A Brief Study on Politeness Phenomena in Intercultural Communication

QIU+Zhanhong

Abstract：This paper just focuses on politeness phenomena in Chinese and English cultures as an example to analyze the similarities and differences on politeness language in these two distinct nations， in hope that some unnecessary misunderstanding can be avoided.

Key words：Politeness; Intercultural communication; Intercultural communication competence

What a nation considers polite may not necessarily be polite in other nations. China is usually regarded as a nation of politeness， but this does not mean that any other nation observes politeness less often than China. All nations are alike or same on the point that they all observe certain politeness， but differ in the way to express and achieve it.

We are seeking to find out what the differences are， because it is not the similarities but the differences that cause the culture shock in intercultural communication. The paper will show us how Chinese and English politenesses are different from different perspectives.

1. On self-denigration

Self-denigration is the most prominent characteristic in Chinese culture. Chinese used to denigrate themselves to show their particular politeness when they were praised. It is still true in many aspects of Chinese peoples life. English-speaking countries are devoid of this phenomenon. English people tend to accept praise directly in order not to threaten the speakers positive face. On account of this difference in IC communication， Chinese may sometimes think that people from English culture are too confident with little modesty， while the latter may feel surprised and confused when they hear self-denigration words by Chinese， and thus consider Chinese hypocritical or lack of confidence.

2. On refinement

Refinement， as a politeness phenomenon， prevails in every culture. This is where Chinese and English are alike. The differences exist in the way refinement is expressed. Euphemism， as a kind of refinement language， varies with the linguistic occasions where it occurs. A case in point is the difference in talking about pregnancy. Chinese adopt euphemism to express it， which is not the case in English culture. Westerners consider it nothing secret. Here Gu （1992：16） gives his interesting experience as an example. His classmate Christie is pregnant and talks happily to him： “Gu， I tell you something. Im pregnant. Would you like to touch it？ ” This really illustrates the pragmatic difference caused by different cultures.

3. On two kinds of face

Politeness has much to do with face， which is the consideration of both Chinese and English language. But they disagree on the two kinds of face. According to Brown & Levinsons Face Theory， there are two kinds of face： positive face and negative face. In English language， politeness strategies are used to protect the two kinds of face. In Chinese culture， face is about public image or respect recognized by others. This kind of politeness is mainly positive. According to Mao （1994）， negative face is rare in Chinese culture since this culture puts more emphasis on collectivism rather than on individualism. Chinese people use politeness to maintain harmony between one another. When they have to say some words， which are likely to be face-threatening， they will adopt the strategy of firstly expressing their agreement on some points， and secondly pointing out the disagreement on other points. This is the very agreement maxim proposed by Gu.

4. On privacy

People from different nations have different views about what privacy is. When two Chinese meet， their conversation may include age， marriage， families， occupation and even income， all of which are considered as privacy to English people.

A： How old are you？ ?B： Twenty.

A： Are you married？ ?B： No， Im not.

This conversation seems to be an interview or an interrogation for an Englishman， otherwise it may be interpreted as an insult， but it is common in China. Chinese people would talk about their age， marriage， children， salaries， etc. even when they have met each other for the first time. That may seem somewhat ridiculous for English people because they consider those things totally as privacy.

5. On individualism

Individualism， which usually refers to the freedom， right and independency of an individual， is considered of great value in English-speaking countries. And it is closely related to the history and the culture. In the eyes of English people， the actions showing respect for individualism are polite ones. But in China， the nation which has been overwhelmed by feudalism for more than a thousand years， it is hard for people to understand individualism. On this point， what is considered to be “face-threatening act” in English-speaking countries may be quite natural in China. For example， Chinese people would not regard “offering something” as an insult to individualism or a face-threatening act. They tend to consider those actions to be of care and may even think that sometimes they have to force you to accept their offer so that they can show their sincerity. Thus its common to see Chinese people constantly add food into a guests plate to show their enthusiasm， oblige others to accept gifts to show their friendliness. All these are considered to be appropriate in Chinese culture but not at all polite in English culture.

From the above analysis， we may safely come to a conclusion that， when we are communicating with people from different cultures， it is better to consult what is appropriate in their culture and act accordingly， so as to avoid misunderstandings caused by cultural differences.

【Bibliography】

[1] 鄧炎昌， 劉潤清. 語言與文化[M]. 北京： 外語教學與研究出版社， 1989.

【作者簡介】

仇戰宏，男，陜西蒲城人，渭南師范學院講師，主要研究方向：翻譯理論與實踐。