POLITENESS

Thais
Positive politeness:
Rory is a Yale student. She lives with Paris, her room-mate. Chris is Rory’s dad who has
come to Yale in an attempt to make amends for a previous fight they had. Chris is using
positive politeness strategies as he wants to minimize the distance between him and Rory,
assuming agreement. (U1, U3, U5, U11). However, Rory doesn’t want to make up with
him and constantly rejects her father’s attempts (U2, U4, U6, U10 U12). Chris is also
using a positive politeness strategy with Paris, Rory’s room-mate, and he invites her to
join him and Rory thinking her presence might ease the interaction between him and her
daughter. (U7) Paris, by stating that she is hungry, implies that she is willing to come
(U8)
Chris: So, how about breakfast? [U1]
Rory: I don't have time. [U2]
Chris: It's the most important meal of the day. [U3]
Rory: And the most skipped around here. Mornings are busy. [U4]
Chris: Forget busy, forget class. Play hooky, have breakfast with me. Come on. [U5]
Rory: Dad. [U6]
Chris: We can all go together if you want. Paris? [U7]
Paris: I am kind of hungry. [U8]
Chris: Okay, then, we're on. [U9]
Rory: Dad. [U10]
Chris: We can walk, we can drive... [U11]
Rory: Dad, no! I have to go. I can't be any clearer, okay? [U12]
Chris: Rory... [U13]
(Gilmore girls)
Negative politeness
Emily and Richard Gilmore have found a dog in their yard. Although it has a collar, it
doesn’t have a tag so they don’t know who the owner is. They look after the dog while
trying to find the owner. Emily calls one of her neighbours, which is known for her
abilities to quickly spread information and news, to ask her to tell everyone about the
dog. Emily uses negative politeness strategies as she expresses her intention not to
interfere with Margaret’s freedom of action or to intrude her personal space.
Emily Gilmore ( on the phone) It would help to just put the word there that we have a dog
in case anyone hears of anyone looking for one. [U1] (pause) That’s right. A white long-
haired Jack Russell Terrier. [U2] (pause) Thank you, Margaret. I’ll be here all day. Bye
[U3]
(Gilmore girls)

Sabina

[Scene: Chandler and Joey's and Ross's, Chandler is entering and when he closes the door
Joey pops his head out of the fort like before, but this time he's wearing a cowboy hat.]
Chandler: Well, I see you've had a very productive day. Don't you think the cowboy hat
is a little much?

Ross: (popping up behind Joey wearing an Indian headdress) Come on, it's fun!

Chandler: All right! (He joins them in the fort and comes up putting on a bonnet.) Isn't
this a woman's hat?

Joey: Dude, stop talking crazy and make us some tea! (U1)

(Chandler does so.) – Friends

U1 represents an example of a threat to someone’s negative face, in this case Chandler.

Chandler is obviously having a good time with Ross, playing a game with hats that they
had invented a long time ago. Joey deliberately interferes with Chandler’s freedom of
action, by asking him to make them some tea, although he can see that he is definitely not
in the mood for this.

Phoebe: Chandler still thinks I'm pregnant and he hasn't asked me how I'm feeling
or offered to carry my bags. I feel bad for the woman who ends up with him. (U2)
U2 represents an example of threat to Chandler’s positive face. She implies that the
woman who will marry him will be miserable because he is an ignorant man who won’t
even ask how she feels even though he knows she is pregnant.

[Ross defends his fast eating habits to Rachel]

Ross: I grew up in a house with Monica, okay. If you didn't eat fast, you didn't eat.
(U3)

U3 represents an example of threat to Monica’s positive face, by calling her a fat crazy
person. When she was a kid, she was very fat and she used to eat all the food in the
house, so that Ross could not get anything to eat unless he ate very fast.

Camelia
FTAs
(i) Acts threatening the Positive face

Sheldon is stumped by a difficult physics question, but he knows how to solve the
problem. Much like Einstein who did a menial job at a patent office in order to
concentrate on his theories, Sheldon goes to an employment office to see what menial
occupation he could get.

Employment Office Assistant: So, Mr. Cooper, you’re looking for a job.
Sheldon: A menial job. Like yours.

Sheldon’s utterance constitutes a face threatening act of the hearer’s public self image,
namely criticism aimed at the assistant’s own job. Therefore, it shows that he does not
care or that he is oblivious to H’s positive face. The assistant’s want to be positively
appraised and her job to be acknowledged is thus not satisfied.

(The Big Bang Theory)

(ii) Acts threatening the Negative face

Penny asks if the guys are putting up a Christmas tree, to which Sheldon replies with a
long answer about why they are not celebrating Saturnalia. Then he learns that Penny
bought him a Christmas gift.

