Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Introduction: Politeness Research In and Across Cultures

  • Chapter
Politeness Across Cultures

Abstract

This volume includes essays on face and politeness in a wide range of cultures. While previous monographs on politeness have tended to concentrate on one or sometimes two languages, the present volume utilises data drawn from as many as nine languages, including some ‘key languages’ in politeness research such as English and Japanese, as well as some lesser-studied languages, such as Georgian. Before introducing the goals, methodology and contents of this collection, we will briefly discuss ways in which ‘culture’ is represented in contemporary politeness studies, in comparision with its theorisation in other fields (Lévi-Strauss 1955, Hodder 1982). This selective retrospective will place the present volume in the context of current debates on politeness.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Adams, K.L., and Winter, A. (1997) ‘Gang Graffiti as a Discourse Genre’, Journal of Sociolinguistics, 1/3, pp. 337–360.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bargiela-Chiappini, F. (2009) ‘Facing the Future: Some Reflections’, in F. Bargiela-Chiappini and M. Haugh (eds), Face, Communication and Social Interaction, London, Equinox, pp. 307–326.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bax, M. (2010) ‘Epistolary Presentation Rituals: Face-Work, Politeness, and Ritual Display in Early Modern Dutch Letter-Writing’, in J. Culpeper and D.Z. Kádár (eds), Historical (Im)politness, Berne, Peter Lang, pp. 37–85.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bax, M. (2011) ‘An Evolutionary Take on (Im)politeness: Three Broad Developments in the Marking Out of Socio-Proxemic Space’, in M. Bax and D.Z. Kádár (eds), Understanding Historical (Im)politeness, Double Special Issue of Journal of Historical Pragmatics.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bousfield, D. (2008) Impoliteness in Interaction, Amsterdam and Philadelphia, John Benjamins.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Bousfield, D., and Locher, M.A. (eds) (2007) Impoliteness in Language: Studies in Interplay with Power in Theory and Practice, Berlin and New York, Mouton de Gruyter.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, P., and Levinson, S.C. (1978) ‘Universals in Language Usage: Politeness Phenomena’, in E.N. Goody (ed.), Questions and Politeness, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, pp. 56–311.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, P., and Levinson, S.C. (1987) Politeness: Some Universals in Language Usage, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cook, H. (2008) SocializingIndentities through Speech Styles: Learners of Japanese as a Foreign Language, Clevedon, Multilingual Matters. Culpeper, J., and Kádár, D.Z. (eds) (2010) Historical (Im)politeness, Berne, Peter Lang.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eelen, G. (2001) A Critique of Politeness Theories, Manchester and Northampton, St. Jerome Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Endler, J.A. (1993) ‘Some General Comments on the Evolution and Design of Animal Communication Systems’, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, 340, pp. 215–225.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Geyer, N. (2007) Discourse and Politeness: Ambivalence in Japanese Face, London and New York, Continuum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goffman, E. (1967 [1955]) ‘On Face-Work’, in E. Goffman (ed.), Interaction Ritual: Essays on Face-to-Face Behavior, Harmondsworth, Penguin, pp. 5–45. (Originally in Psychiatry: Journal for the Study of Interpersonal Processes, 1/3, pp. 213-231.)

    Google Scholar 

  • Grice, P. (1975) ‘Logic and Conversation’, in P. Cole and J. Morgan (eds), Syntax and Semantics, 3: Speech Acts, New York, Academic Press, pp. 41–58.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gu, Y. (1990) ‘Politeness Phenomena in Modern Chinese’, Journal of Pragmatics, 14/22, pp. 237–257.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hayashi, S. and Mianmi F. (eds) (1974) Sekai no keigo [Politeness in Various Languages], Tokyo, Meiji Shoin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hickey, L., and Stewart, M. (2005) Politeness in Europe, Clevedon, Multilingual Matters.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hodder, I. (1982) Symbols in Action: Ethnoarchaeological Studies of Material Culture, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ide, S. (1989) ‘Formal Forms and Discernment: Two Neglected Aspects of Universals of Linguistic Politeness’, Multilingua, 8/2-3, pp. 223–248.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kádár, D.Z. (2010) ‘Reflections on the Critical Turn: A Research Report’, available at: http://research.shu.ac.uk/politeness/meetingdec09.html.

