Abstract
Studies of linguistic politeness have traditionally assumed a Gricean norm-based approach to communication. On this view, instances of the use of polite forms and/or strategies necessarily communicate a message above and beyond the one that motivates the communicative act. The problems raised by this position are discussed and an alternative Relevance Theoretic account of polite verbal behaviour is proposed. This provides a far more fine-grained picture of politeness which (a) provides an alternative motivation for linguistic politeness, (b) distinguishes cases where politeness is communicated from those where it is not, (c) distinguishes the strategic manipulation of expectations of politeness from cases where politeness emerges from the speaker crafting her utterances in such a way as to avoid making manifest assumptions likely to have a detrimental effect on her long term social aims.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