Penny: Okay, well, thank you for that, but I got you and Leonard a few silly neighbour
gifts, so I’ll just put them under my tree.

Sheldon: Wait! You bought me a present?

Penny: Uh-huh.

Sheldon: Why would you do such a thing?

Penny: I don’t know. ‘Cause it’s Christmas?

Penny’s line represents a face threatening act of the negative face since it impedes
Sheldon’s future freedom of choice or action. Sheldon now feels he has to reciprocate
and give her back something of equal value. 
(The Big Bang Theory)

VIOLETA
The Bundies were invoved in a car accident while parking their car in town , near a
famous restaurant. They came back home some time ago and were expected to be
contacted by the police. Now they are sitting on the coach watching TV. There is a ring at
the door. Al stands up and goes to the door and opens it.
U1: Police Officer: Good evening, sir. I am police officer Potter from the local PD.
( showing him his badge).
U2 :Al Bundy: Yeha..What do you want??
U3 : Police Officer: You’ve been invoved in an accident and…
U4 : Al Bundy: You.. flash that badge at some registered voters. We’re Bundies..we hate
cops.
U5 : Police Officer: As you say sir..but. you have to sign this….
 (Married with Children)

It’s an FTA because Al impinges on officer’s face. The officer is motivated to avoid
possible violence because of his position. He tries to preserve his own face ( his social
image) so he resorts to a facework .(U5) He manages to counteract the potential threat.
Aurora
1. Threats to the positive face

Carolyn and her husband, Lester, are going to a party. Right after they enter the room,
Carolyn asks her husband to keep up appearances and to pretend in front of the other
guests that they are a happy couple. She reminds Lester that image is important to career
success.
Carolyn: My husband, Lester.
Buddy Kane: It's a pleasure.
Lester: Oh, we've met before, actually. This thing last year, Christmas at the Sheraton...
Buddy Kane: Oh yeah, yes...
Lester: It's OK, I wouldn't remember me either.
American Beauty

At the party, Carolyn introduces Lester to her main competitor, Buddy Kane, also known
as “the king of real estate”. After the previous conversation, she expects her husband to
make a good impression on Buddy or at least not to ruin her image.
Buddy acts as if he meets Lester for the first time but Lester reminds him that they have
actually met before. Buddy’s reply “Oh, yeah, yes…” denotes hesitation. Lester, as he
holds a grudge against his wife, tries to threaten Carolyn’s positive face by threatening
his own positive face: “It’s OK, I wouldn’t remember me either.”

2. Threats to the negative face

“Grandmother tottered into the room. Her face looked like a dried plum, and her back
bent so far forward that she and I saw eye to eye.
“Help your grandmother,” Mama ordered. “See if she needs anything.”
Even though I had just made a promise to myself, I hesitated. Grandmother’s gums were
sour and sticky in the mornings, and no one wanted to get near her. I sidled up to her,
holding my breath, but she waved me away impatiently.”
Snow Flower and the secret fan, Lisa See
The action of the novel takes place in China, a culture dominated by a high respect for the
elderly, so Lily’s mother wants to make sure that the eldest person of the family receives
the attention she needs. Lily’s mother orders her to look after the grandmother, firstly
because she has the authority for doing so, but also because according to the Chinese
mentality of the 19th century, Lily’s rank in the family is very low. Little girls were
generally regarded as worthless things.
It is obvious that Lily dislikes the idea of being next to her grandmother therefore the
order threatens her negative face. A refusal would result in a threat to her own positive
face but her grandmother’s reaction saves the situation.

Clara

Casey Marshall has a car accident and she is in a coma, lying in a hospital bed for some
time. Mr. Warren Marshall stays beside his wife’s hospital bed. Patsy is the nurse.

Another gentle knock on the door.

(U1) Mr. Warren: ‘’I’m sorry,’’ Warren said, sniffing back his tears.
(U2) Mr. Warren: ‘’I didn’t realize you were standing there’’.
(U3) Patsy: ‘’Sorry to interrupt.(U4) I didn’t want your coffee to get cold,’’ Patsy said.

(U1) is/uses a positive politeness strategy. Warren tries to make Patsy feel comfortable
even if she gets in the room not in the most suitable moment. Patsy likes Mr. Warren a lot
and she believes she could be useful and she can make him feel better.
(U2) is a negative politeness strategy. Warren tries to ask for forgiveness.
(U3) is a negative politeness strategy. Patsy tries to minimize a particular imposition.
(U4) is a negative politeness strategy. Patsy tries to ask for forgiveness.

