English Politeness and Class

A revealing account of politeness in conversation, focusing on the vital role it plays in maintaining class differences.

Sara Mills (Author)

9781107537019, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 15 December 2022

158 pages, 1 table
22.9 x 15.2 x 0.9 cm, 0.242 kg

'English Politeness and Class provides a timely contribution to the growing body of work in the field of politeness research that charts intra-cultural diversity. Demonstrating the applicability of recent developments in the theorization of linguistic (im)politeness and offering a fresh approach to the ideologies that inform politeness evaluations, Mills' book will be of great value to scholars across a wide range of disciplines who are interested in the relationship between language and culture.' Christine Christie, Loughborough University

Politeness plays a vital role in maintaining class differences. In this highly original account, Sara Mills analyses the interrelationship between class and linguistic interaction, uncovering the linguistic ideologies behind politeness in British English. She sheds light on the way politeness and rudeness interrelate with the marking of class boundaries, and reveals how middle-class positions in society are marked by people's use of self-deprecation, indirectness and reserve. Systematically challenging received wisdom about cross-cultural and inter-cultural differences, she goes beyond the mere context of the interaction to investigate the social dimension of politeness. This approach enables readers to analyse other languages in the same way, and a range of case studies illustrate how ideologies of politeness are employed and judged.

1. Introduction
2. Traditional approaches to language, culture and politeness
3. Traditional approaches to British English politeness
4. Politeness and class
5. Materialist discursive approach to politeness, culture and norms
6. Conclusions.

Subject Areas: Historical & comparative linguistics [CFF], Sociolinguistics [CFB], Linguistics [CF], Language [C]