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c. Fulfill H’s want for some X
This category of positive politeness involves S deciding to redress H’s face directly by fulfilling some of H’s wants, thereby indicating that S wants H’s wants
for H, in some particular respects.
Strategy 15: Give gifts to H goods, sympathy, understanding, cooperation
S may satisfy H’s positive-face wants by actually satisfying some of H’s wants. This may be done by action of gift-giving, not only tangible gifts but also
human-relations wants such as the wants to be liked, admired, cared about, understood, listened to, and so on.
3. Negative Politeness
Negative politeness strategies are oriented towards the hearer’s negative face and emphasize avoidance of imposition on the hearer. These strategies
presume that the speaker will be imposing on the listener and there is a higher potential for awkwardness or embarrassment than in bald on record strategies
and positive politeness strategies. Negative face is the desire to remain autonomous so the speaker is more apt to include an out for the listener, through
distancing styles like apologies.
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Foley, William. Anthropological Linguistics: An introduction. Indiana: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing. 1997 p.77
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a. Be direct
Negative politeness enjoins both on-record delivery and redress of an FTA. The simplest way to construct an on-record message is to convey it directly, as in
bald on record usages.
Strategy 1: Be conventionally indirect
In this strategy a speaker is faced with opposing tensions: the desire to give H an ‘out’ by being indirect, and the desire to go on record. In this case it is
solved by the compromise of conventional indirectness, the use of phrases and sentences that have contextually unambiguous meanings which are different
from their literal meanings. E.g Could you pass the salt?
b. Don’t presumeassume
This strategy can redress H’s negative face by carefully avoiding presuming or assuming that anything involved in the FTA is desired or believed by H. This
will include avoiding presumptions about H’s wants, relevant, interesting, or attention that keeps distance from H.
Strategy 2: Question, hedge
In the literature, a ‘hedge’ is a particle, word, or phrase that modifies the degree of membership of a predicate or noun phrase in a set.
a Hedges on illocutionary force. It is performative hedges in particular that
are the most important linguistic means of satisfying the speaker’s want,
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‘don’t assume H is ablewilling to do A’. Hedges on illocutionary force is
divided into two: the first one is strengtheners, those that mainly act as
emphatic hedges, like exactly, precisely, really, for sure. E.g. So, we’ll be
talking together soon, for sure. The second one is weakeners, those that
soften or tentativize what they modify such as perhaps, I guess, may be, in fact. E.g. Perhaps I’ll go too, do you think I could?
b Hedges addressed to Grice’s Maxims. The speaker’s want to avoid
presuming may be partially satisfied by not assuming that H wants to cooperate, or by not assuming that S’s assessment of what would be a
contribution to the cooperative enterprise of talking is the same as H’s.
1. Maxim of Quality Hedges
Quality hedges may suggest the speaker is not taking full responsibility for the truth of his utterance such as I believe…, I think…,
I assume… Or they may stress S’s commitment to the truth of his utterance, e.g. I absolutely promise that… Or they may disclaim the
assumption that the point of S’s assertion is to inform H, e.g. as you know…
2. Maxim of Quantity Hedges
Quantity hedges gives notices that not as much or not as precise information is provided as might be expected. For instance: roughly,
more or less, approximately, or so, I should think, to some extent, and so on.
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3. Maxim of Relevance Hedges
Because of the sensitivity of topic changes as impositions on H’s face, such changes are often done off record. Hedges that mark the
change, and perhaps partially apologize for it, include This may not be appropriate, but…, Since it’s been on my mind…, Sorry, I’ve just
thought… and many more.
4. Maxim of Manner Hedges
Manner hedges can be used to redress all kinds of FTAs. Some common Manner hedges include: if you see what I mean, what I mean
was…, now, to be absolutely clear, I want…
c Hedges addressed to politeness strategies. Functioning directly as notices
of violations of face wants. Such as, frankly, to be honest, I hate to have to say this…
d Prosodic and kinesic hedges. Most of the verbal hedges can be replaced
by prosodic or kinesic means of indicating tentativeness or emphasis. The raised eyebrow, the earnest frown, the umms and ahhs and hesitations that
indicate the S’s attitude toward what he is saying, are often the most salient clue to the presence of an FTA.
c. Don’t coerce H
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