Intercultural Communication Unit 1 / Week 6
Academic/Work – cultural values in discourse and behaviour
Formality: Politeness, respect, power
Honorifics and Polite Forms • Japanese • Ki-masi-ta ‘come-POLITE-PAST’ • Ki-ta ‘come-PAST’ (‘came’) unmarked • French • Vousvenez ‘you are coming’ unmarked • Tuviens ‘you are coming’ marked singular-familiar
Discussion • How many English forms of address can you think of? Formal: Mr, Mrs, Ms, Miss, …. Informal: mate, …. • When are these different forms used and by whom?
Discussion In a language other than English, what are the different ways of addressing people. • Does the language have different words for ‘you’? • What titles would you use to address different people? • When are these different forms of address used and by whom?
Formality scale • Quirk et al. (1985), who use the term attitude rather than style or register.
Martin Joos (1961) The Five Clocks
Martin Joos (1961) The Five Clocks • Intimate • Casual • Consultative • Formal • Frozen
Frozen • Printed unchanging language • such as bible quotations • often contains archaisms
Formal • One-way participation • no interruption • Technical vocabulary • "Fussy semantics" or exact definitions are important • Includes introductions between strangers.
Consultative • Two-way participation. • Background information is provided • prior knowledge is not assumed. • "Backchannel behaviour" • such as "uh huh", "I see", etc. is common. • Interruptions allowed.
Casual • In-group friends and acquaintances. • No background information provided. • Ellipsis and slang common. • Interruptions common.
Intimate • Non-public. • Intonation more important than wording or grammar. • Private vocabulary.
Tenor: Register as formality scale
Personal and Functional Tenor • Functional tenor • Social function of an utterance • Identifying the purpose of the utterance • description • directions • request • etc. • Personal tenor • Social roles of participants • Status relationship • Personalities • Formality • Familiarity • Technicality Gregory (1967: 184 ff.); Gregory & Carroll (1978: 53 ff.)
Functional Tenor • Purpose of discourse • Transactional visit to a bank
Cate Poynton (1985)
equal unequal Power
frequent occasional Contact
high low Affective Involvement
Formal vs. Informal Situations
Attitudinal Lexis • Used in informal situations • fantastic, shitty, unbelievable • Expresses positive / negative evaluation • “Purr” and “snarl” words • Formal situations • Keep our attitudes to ourselves • Or express them in apparently objective language: unfortunate, surprising
Attitudinal Lexis • Formal situation • Complete lexical items: chocolates • Politeness expressions: please, thank you, you’re welcome • Swearing is taboo • Informal situation • Slang and abbreviated forms: chockies • Few politeness expressions • Swearing common place
Attitudinal Lexis • Vocatives • Sir John! • Mr. Smith! • John! • Johnno! • Darl! • Idiot Features!
POWER equal unequal Vocative use is reciprocal Vocative use is non-reciprocal Vocatives
CONTACT frequent occasional Nicknames Johnno, Pete, Shirl Often no vocatives at all the clerk at the post-office, the bus driver Vocatives
AFFECTIVE INVOLVEMENT high low Diminutive forms Terms of endearment Georgie-Porgie, Petie-Pie, Honey Bunch, Darl Given names Peter, Suzanne Vocatives
Discussion • Read the article, “Bus drivers told to cut 'babe' greeting” • Discuss: • Why might some passengers take offence at being called “love”, “darling” or “babe”? • Why do you think that a bus driver would choose to address a passenger as “love”, “darling” or “babe”?
Compare • Hey, Freddie! Get off your butt and give me a hand here. Shove that chair over closer to the desk. • Oh, Dr Smith. I’m just trying to tidy my office up a bit and I wondered if you’d mind maybe giving me a quick hand with moving some furniture? If you’ve got time, I mean. It won’t take a moment. Now if we could just move this chair over a bit nearer to the desk there. Thanks very much.
Vocatives • Hey, Freddie! Get off your butt and give me a hand here. Shove that chair over closer to the desk. • Oh, Dr Smith. I’m just trying to tidy my office up a bit and I wondered if you’d mind maybe giving me a quick hand with moving some furniture? If you’ve got time, I mean. It won’t take a moment. Now if we could just move this chair over a bit nearer to the desk there. Thanks very much.
Use/Avoidance of Slang • Hey, Freddie! Get off your buttand give me a hand here. Shove that chair over closer to the desk. • Oh, Dr Smith. I’m just trying to tidy my office up a bit and I wondered if you’d mind maybe giving me a quick hand with moving some furniture? If you’ve got time, I mean. It won’t take a moment. Now if we could just move this chair over a bit nearer to the desk there. Thanks very much.
Use of Politeness Phenomena • Hey, Freddie! Get off your butt and give me a hand here. Shove that chair over closer to the desk. • Oh, Dr Smith. I’m just trying to tidy my office up a bit and I wondered if you’d mindmaybe giving me a quick hand with moving some furniture? If you’ve got time, I mean. It won’t take a moment. Now if we could just move this chair over a bit nearer to the desk there. Thanks very much.
Imperative Mood • Hey, Freddie! Get off your buttand give me a handhere. Shove that chairover closer to the desk. • Oh, Dr Smith. I’m just trying to tidy my office up a bit and I wondered if you’d mind maybe giving me a quick hand with moving some furniture? If you’ve got time, I mean. It won’t take a moment. Now if we could just move this chair over a bit nearer to the desk there. Thanks very much.
Modulation/Attenuation of the Request • Hey, Freddie! Get off your butt and give me a hand here. Shove that chair over closer to the desk. • Oh, Dr Smith. I’m just trying to tidy my office up a bit and I wondered if you’d mind maybegiving me a quick hand with moving some furniture?If you’ve got time, I mean. It won’t take a moment.Now if we could justmove this chair over a bit nearer to the desk there. Thanks very much.
Grammatical Metaphor
References Eggins, Suzanne (1994) An Introduction to Systemic Functional Linguistics London : Pinter. Gregory, M. (1967) “Aspects of varieties Differentiation” Journal of Linguistics III 177-98) Gregory, M. & S. Carroll (1978) Language and Situation: Language Varieties and their Social ContextsRoutledge & Kegan Paul. Joos, Martin (1961) The Five Clocks New York: Harcourt, Brace & World. Poynton, Cate (1985) Language and Gender: Making the Difference Geelong: Vic.: Deakin University Press.
