江苏工业学院本科生毕业设计（论文）

第 1 页 共 14 页 1. Introduction Politeness as a social phenomenon can be observed in all languages and cultures, and it has long been made an important object of study in linguistics. The really serious study of politeness in the Western linguistic circles can be traced back to the German Romantic Movement in the early 1920s. In recent years, along with the rapid movement towards pragmatics, politeness has become the central theme. The two most influential and successful theories are Brown and Levinson‟s Face Theory and Leech‟s Politeness Principle. In China, however, the real study of politeness only began in the 1980s when pragmatics was introduced into China. The most worth-mentioning figure in this area is Gu Yueguo. He puts forward his own set of politeness maxims in his “Politeness Phenomena in Modem Chinese” (1990). Later, based on traditional Chinese cultural values, Gu has formulated a different set of politeness maxims, which he thinks are more suitable to the Chinese environment. As a common social phenomenon, politeness is not only a universally highly valued virtue, but also a widely employed strategy to realize tactful and effective communications. Despite its universality of politeness, the ways to realize politeness and the standards of judgment differ in different cultures. Being unaware of such differences would probably lead to trouble or failure in cross-cultural communication. Therefore, it is necessary and important to study different concepts and manifestations of politeness in different cultures, so as to reduce the possibility of misunderstanding between the two sides and achieve a satisfactory result. 2. Concept of Politeness Politeness is a universal phenomenon in human society, but it is not existent until the process of socialization and civilization. The English term “polite” derives from late Medieval Latin “Politus” meaning “smoothed”, “accomplished”. Therefore “polite” was usually associated with concepts such as “polished”, “refined”. However different linguists and scholars give their different interpretations of politeness. Leech (1983: 82) sees politeness as a regulative factor in interaction in order to maintain “the social equilibrium and the friendly relation”. Brown and Levinson view politeness as a redressive action taken to counter-balance the disruptive effect of face-threatening acts. Yule (2000: 106) maintains that politeness is “a system of interpersonal relations designed to facilitate interaction by minimizing the potential for conflict and confrontation inherent in all human interchange”. For Kochman, politeness has a protective mission exercised in putting things in such a 江苏工业学院本科生毕业设计（论文）

第 2 页 共 14 页 way as to take account of the feelings of others: Polite conversation is...a way of showing consideration for other people‟s feelings, that is, not saying or doing anything that might unduly excite or arouse. The „gentleman‟s agreement‟ (though, hardly just confined to adult males) is and was „you don‟t do or say anything that might arouse my feelings, and I won't do or say anything that might arouse yours‟... (Kochman，1984: 204). He Zhaoxiong, a Chinese scholar (1995), holds that politeness can be understood as a social phenomenon, a means to achieve good interpersonal relationships, and a norm imposed by social conventions, and therefore politeness is phenomenal, instrumental, and normative by nature. Therefore, we might say politeness is showing courtesy, respect and consideration to other people, acknowledging them, and not imposing unnecessarily on them. 3. Chinese Politeness Theories- Gu Yueguo’s Politeness Principle Gu Yueguo is among the few who have studied Chinese politeness. He argues against Brown and Levinson‟s face approach and favors Leech‟s principle and maxim framework. Gu holds that there are basically four essential notions underlying the Chinese conception of limao(礼貌): respectfulness, modesty, attitudinal warmth, and refinement. “Respectfulness” is self‟s positive appearance or admiration of other concerning the latter‟s face, social status and so on. It is, to a large extent, identical with the need to maintain the hearer‟s positive face. “Modesty” can be seen as another way of saying “self-denigration”. To a large extent, modesty is universal, but to interpret it as self-denigration is uniquely Chinese. “Attitudinal warmth” is self‟s demonstration of kindness, consideration and hospitality to other. It bears a strong Chinese trait and according to B & L, the speaker runs the risk of infringing on the hearer‟s personal freedom, thus threatening his negative face. It shows the speaker‟s concern for the hearer, and is regarded as completely polite. Finally, “Refinement” refers to self‟s behavior to other which meets certain standards. It represents the normative character of politeness and the social conventions that the member of the community must abide by. People should live up to the conventionally recognized social standards in order not to be accused of being rude or ill mannered (Gu Yueguo, 1990: 239). Based on traditional Chinese cultural values, Gu has formulated a different set of politeness maxims, which he thinks are more suitable to the Chinese environment: 3.1 Self-Denigration Maxim: The maxim consists of two clauses or sub-maxims (a) denigrate self and (b) elevate other. This maxim absorbs the notions of respectfulness and modesty. For examples: A: Your boy was really great in that play! B: Thank you, actually he needs more practices, I think your boy was amazing.