LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 15:9 September 2015
ISSN 1930-2940

Managing Editor: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.
Editors: B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
         B. A. Sharada, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         Lakhan Gusain, Ph.D.
         Jennifer Marie Bayer, Ph.D.
         S. M. Ravichandran, Ph.D.
         G. Baskaran, Ph.D.
         L. Ramamoorthy, Ph.D.
         C. Subburaman, Ph.D. (Economics)
         N. Nadaraja Pillai, Ph.D.
Assistant Managing Editor: Swarna Thirumalai, M.A.

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Politeness Strategies in Jhumpa Lahiri: A Study

Devi Archana Mohanty, Research Scholar
Dr. Jayshree Chakraborty


Abstract

Politeness is a social behavioral phenomenon reflected in all social activities, communication, and language. It is a matter of consideration for others. Usually, it is understood as the pragmatic application of good manners or etiquette. It can be communicated directly or indirectly with a verbal as well as non-verbal manifestation. The study intends to examine the notion of politeness in one of the short stories of Jhumpa Lahiri, ‘When Mr Pirzada Came to Dine’. Brown and Levinson's groundbreaking pragmatic theory of politeness (1978) provides the analytical tools to guide this analysis. The study finds that in the story the protagonists employ positive politeness strategies for showing their consideration for others and bringing harmony in their interpersonal relationships. Some of the positive politeness strategies are highlighted here, such as: self-denigration, exaggeration and intensification of interest, expression of concern and sympathy for the addressee, assumption of reciprocity. The analysis also intends to account for the politeness strategies that are expressed in the nonverbal expression of the protagonists.

Keywords: Politeness, positive politeness, face, strategy, interpersonal relationship

Introduction

Politeness is a social behavioral phenomenon. It is essentially a matter of consideration for others. Very often, it is associated with terms like courtesy, modesty, hospitality, and so on. Brown and Levinson (1987) observe politeness as “basic to the production of social order, and a precondition of human cooperation. It is the foundation of social life.” The essence of politeness lies in creating an amicable environment for the participants while avoiding every possible misunderstanding, conflict in interpersonal relationships. Lakoff (1973) too accounts that politeness are “those forms of behavior which have been developed in societies in order to reduce friction in personal interaction.” In an interactive situation, its primary goal is to make the hearer feel relaxed and comfortable, so that a cooperative common ground emerges for the smooth functioning of activities or simply for pleasant social co-existence. Geoffrey Leech (1983) observes politeness as a form of behavior that establishes and maintains comity. According to him, “politeness is the ability of participants in a social interaction to engage in an atmosphere of relative harmony”. Politeness is universal though it varies from culture to culture. It is universal because humans in every culture appear to share a very broad and complex form of politeness convention. It is culture specific because very often it is closely associated with a particular cultural norms and assumptions. The present study is an attempt to examine the use of positive politeness strategies in one of the stories of Jhumpa Lahiri, ‘When Mr Pirzada Came to Dine’. For this purpose, the study takes a look at the research on politeness in general and Brown and Levinson’s theory of politeness in particular.

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

Devi Archana Mohanty, M.Phil., Ph.D. Candidate
Research Scholar
Department of HSS IIT Kharagpur 721302 West Bengal India devi1archana@gmail.com

Dr Jayshree Chakraborty, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of HSS, IIT
Kharagpur, 721302
West Bengal
India
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