Politeness Theory and Second Language Learning
 Xiaoke Sun # Post 2
Politeness, which is regarded as a sign of good education, is highly praised in our society.Applying this theory to the aforementioned examples, the waiters in the restaurant might generate a negative feeling or receive disrespect by the client's the use of an imperative form of "I want sth.". At the same time, the client's expression could also be seen as a Face-threatening act, which inherently damages the face of the client by acting in opposition to the wants and desires of waiters. Therefore, accidentally, the client is very likely to be seen as impolite. While examining the Politeness Theory, I found it is amazingly helpful in understanding interpersonal communication skills. Subsequently, two questions came to my mind :
-Firstly, in the scenario of ordering food in a restaurant, what if the client does not notice the difference between "can I have " and "I want"?For example, Mandarin has two different pronouns ("ni" and "nin") of the second personal singular. By altering between them, speakers are able to show different levels of respect and politeness. The similar linguistic trait can be found in French. People use "vous" as a respectful form to address the second person singular, (as "nin ?"in Mandarin) while using "tu" (as "ni ?" in Mandarin) in the casual, or peer interaction. In English, however, only "you" is employed to address the person (or people) that the speaker is associating with, regardless of their age or social status.More specifically, ESL learners prefer using a short, and direct sentence to make sure the meaning of a message can be conveyed to the listener, comprehensively and correctly, without producing any ambiguity.Since this issue has not been fully addressed in ESL classrooms, learners take longer to develop the awareness of politeness through their personal practices.This definition connotes the ultimate goal of exercising interpersonal skills, which aims to ensure everyone feels affirmed in a social interaction.NNS, nevertheless, often experience difficulties in conversations requiring a higher level of formality and politeness.Having acquired proficiency in different languages, I found out
 each language has its particular way to show politeness, explicitly or implicitly.Instead, it highlights the variety and complexity of linguistical features among different languages.Politeness: Some universals in language usage.1987.