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摘 要众所周知，礼貌在人类社会中是一个普遍现象，在不同文化环境中随处可见。礼貌用语在人际交往中也是起着很重要的作用，它可以文持人们之间的一个友好关系，也可以营造一个和谐舒适的交谈氛围。本论文运用例证及对比的研究方法，主要从称呼语、问候语、提供和邀请语、道歉和感谢语这几方面的比较研究来讨论中西文化中礼貌用语的不同。不同国家有不同的文化差异，因此关于礼貌用语的表达方式也不同，而且，这可能导致跨文化交流中的不顺利。因此，本论文可以帮助我们通过合适礼貌用语的使用来实现人们有效的交流。31465
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关键词：礼貌用语;比较研究;文化差异
Abstract As we all know, politeness is a common phenomenon in human society; we can see it everywhere in different cultures. Polite language is important in the interpersonal communication and it could maintain a pretty good and friendly relationship in human beings and it could also create a really nice and comfortable atmosphere full of harmony in people’s conversation. This thesis mainly discusses the different uses of polite language between English and Chinese cultures. It analyzes the distinctions mainly from the following segments: addressing, greeting, offering and inviting, and apologizing and thanking by exemplification and comparison. Different countries have different cultures; therefore, the ways of the expression about politeness also have plenty of differences in western countries and Chinese culture. What is more, it would lead to the failure in cross-cultural communication. Hopefully this paper will be beneficial to us to achieve effective human communication by using proper polite expressions.
Key Words: politeness language; comparative studies; cultural differences
A Comparative Study of Polite Language Between Western and Chinese Cultures
Contents
摘 要 i
Abstract ii
I. Introduction 1
II. A General Survey of Politeness 2
2.1 Definitions of Politeness 2
2.2 Features of Politeness 3
2.3 The Importance of Polite Language 4
III. The Differences of Polite Language Between Chinese and Western Cultures 5
3.1 Greetings 5
3.2 Compliment Responses 6
3. 3 Thanks 6
3.4 Addressing 7
3.5 Other Differences 9
IV. Reasons for the Differences and Strategies for Cross-cultural Communication 10
4.1 Reasons for the Differences 10
4.2 Strategies for Cross-cultural Communication 11
V. Conclusion 12
Bibliography 14
Acknowledgments 15
I. Introduction
What is politeness? We might say it is showing courtesy, respect and consideration to other people, acknowledging them, and not imposing unnecessarily on them. Politeness is everywhere. It can be showed in two aspects: verbal form and non-verbal form. Through all its verbal and non-verbal aspects, “language embodies cultural reality”. [1] In daily life, it is very easy to give a pile of examples of politeness. For example, to say “Thank you” to one who has offered you some help is polite, and to take a book from your roommate’s private bookshelf without first asking for permission is considered impolite behavior; to greet your elders with appropriate address terms is polite and to enter a friend’s room without knocking at the door is impolite.
All cultures require and value politeness. Although the notion of politeness is universal, it has different origins and thus different connotations in different cultures. In the first half of the 20th century, European linguists became aware that forms of linguistic behavior that we may now label as “polite” deserved attention in the study of language. From then on, linguists have made every effort to define “politeness” as a subject of study. They concentrate on its supportive features and say that politeness is for reaffirming and strengthening relationships. Politeness is a device used to avoid offense and reduce friction in personal interaction. After that, English linguist Leech delivered his six criteria of politeness in 1983, which is called “Politeness Principles” (PP). The maxims of the PP proposed by Leech (1983:133) go in pairs as follows: