ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the complex and fascinating relationship between power and politeness in the workplace. It focuses on workplace discourse and examines how people do power and politeness throughout the day in their talk at work. The data used to illustrate was collected as part of the Language in the Workplace (LWP) project, based at Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand. The book provides a detailed description of the methodology used to collect the material in the LWP database, a methodology which was ground-breaking and innovative in a number of respects. It also provides extensive evidence of the very situated nature of workplace interaction. The book also illustrates how humour can provide an interesting clue to the distinctive culture of different communities of practice. It turns the spotlight quite explicitly on more problematic aspects of workplace interaction. Finally, an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book is presented.
