Face Politeness and Pragmatic - Essay Example

Communication is a complex issue and presence of language and barriers complicate communication. In this sense, language is a framework in which the view of the culture in regard to the world is moulded and it described the perspectives and boundaries of a cultural system. The barriers in language disarms the ability of communication to assess emotions, meanings, reactions, intent and most importantly, it creates a state of dependency on the individual the holds the key in regard to the entire process. As a principle of cross-cultural communication, politeness is very important and it shows an awareness of the “face wants” of other people where the face refers to public self-image. Self-image has two aspects: the positive face which refers to the want of each individual that the wants of an individual will be desirable to others; negative face refers to every competent adult member’s want the actions of an individual be unimpeded by others. Different people have various views in regard to politeness. By being polite, one will be following the principle of politeness but sometimes, individuals that are considered by people to be polite in one region may not be true according to another region (Huang, 2008). Human tendency to make a change is mostly driven by globalisation forces as well as being encouraged by the high rate of global interdependence. From such combination, the intercultural encounters have been made possible as an everyday reality which is reflected internationally by people from different continents, regions as well as countries. However, although intercultural communication is a necessity in our daily activities, ignoring very small tricks in different cultures may lead to greater misunderstandings. This article discusses a media article on cross culture “Dangerous Moves” based on the politeness principle. The culture leads to different views in regard to the values that have an effect on politeness and creates differences in various features. The “Dangerous Moves” article is about how the little tricks in intercultural communication may cause big misunderstandings (Mitic, 2013). First the way to greet others as well as farewells is essential. It’s polite to shake someone’s hand but this is very different in regard to values of other cultures. For instance, in the Middle East, article shows that one should think twice before shaking hands with someone of the opposite sex. In this region, couples are limited from indulging in public displays in regard to affection and such an action may end quite unpleasantly. Thus, certain social norms present different interpretations in different regions and should not be taken for granted given that a positive connotation in a certain culture may end up being a huge faux pas when in another culture (Yanchang, & Liu Runqing, 1989). Second, the way to praise others appreciation is also matters and is different in various cultures. Although intercultural communication is essential as part of daily life especially in conduction of business, there are little tricks that may go unnoticed in some cultures if neglected by if they are neglected in others cultures, they may imply a great insult to the culture. From the article, thumbs up may be a positive gesture in many cultures but when use in another countries such as Iran, they present a huge insult in regard to their culture. In the East, there are some tips that should not be neglected such as patting someone on the head (Gu, 1992). In many cultures, this is usually a gesture of affection but in Buddhist countries, head is considered sacred where the soul seat, thus, touching the head of another person would mean a huge insult. Third, showing appreciation in different culture also presents different interpretations especially in the way people presents themselves. For instance, in western culture, trying to maximise the help of a communicator is considered polite but on the other hand, the Asian countries such as China and Japan humbles themselves in order to express gratitude (Gu, 1990). In regard to the principle of politeness, the Chinese culture reflects four concepts which are modesty, refinement, respectfulness and attitudinal warmth. In regard to respectfulness, their behaviour affirms the social status and faces; for modesty, it is another way used for debasing oneself; for attitudinal warmth, it is the expression of concern as well as friendliness to others; and for refinement, it is about the choice of an elegant expression. The way you appreciate things is also different in regard to many cultures. For instance, in Japan and China, the articles noted that while doing business the way one gives as well as receives a business card is very important as it may mean either a success or failure in the deal. While one receives or gives a business card, he or she should be holding its corners with both hands which show respect and a sign of a successful business deal. In addition, putting a card in the pocket shows rudeness as it should be placed in a business card holder. Based on such explanations, in any cultural group, the behaviour of people is usually restricted by politeness and is being maintained by face. The Chinese culture advocates more for etiquette. The development and formation of etiquette as well as the restriction of the behaviour of the people have a more special meaning as compared to any other culture or country throughout the world. In Chinese culture, the restriction of etiquette by the principle of politeness is very different in nature from other countries. Such differences are mostly exemplified by the way they express