In 1987 Penelope Brown and Stephen Levinson’s book Politeness. Some
Universals in Language Usage was published. They analyzed the pragmatically
term politeness and the concept of face. But it was not only them who worked on
that topic. Other persons who dealt with pragmatics too started to write books
about politeness, mostly in reference to Brown’s and Levinson’s theory. Most of
the books that were published are theoretical. Some of them include examples to
underline the expositions and to make them more understandable. But the
question is if pragmatical politeness is a phenomenon that is also noticeable in
everyday language or if it really is a more theoretical term and therefore can
hardly be practiced. To answer this question it is important to first give a definition
of the pragmatical term politeness and to analyze it by using those theoretical
books. Only then is it possible to prove if politeness is either used in everyday
language or not. After that it is necessary to analyze a medium that is
representative of daily situations. In this case one episode of the serial Friends
will be worked on to see if it includes examples of the different parts of
pragmatical politeness. When the analysis of both parts, the theoretical and the
practical, is completed the question if pragmatical politeness is a more theoretical
term or if it is noticeable in everyday language too will be answered.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Definition of the pragmatically term politeness
2.1 Introduction politeness
2.1.1 External factors
2.1.2 Internal factors
2.2 Politeness and face
2.2.1 Negative face
2.2.2 Positive face
2.3 Say nothing
2.4 Say something
2.4.1 Off record
2.4.2 On record
2.4.2.1 Positive politeness and solidarity strategy
2.4.2.2 Negative politeness and deference strategy
2.5 Pre-Sequences
2.6 Conlusion
3. Analysis of the serial Friends (Season 2, episode 21)
3.1 Friends – The one with the Bullies
3.2 External factors
3.2.1 Socially closeness
3.2.2 Socially distance
3.3 Internal factors
3.4 Say nothing
3.5 Say something
3.5.1 Off record
3.5.2 Bald on record
3.5.3 Positive politeness
3.5.4 Negative politeness
3.6 Pre-sequences
4. Conclusion
Research Objectives and Themes
The primary objective of this work is to explore whether pragmatic politeness, as defined in theoretical linguistic literature, is a practical, observable phenomenon in everyday language usage. The study evaluates the applicability of theoretical concepts—such as Brown and Levinson’s "face" theory—by analyzing actual speech behavior in an episode of the television series Friends.
- The definition and mechanisms of pragmatic politeness in social interaction.
- The influence of external factors (social distance/closeness) and internal factors on language choices.
- The distinction between "on record," "off record," and non-verbal communication strategies.
- The practical implementation of face-saving acts (FSA) and pre-sequences in casual conversation.
Excerpt from the Book
3.5.1 Off record (Scenes 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5)
When saying something off record it is not directly made clear what is wanted but indirect hints are given. In this episode many different off record forms can be found: irony, ambiguous utterances, rhetorical questions and even an off record utterance that is made by disguising the voice. One example of an ironical off record form can be found in scene 1. Monica tells the others that she is excited about the fact that there exists a stock with her initials. She mentions that it takes almost three hours “before it comes up again” (Scene 1). Rachel reacts by saying that Monica definitely needs a new job. With this utterance she wants to say that Monica has too much time and that she should rather use it to work instead of watching the Business Channel.
Another example is Rachel’s utterance in scene 4. Joey tells her what he has on his sandwich, which is olive loaf and ham spread but no mayonnaise, and she answers with “No, no, because mayo, that would make it gross.” (Scene 4). By saying that she wants to make clear that Joey’s sandwich is already disgusting without mayonnaise. Another off record form is an ambiguous utterance such as in scene 2, when Chandler and Ross are at the coffeehouse and the two bullies say “Hey, you’re in our seats” and “Hey, we were sitting there”. These utterances are ambiguous because they could either state the situation or want to say that Ross and Chandler should sit somewhere else. In scene 5 an example of a rhetorical question can be found. Chandler asks Ross something about a jacket and he answers with “Do you say this stuff to girls?” (Scene 5). Ross does not want to have an answer, he just wants to make clear that Chandler’s question was totally stupid.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Introduces the theoretical basis of Brown and Levinson’s politeness theory and outlines the methodology for applying this to a television medium.
2. Definition of the pragmatically term politeness: Details the theoretical framework, covering face, negative/positive politeness, and various communicative strategies like being on or off record.
3. Analysis of the serial Friends (Season 2, episode 21): Provides a practical application of the theoretical concepts through a scene-by-scene linguistic analysis of the chosen television episode.
4. Conclusion: Summarizes findings, asserting that pragmatic politeness is an indispensable, natural part of everyday communication regardless of theoretical familiarity.
Keywords
Pragmatics, Politeness, Face, Face Threatening Act, Face Saving Act, Off record, On record, Positive politeness, Negative politeness, Pre-sequences, Social distance, Social closeness, Linguistic interaction, Friends, Communication
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research paper?
The paper examines the pragmatics of politeness, specifically investigating how theoretical frameworks regarding "face" are manifested in everyday spoken interactions.
What are the primary thematic fields covered?
The main themes include linguistic strategies for social interaction, the management of personal and public "face," and the role of social context in shaping speech.
What is the central research question?
The paper asks whether pragmatic politeness is merely a theoretical abstraction or a tangible phenomenon clearly observable in daily communication.
Which scientific methodology is employed?
The author employs a comparative methodology: establishing a theoretical foundation via established pragmatics literature and subsequently conducting a qualitative analysis of a specific media text (a Friends episode).
What does the main body of the work cover?
The main body reviews the definitions of external/internal factors and face-saving strategies, followed by an analysis of how characters in the series employ these strategies in various scenarios.
How would you describe this work using keywords?
The work is best characterized by terms such as Pragmatics, Politeness, Face, Face-Saving Acts, and linguistic interaction analysis.
How does social distance influence the character interactions in Friends?
The study notes that the protagonists use socially close forms like nicknames (e.g., "Rach," "Pheebs") due to their intimacy, but temporarily shift to socially distant markers when playing different roles, such as Chandler acting as a waiter.
Why is the example of Monica at the diner important for the analysis of politeness?
It illustrates a breakdown in communication where a "bald on record" imperative from Joey is misinterpreted, demonstrating that the success of a politeness strategy depends on both speaker intent and hearer perception.
How do "pre-sequences" function in the episode?
The author shows that characters use pre-announcements (e.g., "Hey" to start a request) as a mechanism to minimize risk to their own "face" before committing to a direct request.
- Quote paper
- Jessica Narloch (Author), 2005, Language in Use - The pragmatically term politeness in reference to the serial Friends, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/186301
