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
Objectives and Core Topics
The primary objective of this work is to explore whether pragmatic politeness, as defined in theoretical linguistics, is a phenomenon observable in everyday language or merely a theoretical construct. The paper examines this by bridging established politeness theories with a practical analysis of a specific media text.
- Theoretical definitions of politeness, face, and face-saving acts (FSA).
- Distinction between external and internal social factors in communication.
- Analysis of linguistic strategies: "say nothing", "off record", and "on record" approaches.
- Case study application using an episode of the sitcom Friends ("The one with the Bullies").
- Evaluation of whether politeness is an indispensable, practical component of human interaction.
Excerpt from the Book
3.3 Internal factors (Scene 10)
In scene 10 when Phoebe is talking to her half-brother Frank Jr. it becomes clear that their relationship is not worked out in the beginning of the conversation and changes within the talk. Frank Jr. addresses Phoebe with “lady” because he does not know her and therefore she is a stranger to him. Within their talk Phoebe tells him that she is his half-sister and because of that their relationship changes. Instead of two strangers they are brother and sister now. Therefore Frank Jr. later makes utterances such as “So you are, like, my big sister?” and “You can buy me beer!”. This shows a greater intimacy than in the beginning where their relationship was not fixed yet and “in the process of being worked out” (page 5).
Chapter Summaries
1. Introduction: Outlines the goal of the paper: to evaluate if theoretical concepts of pragmatic politeness are applicable and noticeable in everyday language through the analysis of a Friends episode.
2. Definition of the pragmatically term politeness: Discusses Brown and Levinson's theory, defining concepts like face, negative/positive face, and strategies such as "saying nothing" or "on/off record" speech.
3. Analysis of the serial Friends (Season 2, episode 21): Applies the theoretical frameworks from Chapter 2 to specific scenes and character interactions within the chosen television episode.
4. Conclusion: Synthesizes findings, confirming that politeness is an indispensable part of daily social interaction and that theoretical pragmatic concepts effectively describe real-world linguistic behavior.
Keywords
Pragmatics, Politeness, Face, Face Threatening Act, Face Saving Act, Brown and Levinson, Social Distance, Positive Politeness, Negative Politeness, Linguistic Interaction, Friends, Sitcom Analysis, Communication Strategies
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this paper?
The work investigates the pragmatic term "politeness" and explores its manifestation and relevance in everyday linguistic interaction.
What are the central thematic areas?
The themes include the theory of face (positive and negative), politeness strategies, social factors (external and internal), and the role of context in communication.
What is the primary research goal?
The study aims to determine whether pragmatic politeness is just a complex theoretical model or a practical, inherent aspect of human communication.
Which methodology does the author employ?
The author uses a literature-based theoretical analysis of pragmatics combined with a qualitative case study of a specific television episode.
What is covered in the main section?
The main section details the definitions of politeness, various communicative strategies like "on record" and "off record", and provides a practical application through an analysis of Friends.
Which keywords define this study?
The paper is characterized by terms such as Pragmatics, Politeness, Face, Face Saving Act, and Social Distance.
How is the concept of 'face' categorized in the analysis?
The author categorizes face into 'negative face' (freedom of action, independence) and 'positive face' (the need to be accepted and connected to a group).
Why was the sitcom 'Friends' chosen for the analysis?
The serial was chosen because it represents a medium that reflects daily situations, making it suitable for testing if theoretical politeness concepts are present in everyday language.
How do 'external factors' influence interaction in the sitcom characters?
External factors such as social distance and closeness determine how the characters address each other, ranging from intimate nicknames to formal titles depending on the relationship status and context.
- Quote paper
- Jessica Narloch (Author), 2005, Language in use: The pragmatical term politeness in reference to the serial "Friends", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/70467
