Talk Shows from Around the World

Threats to Positive Face

• Weren’t you supposed to compete the report by now?
• Mild criticism
• I am not sure I agree with your interpretation of the by-laws.
• Disagreements
• One girl friend to another) Mabel thinks you have put on some weight.
• Bad news (shows the speaker not adverse to causing distress to addressee.)

Crosscultural Takes of ‘Face’

• Japanese culture values group harmony over individual rights
• Positive face considerations play a greater role in determining politeness than negative face considerations.
• Taiwanese culture prefers strategies like:
• I don’t like your performance; I am not pleased with your performance; I am not satisfied with your performance
• Rather than the preferred SAE strategies:
• I am concerned about your performance; I have been extremely concerned about your work performance lately; I don’t feel that you’re working to your full potential.

Conclusions

• Communicative success depends on various aspects of conversational interaction.
• Content – speech acts, conversational maxims, politeness strategies
• Organization – turn-taking, maintaining the floor, backchannelling, simultaneous talk
• Languages and varieties differ with respect to how these aspects of content and organization are valued and realized in day-to-day interactions.