A Socio-Pragmatic Analysis of Responses to Impoliteness in some Selected English and Arabic Literary Texts

Mahmood A Al-Muslehi,Mahdi I Al-Utbi

doi:10.31973/aj.v2i136.1278

Abstract

A great number of studies have dealt with impoliteness within the area of pragmatics, but it seems the responses to impoliteness as a socio-pragmatic phenomenon have been somehow neglected. Therefore, by employing a model of impoliteness strategies proposed by Culpeper (2005), this paper aims at investigating of the responses to impoliteness from socio-pragmatic view in English and Arabic literary texts to examine the types of responses to impoliteness, and the ways in which the characters make use of their social power to perform impolite behaviors or utterances to respond to others so as to achieve certain social goals. It worth mentioning that this paper has tackled the responses qualitatively and quantitatively because it explains a specific socio-pragmatic phenomenon which is Impoliteness. The results of the study show that the responses to impoliteness are various in English and Arabic plays which hearers make use of context or their social power to respond to attackers.

Highlights

According to Culpeper (2011p. 6), so many research studies have been done on politeness
Culpeper et al (2003) explains that impoliteness phenomena and verbal interactions that lead to conflict cannot be considered anomalous behaviors because they are a kind of language interaction that can be experienced in a number of different discourses
This paper deals with responses to impoliteness strategies in selected English and Arabic plays from a socio-pragmatic perspective to show how the characters respond to the impoliteness strategies and state whether the responses are similar in Arabic and English, and demonstrate types of response which are the most prominent in these plays

Summary

Introduction

According to Culpeper (2011p. 6), so many research studies have been done on politeness. 6), so many research studies have been done on politeness This can be seen in the classic politeness theories, Brown and Levinson (hereafter B&L) (1987 [1978]) and Leech (1983), and their focus has been on 'harmonious interactions', and impoliteness does not receive any attention. 98–100) illustrates that these scholars consider impoliteness to be a kind of pragmatic failure, or anomalous behavior, and there is no value in considering it as a researchable topic. Culpeper et al (2003) explains that impoliteness phenomena and verbal interactions that lead to conflict cannot be considered anomalous behaviors because they are a kind of language interaction that can be experienced in a number of different discourses. Responses to impoliteness strategies vary according to the culture, context and the participants’ social power. This paper deals with responses to impoliteness strategies in selected English and Arabic plays from a socio-pragmatic perspective to show how the characters respond to the impoliteness strategies and state whether the responses are similar in Arabic and English, and demonstrate types of response which are the most prominent in these plays

Objectives

Results

Conclusion