Politeness phenomena in British English and Uruguayan Spanish: the case of requests

Márquez Reiter, Rosina (1997). Politeness phenomena in British English and Uruguayan Spanish: the case of requests. Miscelánea: A Journal of English and American Studies, 18 159 - 168.

Abstract

This paper presents an analysis of the realisation patterns of requests in British English and Uruguayan Spanish, establishing the similarities and differences between the conceptualisation of politeness by native speakers of both languages. The results obtained, based on the analysis of a discourse completion test administered to 30 native speakers of British English and 30 native speakers of Uruguayan Spanish, show that the major difference between British and Uruguayan requests is a matter of orientation. The British appear to be more inclined towards "negative" politeness, thus attaching more significance to negative aspects of "face" such as non-imposition and detachment. On the other hand, Uruguayans appear to be more inclined towards "positive" politeness thus attaching more importance to the positive aspects of "face" such as approval and involvement.

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