Pragmática y Discurso en Lengua Inglesa Year 2021-2022
Prof. Nuria Calvo Cortés
Exercises on Politeness, following Brown & Levinson’s theory
Exercise 1 (Huang 2007)
Situation: John and Mary are watching TV, John has accidentally blocked the TV screen.
In 1 to 5 below, there are five possible ways that Mary could get John to stop blocking
the screen (adapted from Peccei 1999: 90). Can you analyse them in terms of Brown
and Levinson’s set of FTA-avoiding strategies? Can you also rank them in order
starting with the most polite?
1) [Mary keeps shifting on the sofa or craning her neck]
2) Would you mind moving just a bit?
3) What an interesting programme!
4) Move out of the way.
5) How about moving just a tiny bit?
Exercise 2 (Brown & Levinson 1978/1987)
Situation: Sarah wants her daughter Sheila to do her homework instead of playing
computer games. Below there are 5 possible ways that Sarah could get Sheila to do her
homework. Can you analyse them in terms of Brown and Levinson’s set of FTA-
avoding strategies? Can you also rank them in order starting with the most polite?
1) How about doing your homework first and then you can play one of the games?
2) Sit down and do your work straight away.
3) [Sarah is looking at her daughter and her homework which is on the desk]
4) The teacher told me those that do their homework won’t have to do an exam.
5) Could you possibly sit down and do your work before playing?
1) on record (less polite one, going directly to the point, the command)
4) off record (very indirect)
3) on record, with negative politeness redress -> connected with request
2) on record, with positive politeness redress -> this is most a suggestion
2) on record, with positive politeness redress -> solidarity with the other person, sympathy.
1) on record -> direct speech act, a direct command
5) Don't perform the FTA -> there is no speech as such, it is simply an action hinting at something
4) off record -> indirect
3) on record, with negative politeness redress -> we are asking someone to do something, so it is a request in a polite and indirect
way.
5) Don't perform the FTAi
