English Politeness and Class
English Politeness and Class
Politeness plays a vital role in maintaining class differences. In this highly original account, Sara Mills analyses the interrelationship between class and linguistic interaction, uncovering the linguistic ideologies behind politeness in British English. She sheds light on the way politeness and rudeness interrelate with the marking of class boundaries, and reveals how middle-class positions in society are marked by people's use of self-deprecation, indirectness and reserve. Systematically challenging received wisdom about cross-cultural and inter-cultural differences, she goes beyond the mere context of the interaction to investigate the social dimension of politeness. This approach enables readers to analyse other languages in the same way, and a range of case studies illustrate how ideologies of politeness are employed and judged.
- A highly revealing account of how politeness is used by and between speakers of British English
- Examines the social context of politeness
- Includes a range of case studies, enabling readers to see how this approach can be used to analyse politeness in other languages
Reviews & endorsements
'English Politeness and Class provides a timely contribution to the growing body of work in the field of politeness research that charts intra-cultural diversity. Demonstrating the applicability of recent developments in the theorization of linguistic (im)politeness and offering a fresh approach to the ideologies that inform politeness evaluations, Mills' book will be of great value to scholars across a wide range of disciplines who are interested in the relationship between language and culture.' Christine Christie, Loughborough University
Product details
December 2022Paperback
9781107537019
158 pages
229 × 152 × 9 mm
0.242kg
1 table
Available
Table of Contents
- 1. Introduction
- 2. Traditional approaches to language, culture and politeness
- 3. Traditional approaches to British English politeness
- 4. Politeness and class
- 5. Materialist discursive approach to politeness, culture and norms
- 6. Conclusions.
