
Politeness
Some Universals in Language Usage
Cambridge University Press
Published on 12. March 1987
Book
Hardback
360 pages
978-0-521-30862-5 (ISBN)
Article exhausted; check for reprint
Description
This study is about the principles for constructing polite speeches. The core of it first appeared in Questions and Politeness, edited by Esther N. Goody (now out of print). It is here reissued with a fresh introduction that surveys the considerable literature in linguistics, psychology and the social sciences that the original extended essay stimulated, and suggests distinct directions for research. The authors describe and account for some remarkable parallelisms in the linguistic construction of utterances with which people express themselves in different languages and cultures. A motive for these parallels is isolated and a universal model is constructed outlining the abstract principles underlying polite usages. This is based on the detailed study of three unrelated languages and cultures: the Tamil of South India, the Tzeltal spoken by Mayan Indians in Chiapas, Mexico, and the English of the USA and England. This volume will be of special interest to students in linguistic pragmatics, sociolinguistics, applied linguistics, anthropology, and the sociology and social psychology of interaction.
Reviews / Votes
It has continued to inspire empirical work as 'the' source on politeness and, more generally, as an important exemplar in the study of the relationship between language and society. In addition, the broad scope of their treatment of these concerns has created a work in which many, if not most, of the assumptions guiding the contemporary study of language use are to found." Douglas G. Glick, Semiotica (1996)More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
3 Tables, unspecified; 8 Line drawings, unspecified
Dimensions
Height: 216 mm
Width: 138 mm
Thickness: 33 mm
Weight
542 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-521-30862-5 (9780521308625)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
New editions

Book
02/1987
Cambridge University Press
€88.60
Shipment within 15-20 days
Additional editions

E-Book
03/1987
1st Edition
Cambridge University Press
€48.99
Available for download

Book
02/1987
Cambridge University Press
€88.60
Shipment within 15-20 days
Persons
Author
Max-Planck-Institut fuer Psycholinguistik, The Netherlands
Max-Planck-Institut fuer Psycholinguistik, The Netherlands
Foreword
Content
Symbols and abbreviations; Foreword John J. Gumperz; Introduction to the reissue; Notes; 1. Introduction; 2. Summarized argument; 3. The argument: intuitive bases and derivative definitions; 4. On the nature of the model; 5. Realizations of politeness strategies in language; 6. Derivative hypotheses; 7. Sociological implications; 8. Implications for language studies; 9. Conclusions; Notes; References; Author index; Subject index.