Review

Reviewed Work(s): Politeness: Some Universals in Language Usage (Studies in

Interactional Sociolinguistics 4) by Penelope Brown and Stephen C. Levinson
Review by: Donna M. Johnson and Agnes Weiyun Yang
Source: TESOL Quarterly , Dec., 1988, Vol. 22, No. 4 (Dec., 1988), pp. 660-661
Published by: Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, Inc. (TESOL)

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text deserves some criticism. The major readings are followed by an
excessive number of exercises. For example, chapter 6 has a four-page
reading followed by eight pages of exercises. How much time is spent on
actual reading when there are so many items to be answered? Would it be
better to have fewer items and shorter texts, but more of them, so that
students can be exposed to more reading? Related to this criticism is the
validity of having students engage in outlining, essay writing, and the
writing of summaries. Do these activities take away too much time from
actual reading? Do they foster successful reading strategies?
In summary, my reaction to the text is mixed. I like what the authors do
in terms of how they teach reading but feel they often do too much. A
reading teacher using this book may choose to skip some of the exercises
that deal with writing and instead employ supplementary readings to give
students greater opportunities to read.

ELLIOT L. JUDD
University of Illinois at Chicago

Politeness: Some Universals in Language Usage (Studies in Interactio

Sociolinguistics 4). Penelope Brown and Stephen C. Levinson. Cambridge
Cambridge University Press, 1987. Pp. xiv + 345.

The main body of this book is a reissue of a work first published in 19

as part of Questions and Politeness (Cambridge University Press), edite
by E. N. Goody. John Gumperz says in the Foreword to the 1987 book,
the years since it first appeared it has come to be accepted as the class
treatment on politeness in communication" (p. xiii). The authors h
written a 54-page introduction to the 1987 reissue, in which they provid
critical analysis of the theory discussed in the original work and revie
recent related sociolinguistic work.
Brown and Levinson claim that certain universal principles guide hum
communication across languages and cultures. They argue that as peopl
communicate, they are continually aware of their own and others' "fac
and that they cooperate to maintain one another's face. This is
accomplished through the use of politeness strategies that serve to softe
the effects of face-threatening acts (FTAs). People assess the seriousness
a FTA by taking into consideration three major social factors: so
distance, power, and perceived imposition. In accordance with th
assessment of the "weightiness" of a FTA, they rationally select and us
various politeness strategies. The authors present taxonomies of positiv
and negative politeness strategies, providing examples from the study
three languages--English (U.S. and British), Tzeltal (a Mayan language o
Chiapas, Mexico), and South Indian Tamil.
Brown and Levinson's introduction reviews research that support
challenges, or builds upon the 1978 work. The authors address issues su
as the relationship between pragmatics and politeness, cultural variatio

660 TESOL QUARTERLY

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in the notion of face, and other scholars' efforts to investigate and amplify
the three social factors of power, distance, and imposition. Of particular
interest to TESOL audiences are brief reviews of some recent research on
women's language use, on cross-cultural differences in interaction, and on
politeness in first and second language learning. The importance of the
theory for second language learning and teaching lies in the way it links
language use to underlying principles of social life.

DONNA M. JOHNSON and AGNES WEIYUN YANG

University of Arizona

Content-Area Language Instruction: Approaches and Strategies. Gina

Cantoni-Harvey. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1987. Pp. xiv + 210.

Cantoni-Harvey's book explores the relationship between L2 acquisition

and the development of academic knowledge and skills at the elementary
and secondary grade levels. The book provides its readers with
information on the characteristics and needs of limited English proficient
(LEP) students-or minority students, as Cantoni-Harvey refers to them-
and the means of accommodating such students in the classroom.
Part I of the three-part book gives some general background on the
subject, beginning with the educational implications of providing for
increasing numbers of ethnic minority students in U.S. elementary and
secondary schools. Next, it summarizes what is known about second
language acquisition, ESL methodologies, and current approaches to
teaching ESL. Finally, it suggests some basic principles to be applied in the
classroom to encourage educational excellence among all learners. The
theme of the book is that all students benefit from teaching that
encourages the development of language skills and of increasingly
complex schemata, those mental representations with which everyone
organizes the world and his or her experiences therein.
In pursuit of the goal of enhancing linguistic and experiential
knowledge, the author, in Parts II and III, discusses content courses,
language, and the relationship between teaching both. Part II gives
suggestions for teaching language arts-literacy, reading, and writing-to
LEP students. Part III outlines specific strategies for teaching such students
the content of social sciences, mathematics, science, and "other" areas
(music, arts and crafts, and physical education) in ways that take into
consideration the limited language skills of the student while encouraging
the development of those skills.
The author knows her audience well and speaks to them as professional
colleagues. Her approach is particularly beneficial to those who have had no
(or only limited) experience in linguistics, ESL, or bilingual methodology.
The style and presentation is direct, helpful, and very readable.
Cantoni-Harvey is specific in her recommendations, and she presents
theoretical materials in an enlightening and succinct way, always directing

BOOK NOTICES 661

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