John Cainoy

Reporters are expected to cover the following subtopics in detail:

• Core definition of politeness in pragmatics and its theoretical foundations.
• Brown & Levinson’s (1987) Politeness Theory: positive face, negative face, face-threatening acts (FTAs), and politeness strategies.
• Goffman’s concept of facework and interactional rituals.
• The distinction between politeness, impoliteness, and rudeness.
• Cross-cultural variation in politeness norms.
• Politeness and impoliteness in digital communication (social media, emails, online gaming).
• Critiques and alternative frameworks: discursive approach, relational work, interactional sociolinguistics.
• Research potential: politeness as a lens for studying intercultural communication, digital discourse, and identity construction.

• Define politeness and explain its role in maintaining social harmony.
• Discuss face as a central concept in interaction and communication.
• Show how politeness varies across cultural, institutional, and digital contexts.
• Explore how impoliteness and face attacks operate in conflict talk and online settings.

• Brown, P., & Levinson, S. C. (1987). Politeness: Some universals in language usage (25th printing 2016). Cambridge University Press.
• Culpeper, J. (2011). Impoliteness: Using Language to Cause Offence. Cambridge University Press.
• Kádár, D. Z. (2013). Understanding politeness. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139382717
• Leech, G. N. (2014). The pragmatics of politeness. Oxford University Press.

• Politeness
• Face, Facework
• Positive Face vs. Negative Face
• Face-Threatening Acts (FTAs)
• Politeness Strategies (Bald on Record, Positive, Negative, Off-Record)
• Impoliteness, Rudeness
• Discursive Approach to Politeness

• Brown & Levinson’s politeness strategy framework.
• Goffman’s facework model.
• Discourse coding for politeness strategies in natural data.
• Cross-cultural comparison of politeness norms.
• Analysis of digital discourse for impoliteness markers (emojis, caps lock, sarcasm).

• Positive politeness: “You’re such a great cook, could you share the recipe?”
• Negative politeness: “I’m sorry to bother you, but could you lend me a pen?”
• Bald on record: “Give me the salt.”
• Off-record: “It’s chilly in here” (as a request to close the window).
• Impoliteness (digital): “LOL you’re clueless 🤦.”

• Are Brown & Levinson’s politeness strategies universal or culture-bound?
• How do power relations affect facework and politeness?
• How is impoliteness enacted and managed in online spaces?

• Cross-cultural comparison of politeness strategies in academic settings.
• Study of impoliteness in online forums or gaming platforms.
• Facework and politeness in institutional talk (e.g., doctor–patient, teacher–student).