ABSTRACT
In this chapter we set out to explore some of the most influential theories of politeness that are essential reading for those new to the area. However, before doing so, it is worth taking time out to examine your own intuitions about politeness. In her book Pragmatics and Discourse (2008), Cutting warns that in pragmatics, when we talk of politeness, ‘we do not refer to the social rules of behaviour, such as letting people go first through a door . . . We refer to the choices that are made in language use, the linguistic expressions that give people space and show a friendly attitude to them’ (pp. 44-5). Therefore, in your reflection on what you consider polite language to be, do you consider terms like sir or madam, which show respect towards a person, polite? Is using fixed expressions like please, thank you, excuse me or sorry polite, socially acceptable behaviour? Or is language which we use to avoid sounding too direct such as Would you mind awfully if I asked you to move? an example of language which you consider to be ‘distancing’ or ‘hypocritical’?
