Relevance theory and politeness
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Christine Christie
Christine Christie lectures on linguistics at Loughborough University. Her research interests include pragmatics, miscommunication, politeness and gender. Her publications includePoliteness: Theories and Applications (Edinburgh University Press forthcoming) andGender and Language: Towards a Feminist Pragmatics (Edinburgh University Press).
Abstract
The aim of this paper is to open up for debate the question of whether Sperber and Wilson's (1995 [1986]) relevance theory can usefully inform politeness research. It is therefore designed to indicate some of the methodological implications for the study of politeness that would arise from an adoption of a relevance-theoretical framework. I begin by outlining some arguments posited by politeness theorists who have applied relevance theory and then provide a brief account of some of the key differences between the Gricean framework that informs Brown and Levinson's (1987 [1978]) theory of politeness and the account of utterance interpretation offered by relevance theory. I conclude by suggesting some of the differences in focus that would result from the analysis of politeness from a relevance-theoretical perspective.
About the author
Christine Christie lectures on linguistics at Loughborough University. Her research interests include pragmatics, miscommunication, politeness and gender. Her publications include Politeness: Theories and Applications (Edinburgh University Press forthcoming) and Gender and Language: Towards a Feminist Pragmatics (Edinburgh University Press).
© Walter de Gruyter
Articles in the same Issue
- Politeness: Is there an East-West divide?
- The lexical mapping of politeness in British English and Japanese
- What's in an FTA? Reflections on a chance meeting with Claudine
- Relevance theory and politeness
- The discursive challenge to politeness research: An interactional alternative
- Book reviews
- Contributors
Articles in the same Issue
- Politeness: Is there an East-West divide?
- The lexical mapping of politeness in British English and Japanese
- What's in an FTA? Reflections on a chance meeting with Claudine
- Relevance theory and politeness
- The discursive challenge to politeness research: An interactional alternative
- Book reviews
- Contributors
