should frequently use Thank You and Please to embody their sincerity. Of course, the passengers should accordingly response by using Youre Welcome or Never Mind. Every time one crew announces some security precautions, they commonly make use of Please, such as Please let yo
40、ur telephones and other communication equipment off state, Dont smoke, please, Please fasten your seat belts. Please can technically lower the speakers position and elevate the hearers position. In addition, basic polite expressions are reasonable to be precise and simple just like Hello Welcome to
41、the flight and See you againSecondly, appreciation is also quite important. Appropriate calling not only presents the speakers politeness but also shows his attitude towards passengers. The crew usually call passengers according to gender and age Mr. or Mrs. For marriedwomen, the crew call them Mada
42、m or Lady. Based on the age gap between the crew and the passengers, the crew call the passengers Aunt or Grandpa. Besides, when encountering very important people, the crew should add their positions after their surnames, such as Mayor Wang and President Zhang.Lastly, appreciation also aggrandizes
43、infinite kindness in communication. The crew should eulogize passengers strong points or advantages, which can raise crews position in passengers mind.To conclude, linguistic politeness has a significant impact on communication. It can sustain harmony relationships between communicators. Meanwhile,
44、politeness is representation of individual quality. Thus, using polite language contributes to successful communication.References1、verschueren, Understanding Pragmatics. Beijing: Foreign Language, Teaching and Research Press, 2021.2、李平，国际商务英语应用文【M】.中国国际广播出版社，1997.3、索振雨，语用学教程【M】.北京：北京大学出版社，1999.4、何自
45、然，冉永平，语用学概论【M】.长沙：湖南教育出版社，2021.5、李卫中，轮语文课堂教学语言的得体性艺术【J】，2021.6、刘永俊，陈淑君：名航服务礼仪，清华大学出版社，2021.7、贾丽娟：客舱服务技能与训练，旅游教育出版社，2021.8、刘润清，文旭，新编语言学教程，外语教学与研究出版社，2021.Corpus1、ReferenceE.g. A: Can I look at your Shakespeare?B: sure, its on the shelf over there.2、DeixisE.g. youll have to bring that back tomorrow, b
46、ecause they are not here now.3、AnaphoraE.g. A: Can I borrow your dictionary?B: Yeah, its on the table.4、PresuppositionDefinitive descriptionsE.g. John saw/ didnt see the man with two heads. There exists a man with two heads.5、Factive verbsE.g. John realize/ didnt realize that he was in debt. John wa
47、s in debt.6、Change of state verbsE.g. Joan began/ didnt begin to beat her husband. Joan hadnt been beating her husband.7、IterativesE.g. The flying saucer came/ didnt come again. The flying saucer came before.8、temporal clausesE.g. While Chomsky was revolutionizing linguistics, the rest of social science was/ wasnt asleep. Chomsky was revolutionizing linguistics.9、cleft sentencesE.g. It was/ wasnt Henry that kissed Roise. Someone kissed Roise10、comparisons and contrastsE.g. Carol is/ isnt a better linguist than Barbara. Barbara is a linguist.