Politeness theory suggests that people have a social self-image or “face” that they protect through various politeness strategies. There are positive and negative faces, and the strategy used depends on the relationship between the speaker and listener. Face-threatening acts can be positive or negative, and there are four politeness strategies: bald on record, positive courtesy, negative courtesy, and off-record.
Politeness theory is based on the concept that people have a social self-image that they consciously project and try to protect. This sense of self-image is referred to as the “face.” The theory was developed in 1978 by researchers Penelope Brown and Stephen C. Levinson. He believes that people use various politeness strategies to protect the face of others when addressing them. According to the politeness theory, there is a positive and a negative face. The positive face reflects the desire to have the self-image approved by others. The negative face is a part of the personality that does not want to be imposed. Politeness strategies vary depending on whether one person is dealing with another’s positive or negative face.
In situations where an act of face threatening (FTA) might arise, the politeness strategy used will largely depend on the relationship between the speaker and the listener. Free trade agreements are sometimes inevitable in the conversation. A threatening act can damage the face of the person you are talking to because it opposes their wishes or needs. An FTA can be good or bad and can hurt the speaker or the listener.
Face threatening positive acts are a direct challenge to the listener’s face. They contain an indifference to the listener’s self-image and include such things as threats, name calling, and belittling the listener. Positive FTA includes speech involving socially unacceptable topics, such as sexual innuendo and racial slurs. A speaker might also embarrass a listener with inappropriate references to gender, age, or status. A speaker’s face can be damaged in these situations by the need for an apology or an admission of personal weakness.
In nurturing theory, negative face threatening acts occur when the speaker interferes with the negative face of the listener. The speaker requests a verbal response or action from the person he is addressing. Negative FTAs can include advice, warnings, or requests from the listener to take a certain action. It is conflictual in the sense that one or the other speaker’s listener must acquiesce to the other’s wishes.
Politeness theory identifies four politeness strategies that a speaker uses when dealing with acts that are threatening to the listener. They are bald on record, positive courtesy, negative courtesy, and off-record. The strategy used will depend on the relationship between the speaker and the listener.
Registered bald education is used among intimates, family and friends. It allows you to speak in a simple way not available in other situations and concern for the other’s face is less complex. Positive politeness is a strategy used when the speaker is at least familiar with the listener. He recognizes the state of the person by also recognizing their familiarity. For example, a speaker who forgot his wallet might ask a colleague to borrow money for coffee.
Negative politeness is used when speakers know they are in the way of a person’s time and want to show respect. Stopping a person on the street, for example to ask for directions, requires negative manners. The indirect politeness strategy involves the speaker asking for something without directly asking the listener to do so. The approach is more deferential and burdensome to the speaker. For example, a speaker might comment on something that needs to be done rather than asking the listener to do it.
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