"Politeness theory, proposed by Penelope Brown and Stephen C. Levinson..."
The range of language and nonverbal behaviors that people use to show politeness in different contexts and cultures.
Face: Face is essentially an individual's self-image that is determined by society's perception of that individual. In politeness strategies, embracing face refers to the ability to demonstrate respect and politeness in conversation to maintain an individual's positive self-image.
Positive and negative face: Positive face refers to the individual's desire of being appreciated and considered in the conversation, with negative face being a need for freedom of action or exemption from any unwanted imposition from others.
Speech acts: Speech acts refer to the intended meaning behind a language utterance, wherein politeness strategies are used to minimize the threat to face while conveying the intended message.
Irony and sarcasm: Irony and sarcasm demonstrate indirect communication and are used to soften criticism and maintain face.
Request strategies: Request strategies refer to the ways that an individual can make a request in a polite and respectful manner, while taking account of face needs of both the speaker and the hearer.
Apology strategies: Apology strategies refer to the ways in which one can apologize and maintain face while doing so.
Compliment strategies: Compliment strategies refer to the ways in which an individual can provide a compliment in a polite and appropriate manner.
Greetings and farewells: Greetings and farewells refer to the initial and concluding aspects of a conversation that also carry politeness factors.
Culture and politeness: Culture plays a vital role in the development of politeness strategies in individuals, and its understanding is crucial to successfully navigating cross-cultural communication.
Power and politeness: Power dynamics play a crucial role in communication and can significantly impact politeness strategies in individuals.
Directness: This type of politeness strategy involves conveying a message or request in a clear, straightforward manner without any embellishments or indirectness.
Indirectness: This type of politeness strategy involves using vague or ambiguous language, hinting, or silence to convey a message or request without being too direct or offensive.
Hedging: This type of politeness strategy involves using non-committal terms or expressions to soften the impact of a statement or request.
Hedges or mitigators: This includes hedging, such as prefacing a request or statement with phrases like “would it be possible” or “if it’s not too much trouble.”.
Modifiers: This includes words or phrases that are used to modify or soften the impact of a statement or request, such as “maybe,” “could you please,” or “it would be great if.”.
Polite forms of address: This type of politeness strategy involves using formal or polite forms of address when speaking to superiors, elders, or unfamiliar individuals, such as “Sir,” “Madam,” or “Mr.”.
Positive face: This type of politeness strategy involves recognizing and enhancing a person's positive self-image and esteem, such as complimenting, expressing agreement, or showing interest in someone's views.
Negative face: This type of politeness strategy involves not hindering a person's desire for autonomy or freedom, such as by offering options rather than specific requests.
Apologies: Saying sorry for a perceived wrong or failing by oneself.
Thanking: Expressing gratitude for something done or given.
Complimenting: Acknowledging and praising someone's achievements or positive attributes.
Sympathizing: Expressing empathy or concern for someone else's welfare or troubles.
Being humorous or joking: Using humor or jokes to diffuse tension or awkward situations.
Greeting: Saying hello or acknowledging someone in polite or respectful ways.
"...centers on the notion of politeness, construed as efforts on redressing the affronts to a person's self-esteems or effectively claiming positive social values in social interactions."
"...such self-esteem is referred as the sociological concept of face..."
"...politeness as a response to mitigate or avoid face-threatening acts such as requests or insults."
"Notable components in the framework of the theory include positive and negative faces, face-threatening act (FTA), strategies for doing FTAs, and factors influencing the choices of strategies."
"Penny Brown and Stephen Levinson's politeness theory..."
"...has become very influential."
"Though Brown and Levinson proposed their model as universally applicable..."
"...their theory has been challenged by other scholars in varied aspects..."
"Their theory has been challenged by other scholars..."
"...in a variety of cultures for many years..."
"...ways to interpret and conceptualize politeness."
"...to discuss politeness as a response to mitigate or avoid face-threatening acts such as requests or insults."
"...such as requests or insults."
"...strategies for doing FTAs..."
"...claiming positive social values in social interactions."
"Notable components in the framework of the theory include positive and negative faces..."
"...factors influencing the choices of strategies..."
"...their theory has been challenged by other scholars..."
"...such as its cross-cultural applicability or ways to interpret and conceptualize politeness."