Theory of politeness
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Delimiting the concept of politeness
1.1 Politeness as a real-world goal: We are not interested in behaviour so we cannot explain politeness
interpreted as a genuine desire to be pleasant to others or as the underlying motivation for an
individual's linguistic behaviour.
1.2 Deference is connected with politeness but is a distinct phenomenon; it is the opposite of familiarity. It
is an obligatory choice among variants reflecting the speaker's sense of place or role in a given
situation according to social conventions (sociolinguistics).
1.2.1 French tu/vous, German du/Sie, Russian ты/вы, Hungarian te/ön/maga/kegyed/kiskegyed,
English thou/you
1.2.2 English Sir/Madam, Doctor, Professor
1.2.3 English Richard/Dick, Catherine/Kate
1.3 Register: varieties of language; compulsory in a social situation (stylistics) 1
foreign
scientific
archaic
written
COMMON
medium
spoken
technical
dialectal
slang
vulgar
1.4 Politeness as a surface level phenomenon
Ex. Which is more polite? The wife says to her husband:
Will you be kind enough to tell me what time it is?
What time is it?
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Politeness as a pragmatic phenomenon
2.1 Politeness is interpreted as a strategy or series of strategies employed by a speaker to achieve a variety
of goals, such as promoting or maintaining harmonious relations.
2.2 Geoffrey Leech considers politeness as crucial in explaining why people are often so indirect in
conveying what they mean and as rescuing the Cooperative Principle in the sense that politeness can
satisfactorily explain exceptions to and apparent deviations from the CP. Leech introduces two
concepts:
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Lipka
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2.3 Ambivalence
2.3.1 By employing an utterance which is ambivalent (i. e. one which has more than one potential
pragmatic/illocutionary force) it is possible to convey messages which the hearer is liable to find
disagreeable without causing undue offence.
Ex. (i) Notice in the Junior Common Room, Queens College, Cambridge:
These newspapers are for all the students, not the privileged few who arrive
first.
Ex. (ii) Notice at a very expensive restaurant:
If you want to enjoy the full flavour of your food and drink, you will, naturally,
not smoke during this meal. Moreover, if you did smoke, you would also be
impairing the enjoyment of other guests.
2.4 Politeness Principle: Leech introduces this principle which runs as follows, 'Minimise the expression
of impolite beliefs; maximise the expression of polite beliefs.' He adjoins maxims to the PP.
2.4.1 The Tact Maxim: 'Minimise the expression of beliefs which imply cost to other; maximise the
expression of beliefs which imply benefit to other.' So-called minimisers are conventionally used:
Exx.
Hang on a second!
I have got a bit of a problem.
2.4.2 The Generosity Maxim states: 'Minimise the expression of benefit to self; maximise the
expression of cost to self.'
Exx.
You must come and have dinner with us. vs We will come and have dinner with you.
Basil's wife is in hospital: You just lie there with your feet up and I'll go and carry you
up another hundredweight of lime creams …
2.4.3 The Approbation Maxim states: 'Minimise the expression of beliefs which express dispraise of
other; maximise the expression of beliefs which express approval of other.'
2.4.4 The Modesty Maxim states: 'Minimise the expression of praise of self; maximise the expression
of dispraise of self.'
Exx.
After serving some cakes or sweets, my wife almost always says, 'Oh, it is not so
delicious as it was last occasion.'
Having drunk the coffee made by A:
B: This coffee is very good.
A: Not bad, is it?
2.4.5 The Agreement Maxim runs as follows: 'Minimise the expression of disagreement between self
and other; maximise the expression of agreement between self and other.'
Exx. ???
2.4.6 The Pollyanna Principle: Look on the bright side of life!
Exx.
Good luck!
This is the famous 'Curate's Egg' joke, first published in the humorous magazine,
Punch, in 1895. A young curate is having breakfast with his Bishop. Bishop to curate:
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'I'm afraid you have got a bad egg.'
'Oh no, my Lord, I assure you! Parts of it are excellent!'
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