Lecture on Politeness in British and American Cultures

Introduction

• Speaker is an American immigrant in the UK for 12 years.
• Focus on communication differences, particularly politeness between British and Americans.

Stereotypes and Perceptions

• British Stereotypes: Known for politeness but survey ranks them as 3rd rudest by British travelers themselves.
• American Stereotypes: Seen as both friendly and rude.

Cultural Communication Systems

• Politeness System: Interaction is influenced by cultural beliefs and assumptions.
• Face Theory (Brown and Levinson):
  • Positive Face: Desire to be liked and valued.
  • Negative Face: Desire for freedom and autonomy.
  • Interactions often involve compromising between these desires.

Types of Politeness Cultures

• Solidarity Politeness:
  • Prioritizes positive face.
  • Encourages familiarity and informality.
  • Example: United States.
• Deference Politeness:
  • Prioritizes negative face.
  • Associated with formality and indirect communication.
  • Example: East Asian cultures; UK is less deferential but still more than the US.

Cultural Differences in Interactions

• American Culture:

  • Emphasizes individualism and loose social networks.
  • Frequent complimenting as a means of positive face exchange.

• British Culture:

  • More reserved, strong sense of privacy.
  • Less frequent and more formal compliments.

Complimenting and Sincerity

• American Compliments:

  • Frequent and often seem exaggerated.
  • Reflects a need for positive face, not necessarily insincerity.
  • Compartmentalizes compliments and does not imply overall liking.

• British Compliments:

  • Less frequent due to privacy concerns.
  • Compliments are more formal and understated.

Thanking Behavior

• British Thanking:

  • High frequency of 'thank you' in interactions; doesn't always denote gratitude.
  • Acts as a conversational marker rather than an expression of thanks.

• American Thanking:

  • Less frequent as it is tied to actual feelings of gratitude.

Conclusion

• Cultural scripts dictate politeness; neither culture is inherently more polite or rude.
• Importance of understanding different politeness systems to avoid miscommunication.
• Thank you.