Dive into the fascinating world of politeness and rudeness as hosts explore linguistic nuances that shape our communication. Discover how concepts like 'saving face' vary across cultures and the impact of social settings on etiquette. The conversation veers into the comedy of polite exits and the absurdities of conversational styles. You'll also learn about generational shifts in email manners and the different uses of 'please' in British versus American English. It’s an entertaining look at the complexities of communication we often overlook!
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insights INSIGHT
Positive and Negative Face
Politeness involves managing positive and negative face needs.
Positive face seeks approval; negative face desires autonomy and non-interference.
insights INSIGHT
Utility of Politeness Theory
Brown and Levinson’s politeness framework helps navigate diverse cultural politeness norms.
It may not fit all cultures but offers useful perspective on individual-based politeness.
insights INSIGHT
Core Ingredients of Politeness
Politeness arises from few core desires that combine into complex social behaviors.
This mix explains varied and nuanced cultural practices around politeness.
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If it wouldn't be too much trouble, if you have a spare half hour, could we possibly suggest that you might enjoy listening to this episode on politeness? Or, if you'd prefer a less polite version, "Listen! Now!"
In this episode, your hosts Gretchen McCulloch and Lauren Gawne get enthusiastic about what politeness and rudeness are made up of at a linguistic level. We talk about existing cultural notions of "saving face" and "losing face", aka the push and pull between our desire for help vs our desire for independence, and how they've been formalized in a classic linguistics paper. We also talk about being less polite to show intimacy, addressing God in English and French, which forms of politeness are and aren't overtly taught, different uses of "please" in UK vs US English, levels of indirectness, email etiquette across generations and subcultures, rudeness and pointing, nodding norms in Japanese and English, smiling at strangers in the US vs Europe, and how a small number of politeness ingredients can combine in so many different ways that are culturally different.
Click here for a link to this episode in your podcast player of choice: episodes.fm/1186056137/episode/dGFnOnNvdW5kY2xvdWQsMjAxMDp0cmFja3MvMTk5MDMyNTM3MQ
Read the transcript here: lingthusiasm.com/post/770341829256364032/transcript-episode-99
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