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The structure and use of politeness formulas

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 December 2008

Charles A. Ferguson
Charles A. Ferguson
Affiliation:
Stanford University and School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London
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Abstract

The use of interpersonal verbal routines such as greetings and thanks is examined as a universal phenomenon of human languages, related in some way to the widespread ‘greeting’ behavior of other animals. Examples from Syrian Arabic, American English, and other languages are used to show differing patterns of structure and use, susceptible of grammatical and sociolinguistic analysis. Features of diachronic change and children's acquisition are briefly treated. Call is made for better description and analysis of politeness formulas in grammars of languages and in ethnographics of communication. (Ritual, politeness, language change, language acquisition.)

Type
Articles
Information
Language in Society , Volume 5 , Issue 2 , August 1976 , pp. 137 - 151
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1976

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