politeness and the focus on this principle (Gu, 1992). Cultures are also have different interpretations in regard to use of hands in giving and receiving anything where in countries such as India and Middle East, using the left hand is an insult since the hand is considered unclean. In Chinese family, failure to leave some food on the plate is an indication that they gave you insufficient food. By leaving chopsticks upright in China and Japan, it is a gesture for honouring the deceased, which means that chopsticks should always be places on the place or their rest. A Chinese also humbles him/herself as a way of showing gratitude. With different views and styles of communication throughout the world, there has been a creation of great misunderstandings. It is worth noting that the presence of a lot of breakdown in regard to communication is usually attributed to the differences in culture. As a result, it calls for more caution especially when someone is communicating with another person who does not have common cultural beliefs. This must put into considerations the verbal as well as non-verbal communication. In cross-cultural communication, it is also very important to have an understanding of the “taboos” as well as the “do’s” of a certain culture and it is important to respect them in order to prevent misunderstandings. Such small and simple things in different cultures such as understanding the meal etiquette or removing your shoes before getting into someone’s house can lead to big misunderstandings. This mean that if you have some business or you frequently communicate with a certain race or a cultural group, it will be crucial to understanding their variations in regard to their style of communications as well as they way they do things that are related to your interaction with them. By learning such variations in the way, they do things and the style of communication you will tend to increase your understanding of that cultural group and as a result, prevent conflicts (Huang, 2008). These differences in communication from various cultures and the consequences of the neglect of some verbal and no-verbal communications has led to more and more importance of this principle in the ordinary life of people. This is more in how to communicate in a proper and polite manner while considering different background in culture. As a universal social phenomenon and a social encompass for judging the needs and words of people in different cultures, politeness has proved to be very crucial in maintaining harmonious communication activities and social relationships. In modern world, communication between cultures has been rapidly increasing while understanding and expressing politeness still differs greatly. This has made conflicts as well as misunderstandings more noticeable and different countries are taking steps to learn cross-cultural communications for future benefits (Gao, 1997). However, this issues is being addressed especially in the countries that are frequent business partners but with different cultures leading to various programs such as Chinese and western cultural exchange. It is also important to note that the politeness principle in China has been engaging in profound changes: the principle of politeness is a more reflection of self awareness as well as more embodiments in the sense of equality and freedom; China has also come to realisation of the awareness of privacy; the forms of politeness has also been simplifying and even missing (He, 2000). Conclusion Certain cultures are subject to various interpretations in regard to different regions throughout the world. Based on the article on “Dangerous Moves”, if some verbal and non-verbal communications are taken for granted, their neutrality in one culture may change to be a big misunderstanding in another culture. It is important to learn more about the basics in regard to communication. This will serve as a sign of respect irrespective of why one is travelling. Being familiar with such basics will impress the business partners in case of a business relationship. Thus, if you have some business or you frequently communicate with a certain race or a cultural group, it will be crucial to understanding their variations in regard to their style of communications as well as they way they do things that are related to your interaction with them. Based on the above explanations, it is clear that in every cultural group, politeness usually restricts the behaviour of people. The principle of politeness is very important in understanding cross-cultural communication and as a result, this prevents cultural misunderstandings and conflicts. References Gao Hang 1997, “Face Politeness and Pragmatic”, Journal of PLA University of Foreign Languages vol. 2, pp. 24—28. Gu, Yueguo 1990 “Politeness Phenomenon in modern Chinese”, Journal of Pragmatics, vol. 14, pp. 237-257. Gu, Yueguo 1992, Politeness, Pragmatics and Culture. Beijing: Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press. He, Zhaoxiong 2000, A New Introduction to Pragmatics. Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Teaching Press. Huang, Y 2008, “Politeness Principle in Cross-Culture Communication”, English Language Teaching, Vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 96-101 Leech 1983 Longman: Principles of Pragmatics Mitic, M 2013, “Dangerous Moves” Business Week, Jan 2013, http://bx.businessweek.com/cross-cultural-marketing/view?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thebeginner.eu%2Fculture%2F1022-dangerous-moves Yanchang, D, & Runqing, L 1989, Language and Culture. Beijing: Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press. Read More