ABSTRACT
People frequently speak indirectly. They hint, insinuate, give backhanded compliments, make polite requests and so on; in all instances they mean something more than the words literally impart. Indirectness presents a challenge for theories of language use and for theories of social interaction; the former must explain how such remarks are produced and understood, and the latter must explain why these remarks occur and what roles they play in social interaction. These two issues are related, and in this chapter I argue that an understanding of the production and comprehension of indirectness (the how of indirectness) involves a consideration of the interpersonal underpinnings of indirectness (the why of indirectness).
