Politeness in German and in English. Differences in the everyday language

Abstract or Introduction

In this term paper, the main differences between English and German in terms of politeness will be further explained and analysed, based on the use of the politeness markers "Bitte" and "Please". There appear to be an assumption that Germans use more often the direct and unfriendly approach while requesting something from someone, whereas English tend to indirectly ask the other person to do something by using a more formal and polite way. This possible difference may lead to problems especially for Germans while learning English, since they may appear rude without even knowing the reason. However, this term paper shall prove whether this thesis is true or not by analysing 100 samples from the English and German corpus each and comparing those results with different data and studies.

In our everyday life, we try to avoid conflicts and misunderstandings as much as we possibly can to protect our own image and the one we are talking to. However, the inevitability of such problems causes people to be excessively tactful in order to maintain a positive communication with other people. But the tactfulness may differ depending on several circumstances, for example its cultural surroundings. While it is possible to use the third singular and third plural form "you" to speak to a higher standing person in English, there is a difference in German when using "Du" and "Sie". This issue and other different aspects can lead to difficulties of intercultural communication or even by starting to learn a new foreign language. This is why this subject is important to understand in order to talk to people appropriately and accordingly, so that miscommunication can be minimized as much as possible. Even if you can speak a language perfectly, there is still a possibility that you will be misunderstood.