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13. Distance and closeness: The im/politeness of space in communication

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Pragmatics of Space
Ein Kapitel aus dem Buch Pragmatics of Space

Abstract

Space has been integral to the way that im/politeness has been theorized, most notably in the concept of “social distance” (Brown and Levinson 1987) and also Arundale’s (2006) “connection/separation face” dialectic. In this chapter, we show how previous research has positioned what we refer to as “socio-proxemic space” not merely as a theoretical concept, but as interactionally relevant in the ways that speakers understand and perform im/politeness across multiple languages. Speakers invoke the metaphor of space when talking about human relationships (“close”/”distant” relationships) and the language used within them (speaking in a “close”/“distant” way; speaking “up/down” to someone). In order to index various degrees of proximity and separation, research shows that speakers manipulate deictic expressions related not just to interpersonal distance but also to physical distance. Furthermore, speakers manipulate the spatial organization of communication in relation to im/politeness factors. When im/politeness is called for, research shows that physical proximity is modulated, along with bodily alignment and the use of large gestures that may threaten personal space. To illustrate how interaction is spatially organized in relation to im/politeness factors, we employ a case study of speakers of Catalan performing a map task in two contrasting social situations: (1) with an intimate and (2) with an unfamiliar status superior. Our analysis shows that speakers make subtle adjustments to the form of deictic gestures according to the relative socio-proxemic distance with the interlocutor. In sum, this chapter demonstrates the importance of space in the way that im/politeness has been conceptualized in im/politeness research

Abstract

Space has been integral to the way that im/politeness has been theorized, most notably in the concept of “social distance” (Brown and Levinson 1987) and also Arundale’s (2006) “connection/separation face” dialectic. In this chapter, we show how previous research has positioned what we refer to as “socio-proxemic space” not merely as a theoretical concept, but as interactionally relevant in the ways that speakers understand and perform im/politeness across multiple languages. Speakers invoke the metaphor of space when talking about human relationships (“close”/”distant” relationships) and the language used within them (speaking in a “close”/“distant” way; speaking “up/down” to someone). In order to index various degrees of proximity and separation, research shows that speakers manipulate deictic expressions related not just to interpersonal distance but also to physical distance. Furthermore, speakers manipulate the spatial organization of communication in relation to im/politeness factors. When im/politeness is called for, research shows that physical proximity is modulated, along with bodily alignment and the use of large gestures that may threaten personal space. To illustrate how interaction is spatially organized in relation to im/politeness factors, we employ a case study of speakers of Catalan performing a map task in two contrasting social situations: (1) with an intimate and (2) with an unfamiliar status superior. Our analysis shows that speakers make subtle adjustments to the form of deictic gestures according to the relative socio-proxemic distance with the interlocutor. In sum, this chapter demonstrates the importance of space in the way that im/politeness has been conceptualized in im/politeness research

Kapitel in diesem Buch

  1. Frontmatter i
  2. Preface to the handbook series v
  3. Preface ix
  4. Table of Contents xi
  5. 1. Doing space: The pragmatics of language and space 1
  6. I. Describing space through language
  7. 2. Deictic reference in space 23
  8. 3. The conceptualization of space in signed languages: Placing the signer in narratives 63
  9. 4. Spatiality in written texts 95
  10. 5. Interactional onomastics: Place names as malleable resources 125
  11. 6. Describing motion events 153
  12. 7. Discourses of place: The formation of space and place through discourse 181
  13. 8. Imaginary spaces in storytelling 209
  14. 9. Developmental perspectives on doing talk about space 251
  15. II. Spatial organization of social interaction
  16. 10. Encounters in public places: The establishment of interactional space in face-to-face openings 281
  17. 11. Interactional spaces in stationary, mobile, video-mediated and virtual encounters 317
  18. 12. The pragmatics of gesture and space 363
  19. 13. Distance and closeness: The im/politeness of space in communication 399
  20. III. Communicative resources of constructed spaces
  21. 14. Architecture-for-interaction: Built, designed and furnished space for communicative purposes 431
  22. 15. Building, dwelling, and interacting: Steps in the evolution of public space from Paleolithic to present 473
  23. 16. The pragmatics of linguistic landscapes 523
  24. 17. The pragmatics of written texts in space 549
  25. 18. Co-presence and beyond: Spatial configurations of communication in virtual environments 579
  26. IV. Pragmatics across space and cultures
  27. 19. Pragmatic variation across geographical and social space 611
  28. 20. Pragmatic variation across national varieties of pluricentric languages 637
  29. 21. Mapping perceptions and knowledge of language: Societal multilingualism and its sociopragmatic grounding 679
  30. Bionotes 715
  31. Author index 727
  32. Subject index 735
https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110693713-013

Kapitel in diesem Buch

  1. Frontmatter i
  2. Preface to the handbook series v
  3. Preface ix
  4. Table of Contents xi
  5. 1. Doing space: The pragmatics of language and space 1
  6. I. Describing space through language
  7. 2. Deictic reference in space 23
  8. 3. The conceptualization of space in signed languages: Placing the signer in narratives 63
  9. 4. Spatiality in written texts 95
  10. 5. Interactional onomastics: Place names as malleable resources 125
  11. 6. Describing motion events 153
  12. 7. Discourses of place: The formation of space and place through discourse 181
  13. 8. Imaginary spaces in storytelling 209
  14. 9. Developmental perspectives on doing talk about space 251
  15. II. Spatial organization of social interaction
  16. 10. Encounters in public places: The establishment of interactional space in face-to-face openings 281
  17. 11. Interactional spaces in stationary, mobile, video-mediated and virtual encounters 317
  18. 12. The pragmatics of gesture and space 363
  19. 13. Distance and closeness: The im/politeness of space in communication 399
  20. III. Communicative resources of constructed spaces
  21. 14. Architecture-for-interaction: Built, designed and furnished space for communicative purposes 431
  22. 15. Building, dwelling, and interacting: Steps in the evolution of public space from Paleolithic to present 473
  23. 16. The pragmatics of linguistic landscapes 523
  24. 17. The pragmatics of written texts in space 549
  25. 18. Co-presence and beyond: Spatial configurations of communication in virtual environments 579
  26. IV. Pragmatics across space and cultures
  27. 19. Pragmatic variation across geographical and social space 611
  28. 20. Pragmatic variation across national varieties of pluricentric languages 637
  29. 21. Mapping perceptions and knowledge of language: Societal multilingualism and its sociopragmatic grounding 679
  30. Bionotes 715
  31. Author index 727
  32. Subject index 735
Heruntergeladen am 15.4.2026 von https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783110693713-013/html
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