Politeness in Europe

by Hickey, Leo; Stewart, Miranda

• ISBN13: 9781853597381
• ISBN10: 1853597384
• Format: Hardcover
• 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
Leo Hickey and Miranda Stewart	1	(12)
Western Europe
1 Politeness in Germany: Politeness in Germany?
Juliane House	13	(16)
2 Politeness in France: How to Buy Bread Politely
Catherine Kerbrat-Orecchioni	29	(16)
3 Politeness in Belgium: Face, Distance and Sincerity in Service-exchange Rituals
Emmanuelle Danblon, Bernard de Clerck and Jean-Pierre van Noppen	45	(13)
4 Politeness in Luxemburg: Greetings from Foreign Parts
Johannes Kramer	58	(8)
5 Politeness in The Netherlands: Indirect Requests
Rob le Pair	66	(16)
6 Politeness in Austria: Politeness and Impoliteness
Silvia Haumann, Ursula Koch and Karl Sornig	82	(18)
7 Politeness in Switzerland: Between Respect and Acceptance
Guiseppe Manno	100	(16)
8 Politeness in Britain: 'It's Only a Suggestion...'
Miranda Stewart	116	(14)
9 Politeness in Ireland: '...In Ireland, It's Done Without Being Said'
Jeffrey L. Kallen	130	(15)
Northern Europe
10 Politeness in Norway: How Can You Be Polite and Sincere?
Thorstein Fretheim	145	(14)
11 Politeness in Denmark: Getting to the Point
Elin Fredsted	159	(15)
12 Politeness in Sweden: Parliamentary Forms of Address
Cornelia Ilie	174	(15)
13 Politeness in Finland: Evasion at All Costs
Valma Yli-Vakkuri	189	(14)
Eastern Europe
14 Politeness in Estonia: A Matter-of-Fact Style
Leelo Keevallik	203	(15)
15 Politeness in Poland: From 'Titlemania' to Grammaticalised Honorifics
Romuald Huszcza	218	(16)
16 Politeness in Hungary: Uncertainty in a Changing Society
Lóránt Bencze	234	(13)
17 Politeness in the Czech Republic: Distance, Levels of Expression, Management and Intercultural Contact
Jiri Nekvapil and J.V. Neustupný	247	(16)
Southern Europe
18 Politeness in Greece: The Politeness of Involvement
Maria Sifianou and Eleni Antonopoulou	263	(14)
19 Politeness in Cyprus: A Coffee or a Small Coffee?
Marina Terkourafi	277	(15)
20 Politeness in Italy: The Art of Self-representation in Requests
Gudrun Held	292	(14)
21 Politeness in Portugal: How to Address Others
Maria Helena Araújo Carreira	306	(11)
22 Politeness in Spain: Thanks But No 'Thanks'
Leo Hickey	317	(14)
Index	331