Die bella figura – zur Pragmatik eines italienischen Schlüsselkonzepts

Abstract

The concept of bella figura is so inherent to Italian culture that it represents the quintessence of Italian identity. Demonstrating a good self image is not only fundamental to social relations and affiliation, but constitutes a pragmatic knowledge presumed to be carried out in everyday interaction and reflected in (non)verbal communication. With the exception of tourist guides and lay comments on the internet, the concept of a bella figura (and its opposite brutta figura) has never been the subject of scientific research. Therefore, its nature will be studied from the perspective of current pragmatic theories, identifying it as impression management and relational work and discussing it in relation to face and (im)politeness. Complemented by a semantic study, the concept reveals an ambivalence between the aspiration to an aesthetic-emotional ideal and the execution of an ethical-moral principle. With reference to the cultural-historical development, it appears that the expressions fare bella/brutta figura serve as a means of evaluation, whereby, identified in communicative use, they are suitable as an important analytical tool that makes metapragmatics a useful research method.