Politeness maxims
Encyclopedia
According to Geoffrey Leech
, there is a politeness
principle with conversational maxims similar to those formulated by Paul Grice
. He lists six maxims: tact, generosity, approbation, modesty, agreement, and sympathy. The first and second form a pair, as do the third and the fourth. These maxims vary from culture
to culture: what may be considered polite in one culture may be strange or downright rude in another.
's negative politeness
strategy of minimising the imposition, and the second part reflects the positive politeness strategy of attending to the hearer's interests, wants, and needs:
Could I interrupt you for a second?
If I could just clarify this then.
You relax and let me do the dishes.
You must come and have dinner with us.
s), or to remain silent. The first part of the maxim avoids disagreement; the second part intends to make other people feel good by showing solidarity.
I heard you singing at the karaoke last night. It sounded like you were enjoying yourself!
Gideon, I know you're a genius - would you know how to solve this math problem here?
Oh, I'm so stupid - I didn't make a note of our lecture! Did you?
's positive politeness
strategies of 'seek agreement' and 'avoid disagreement,' to which they attach great importance. However, it is not being claimed that people totally avoid disagreement. It is simply observed that they are much more direct in expressing agreement, rather than disagreement.
A: I don't want my daughter to do this, I want her to do that.
B: Yes, but ma'am, I thought we resolved this already on your last visit.
strategy of attending to the hearer's interests, wants, and needs.
I am sorry to hear about your father.
Geoffrey Leech
Geoffrey Leech was Professor of Linguistics and Modern English Language at Lancaster University from 1974 to 2002. He then became Research Professor in English Linguistics...
, there is a politeness
Politeness
Politeness is best expressed as the practical application of good manners or etiquette. It is a culturally-defined phenomenon, and therefore what is considered polite in one culture can sometimes be quite rude or simply eccentric in another cultural context....
principle with conversational maxims similar to those formulated by Paul Grice
Paul Grice
Herbert Paul Grice , usually publishing under the name H. P. Grice, H...
. He lists six maxims: tact, generosity, approbation, modesty, agreement, and sympathy. The first and second form a pair, as do the third and the fourth. These maxims vary from culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
to culture: what may be considered polite in one culture may be strange or downright rude in another.
The Tact maxim
The tact maxim states: 'Minimize the expression of beliefs which imply cost to other; maximize the expression of beliefs which imply benefit to other.' The first part of this maxim fits in with Brown and LevinsonStephen C. Levinson
Stephen C. Levinson is one of the scientific directors of the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics in Nijmegen, The Netherlands. He received a BA in Archaeology and Social Anthropology from the University of Cambridge and received a PhD in Linguistic Anthropology from the University of...
's negative politeness
Politeness
Politeness is best expressed as the practical application of good manners or etiquette. It is a culturally-defined phenomenon, and therefore what is considered polite in one culture can sometimes be quite rude or simply eccentric in another cultural context....
strategy of minimising the imposition, and the second part reflects the positive politeness strategy of attending to the hearer's interests, wants, and needs:
Could I interrupt you for a second?
If I could just clarify this then.
The Generosity maxim
Leech's Generosity maxim states: 'Minimize the expression of beliefs that express or imply benefit to self; maximize the expression of beliefs that express or imply cost to self.' Unlike the tact maxim, the maxim of generosity focuses on the speaker, and says that others should be put first instead of the self.You relax and let me do the dishes.
You must come and have dinner with us.
The Approbation maxim
The Approbation maxim states: 'Minimize the expression of beliefs which express dispraise of other; maximize the expression of beliefs which express approval of other.' It is preferred to praise others and if this is impossible, to sidestep the issue, to give some sort of minimal response (possibly through the use of euphemismEuphemism
A euphemism is the substitution of a mild, inoffensive, relatively uncontroversial phrase for another more frank expression that might offend or otherwise suggest something unpleasant to the audience...
s), or to remain silent. The first part of the maxim avoids disagreement; the second part intends to make other people feel good by showing solidarity.
I heard you singing at the karaoke last night. It sounded like you were enjoying yourself!
Gideon, I know you're a genius - would you know how to solve this math problem here?
The Modesty maxim
The Modesty maxim states: 'Minimize the expression of praise of self; maximize the expression of dispraise of self.'Oh, I'm so stupid - I didn't make a note of our lecture! Did you?
The Agreement maxim
The Agreement maxim runs as follows: 'Minimize the expression of disagreement between self and other; maximize the expression of agreement between self and other.' It is in line with Brown and LevinsonStephen C. Levinson
Stephen C. Levinson is one of the scientific directors of the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics in Nijmegen, The Netherlands. He received a BA in Archaeology and Social Anthropology from the University of Cambridge and received a PhD in Linguistic Anthropology from the University of...
's positive politeness
Politeness
Politeness is best expressed as the practical application of good manners or etiquette. It is a culturally-defined phenomenon, and therefore what is considered polite in one culture can sometimes be quite rude or simply eccentric in another cultural context....
strategies of 'seek agreement' and 'avoid disagreement,' to which they attach great importance. However, it is not being claimed that people totally avoid disagreement. It is simply observed that they are much more direct in expressing agreement, rather than disagreement.
A: I don't want my daughter to do this, I want her to do that.
B: Yes, but ma'am, I thought we resolved this already on your last visit.
The Sympathy maxim
The sympathy maxim states: 'minimize antipathy between self and other; maximize sympathy between self and other.' This includes a small group of speech acts such as congratulation, commiseration, and expressing condolences - all of which is in accordance with Brown and Levinson's positive politenessPoliteness
Politeness is best expressed as the practical application of good manners or etiquette. It is a culturally-defined phenomenon, and therefore what is considered polite in one culture can sometimes be quite rude or simply eccentric in another cultural context....
strategy of attending to the hearer's interests, wants, and needs.
I am sorry to hear about your father.