  • Kádár, D.Z. (2011) ‘Postscript’, in Linguistic Politeness Research Group (ed.), Politeness Now! Berlin and New York, Mouton de Gruyter.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kádár, D.Z., and Mills, S. (eds) (2011) Politeness in East Asia, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kerbrat-Orecchioni, C. (2006) ‘Politeness in Small Shops in France’, Journal of Politeness Research, 2/1, pp. 79–103.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kim, A.H. (2011) ‘Politeness in Korea’, in Kádár and Mills (2011).

    Google Scholar 

  • Lakoff, R.T. (1973) ‘The Logic of Politeness; Or, Minding Your P’s and Q’s’, in C. Corum, T. Smith-Stark and A. Weiser (eds), Papers from the Ninth Regional Meeting of the Chicago Linguistic Society, Chicago, Chicago Linguistic Society, pp. 292–305.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lakoff, R.T. (1977) ‘What You Can Do with Words: Politeness, Pragmatics, and Performatives’, in A. Rogers, B. Wall and J.P. Murphy (eds), Proceedings of the Texas Conference on Performatives, Presuppositions, and Implicatures, Arlington, Center of Applied Linguistics, pp. 79–105.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lakoff, R.T., and Ide, S. (eds) (2006) Broadening the Horizon of Linguistic Politeness, Amsterdam and Philadelphia, John Benjamins.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leech, G. (1983) Principles of Pragmatics, London and New York, Longman.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lévi-Strauss, C. (1955) Tristes Tropiques (trans. D. Weightmann and J. Weightmann), New York, Atheneum Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Locher, M.A. (2004) Power and Politeness in Action, Berlin and New York, Mouton de Gruyter.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Locher, M.A., and Watts, R.J. (2008) ‘Relational Work and Impoliteness: Negotiating Norms of Linguistic Behaviour’, in D. Bousfield and M.A. Locher (eds), Impoliteness in Language, Berlin, Mouton de Gruyter, pp. 77–99.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mills, S. (2003) Gender and Politeness, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Mills, S. (2011) ‘Discursive Approaches to Politeness and Impoliteness’, in Linguistic Politeness Research Group (ed.), Politeness Now! Berlin and New York, Mouton de Gruyter.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mills, S., and Kádár, D.Z. (2011) ‘Politeness and Culture’, in Kádár and Mills (2011).

    Google Scholar 

  • Nwoye, O.G. (1992) ‘Linguistic Politeness and Socio-Cultural Variations of the Notion of Face’, Journal of Pragmatics, 18/4, pp. 309–328.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pizziconi, B. (2003) ‘Re-Examining Politeness, Face, and the Japanese Language’, Journal of Pragmatics, 35/10-11, pp. 1471–1506.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Terkourafi, M. (2005) ‘Beyond the Micro-Level in Politeness Research’, Journal of Politeness Research, 1/2, pp. 237–263.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walker, G. (2000) ‘Performed Culture: Learning to Participate in Another Culture’, in R. Lambert and E. Shohamy (eds), Language Policy and Pedagogy: Essays in Honor of Richard Lambert, Amsterdam and Philadelphia, John Benjamins Amsterdam and Philadelphia, John Benjamins, pp. 221–236.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Watts, R.J. (1989) ‘Relevance and Relational Work: Linguistic Politeness as Polite Behaviour’, Multilingua, 8/2-3, pp. 131–166.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Watts, R.J. (2003) Politeness, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Wenger, E. (1998) Communities of Practice: Learning, Meaning, and Identity, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press. 15–15

    Book  Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors
  1. Dániel Z. Kádár
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Francesca Bargiela-Chiappini
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Warwick, UK

    Francesca Bargiela-Chiappini (Honorary Associate Professor) (Honorary Associate Professor)

  2. Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Hungary

    Dániel Z. Kádár (Research Fellow, Associate Professor) (Research Fellow, Associate Professor)

  3. Asia University, Taiwan

    Dániel Z. Kádár (Research Fellow, Associate Professor) (Research Fellow, Associate Professor)

Copyright information

© 2011 Dániel Z. Kádár and Francesca Bargiela-Chiappini

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Kádár, D.Z., Bargiela-Chiappini, F. (2011). Introduction: Politeness Research In and Across Cultures. In: Bargiela-Chiappini, F., Kádár, D.Z. (eds) Politeness Across Cultures. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230305939_1

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation