Politeness in Europe

by Hickey, Leo; Stewart, Miranda

• ISBN13: 9781853597374
• ISBN10: 1853597376
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-03-30
• Publisher: Multilingual Matters

Summary

The study of politeness has undergone an explosion of interest since the late 1980s, involving an examination of language and languages in many societies. The present volume aims to contribute to current knowledge and understanding of the subject by giving a broad picture of politeness across twenty-two European countries, addressing the essential debates at the heart of politeness studies. Each chapter attempts to provide an empirical snapshot, based on sound theoretical principles, of the issues and practices in its own society. Some of the contributors engage directly with critical thinking on politeness theory, using data from their languages and cultures to advance theoretical frameworks, while others highlight the forms politeness takes in particular cultural contexts, analysing how individuals interact with each other in ways intended to achieve their communicative goals.The volume treats questions such as whether a given society favours positive politeness or negative politeness, the use of formal or informal pronouns of address, small-talk, conventional politeness formulas and how politeness practices change over time.

Author Biography

Leo Hickey is a Research Professor at the University of Salford, where he was Professor of Spanish for several years. His work centres mainly on Spanish linguistics, stylistics, pragmatics and translation theory. Miranda Stewart is a Senior Lecturer and Head of Spanish and Latin American Studies at the University of Strathclyde. Her interests include interactional pragmatics and the negotiation of face in dialogue interpreting.

Table of Contents

Notes on the Contributors	vii
Introduction	1	(12)
Leo Hickey
Miranda Stewart
Western Europe
Politeness in Germany: Politeness in Germany?	13	(16)
Juliane House
Politeness in France: How to Buy Bread Politely	29	(16)
Catherine Kerbrat-Orecchioni
Politeness in Belgium: Face, Distance and Sincerity in Service-exchange Rituals	45	(13)
Emmanuelle Danblon
Bernard de Clerck
Jean-Pierre van Noppen
Politeness in Luxemburg: Greetings from Foreign Parts	58	(8)
Johannes Kramer
Politeness in The Netherlands: Indirect Requests	66	(16)
Rob le Pair
Politeness in Austria: Politeness and Impoliteness	82	(18)
Silvia Haumann
Ursula Koch
Karl Sornig
Politeness in Switzerland: Between Respect and Acceptance	100	(16)
Guiseppe Manno
Politeness in Britain: `It's Only a Suggestion...'	116	(14)
Miranda Stewart
Politeness in Ireland: `...In Ireland, It's Done Without Being Said'	130	(15)
Jeffrey L. Kallen
Northern Europe
Politeness in Norway: How Can You Be Polite and Sincere?	145	(14)
Thorstein Fretheim
Politeness in Denmark: Getting to the Point	159	(15)
Elin Fredsted
Politeness in Sweden: Parliamentary Forms of Address	174	(15)
Cornelia Ilie
Politeness in Finland: Evasion at All Costs	189	(14)
Valma Yli-Vakkuri
Eastern Europe
Politeness in Estonia: A Matter-of-Fact Style	203	(15)
Leelo Keevallik
Politeness in Poland: From `Titlemania' to Grammaticalised Honorifics	218	(16)
Romuald Huszcza
Politeness in Hungary: Uncertainty in a Changing Society	234	(13)
Lorant Bencze
Politeness in the Czech Republic: Distance, Levels of Expression, Management and Intercultural Contact	247	(16)
Jiri Nekvapil
J.V. Neustupny
Southern Europe
Politeness in Greece: The Politeness of Involvement	263	(14)
Maria Sifianou
Eleni Antonopoulou
Politeness in Cyprus: A Coffee or a Small Coffee?	277	(15)
Marina Terkourafi
Politeness in Italy: The Art of Self-representation in Requests	292	(14)
Gudrun Held
Politeness in Portugal: How to Address Others	306	(11)
Maria Helena Araujo Carreira
Politeness in Spain: Thanks But No `Thanks'	317	(14)
Leo Hickey
Index	331