Florentina

Al and Peggy were talking about the show that Al was watching. After a few minutes,
Marcy and Steve came there.

1) Bald on record????:
Al: Get that, honey!
Peggy: I’ll be honored, darling!
 Al says to his wife to go and see who has come. The order that Al addresses to
his wife is a bald on record example????, but also a task-oriented command.

2) Negative politeness????
Marcy: ‘I hope we are not interrupting …’
Peggy: ‘Oh, no, come on in! I was just making coffee.’
 Marcy’s reply is an example of negative politeness because she intends to reduce
the impact of their unexpected visit. So, she minimizes the imposition or tries to
bring an apology for their interruption.

Elena

FACE THREATENING ACTS

Threats to the Negative face :
 1) Sheldon and his friends Howard and Raj are at a renaissance fair. Sheldon doesn’t
like the fair because of the historical inconsistencies and wants to leave. But, his
friends try to talk him into going back to the fair.U2 and U4 are examples of
someone trying to persuade someone else to do a certain thing through subtle
promises and indirect suggestions. Howard and Raj try to persuade Sheldon into
going to the fair with hopes of having fun.

Sheldon Cooper: I'm sorry, I am not going back to the renaissance fair. [U1]

Howard Wolowitz: Come on, Sheldon, there are so few places I can wear my jester
costume. [U2]

Sheldon Cooper: I don't care. There are far too many historical anomalies for my
comfort. [U3]

Rajesh Koothrappali: Oh, okay, how about this. You can go dressed as a Star Trek
science officer exploring a planet very similar to Earth in the fifteen hundreds.[U4]

Sheldon Cooper: You mean like Spock? [U5]

Rajesh Koothrappali: [shrugs] Sure. [U6]

Sheldon Cooper: Fascinating. [U7] (The Big Bang Theory)

Threats to the positive face:

2) Sheldon is appearing before a court of law because of a speeding ticket.

Sheldon Cooper: Good morning, your honor. Doctor Sheldon Cooper appearing pro
se. That means I am representing myself. [U1]

Judge J. Kirby: I know what it means. I went to law school. [U2]

Sheldon Cooper: And yet you wound up in traffic court. [U3] (The Big Bang
Theory)

U3 is an instance of a threat to WHOSE? positive face. Sheldon is criticizing the

judge. He is implying that the judge wasn’t good enough or ambitious enough in
order to preside over difficult cases. In spite of the fact the judge went to law
school, he wound up in a traffic court dealing with speeding tickets instead of murder
lawsuits or other important lawsuits. U3 can also be considered as damage to the
judge’s positive face. There is a big discrepancy between the judge’s self image,
the way a judge should be, and the way he is presented by the FTA.

Amelia

(1) CUDDY : You mind if I come in? [U1]

HOUSE: Not at all. Do you mind if I leave? [U2]

Context: Cuddy comes to House’s house. She is trying to threaten House’s negative face by
asking him to enter his personal space and thus stopping him from acting freely or doing
whatever he wants. His answer in U2 may be considered as a threat to his own positive face
because his question “Do you mind if I leave?” is very rude and impolite.

(2) HOUSE: [cheerfully] How can I help you this beautiful morning?[U1]

CUDDY: You got any cases?

HOUSE: [pretending to think] Three. Got a teenage African-American lung transplant... and...

CUDDY: [cutting him off] Next few days, you'll be doing nothing but clinic work.

HOUSE: I just said...

CUDDY: You were lying. [U2]

HOUSE: Then why'd you ask?

CUDDY: Because if you told the truth, I was gonna give you only one day of clinic duty.

HOUSE: That's dishonest. I refuse to participate in this... [U3]

Context: This is a dialogue from House, M.D. and the scene happens in Cuddy's office. Cuddy is
inside. House limps inside, pushing open the doors with his cane. Through his act of volunteering
in U1, Houses tries to preserve his positive face wants, because he attempts to express interest in
helping Cuddy.
On the other hand , Cuddy’s remark in U2 is a way to threaten House’s positive face by implying
that he is a liar.
House’s refusal in U3 is a threat to Cuddy’s negative face because he is unwilling to accept what
she has requested him.

(3) Mark Darcy: I like you, very much.

Bridget: Ah, apart from the smoking and the drinking, the vulgar mother and... ah, the
verbal diarrhea. [U1]
Mark Darcy: No, I like you very much. Just as you are.

Context: This is a scene from Bridget Jones’ Diary, when Mark Darcy reveals his true feelings
for Bridget, and he admits that he likes her very much .[U1] is a threat to the positive face ,
because Bridget is threatening her own positive face by enumerating all her imperfections.