• International Journal of Advanced Culture Technology
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.98-103
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• 2024

This paper revisits politeness expressions in English, exploring their linguistic characteristics and the underlying social dynamics they reflect. Grounded in pragmatic theories, politeness is examined as a phenomenon shaped by societal norms, wherein language users navigate the delicate balance between efficiency and maintaining positive social interactions. Through an analysis of various linguistic devices such as modal auxiliary verbs, progressive and past tenses, depersonalization, and the use of hedges, the study elucidates how speakers endeavor to mitigate potential burdens on listeners and foster smoother communication. By understanding and employing these linguistic strategies, English learners can better navigate the nuances of politeness expressions in the English cultural context. This exploration underscores the pivotal role of politeness in interpersonal communication and highlights its significance in facilitating effective interaction among language users.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.53-80
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• 2011

The study examines how Koreans' politeness is realized in a speech act, request. The main focus is to explore underlying rationale and influence involved in their performance, not just the comparison of difference in politeness realization between native and nonnative speakers of English, as previous studies did. The study employs the DCT, an attached politeness scale questionnaire, and interviews. Twenty nine university students participated in the study. Interchangeable reading of the three data yields some interesting and valuable insights. The participants heavily rely on a few formulaic expressions to express politeness, such as interrogatives with modal verbs, please and excuse me as a politeness marker. They want to use honorific address terms that is literally translated into English, and have a belief that there are honorific words in English as in Korean. The study refers to the participants' voice on indirectness, nonverbal messages, and expressions with different connotations between English and Korean.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.635-644
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• 2020

This paper examines the types and functions of politeness in German communication and how politeness strategy can be realized. 'Politeness' is not a grammatical terminology in German, but it can be found in many places in grammar. The criteria for politeness are not only organized according to the rules of the language system, but the boundaries are ambiguous because non-language factors affect communication. Politeness is an important strategic element as well as social value. The polite expression first appears in the grammatical level of invariant with the form of address according to the familiarity between the conversational parties, verb modus, and modal particle. Modal particle with familiarity is considered to be a positive politeness strategy that limits the listener's speech by weakening or avoiding face threatening act. Modal verbs is classified as polite expressions that do not impose a psychological burden by not forcing the listener to make a direct request. The results of this study are therefore expected to suggest a rationale for empirical research on politeness in German communication.

• Cross-Cultural Studies
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• v.29
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• pp.391-411
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• 2012

Request expressions can be defined as expressions that demand or ask the other person to do certain movements. There are direct request expressions that ask the other person to do certain movements directly and indirect request expressions that ask the other person to do certain movements by describing the speaker's condition. The study analyzed gender and hierarchy of speakers and listeners who used 'tekure' and 'tekudasai' in dialog examples of the Meiji Period and the Taisho Period. In those periods, the modern Tokyo dialect was formed and established. "Toseishoseikatagi"in Meiji 10s,"Ukigumo""Natsukodachi""Tajotakon"in Meiji 20s,"Hakai""Botchan"in Meiji 30s,"Huton""Inakakyoshi" in Meiji 40s and "Aruonna"in the Taisho Period were analyzed for the study. 'kure' was used more by male speakers than female speakers. Examples by female speakers were shown on the novels after Meji 30s. In case of male speakers, they often used it to listeners with an equitable relationship at "Toseishoseikatagi"in Meiji 10s but they often used it to younger listeners at "Hakai"in Meiji 30s. 'okure' was used more by female speakers than male speakers. Listeners were varied from older ones to younger ones. In case of female speakers, 'okure' was used more often at "Aruonna"in the Taisho Period than the other novels. In case of male speakers, 'okure' was used only at "Ukigumo""Natsukodachi"and "Hakai". 'Okurenasai' was used outstandingly by female speakers on the form of 'okun_'. In case of 'kudasai', female speakers used it more than male speakers at "Toseishoseikatagi" and "Aruonna"but male speakers used it more than female speakers at "Tajotakon"and "Hakai". Listeners were varied from older ones to younger ones. 'o~kudasai' was not shown until Meiji 20s but shown after Meiji 30s among the analyzed novels. According to gender, it was used a little bit more often by female speakers than male speakers. According to hierarchy, listeners were usually older than speakers. 'o~nasatekudasai' was used more often by male speakers than female speakers. Listeners were also usually older than speakers.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.381-388
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• 2020

This paper discusses English Hedges or Hedging Expressions on the basis of their morphosyntactic-pragramatic properties within the perspective of sociolinguistics. The term, 'Hedges' for the past decades since Lakoff(1973), has received little attention from the English grammar circles such as morphosyntax and the generative grammar theories. This paper presents a more comprehensive approach to the identification, distributions, functions, and the morphosyntactic properties of English Hedges. The earlier research on English Hedges in the 70's show that hedges are metalinguistic or mitadiscourse expressions which constitute a means for executing Politeness strategy in pragmatics. Nonetheless, research from the interface of syntactic-pragmatics has been scarce. This article suggests a more complex body of English hedges that have not been extensively discussed in the literature. Additionally, their configurational domain is to be proposed as part of the PolP with [±hedged] above CP⁺ (or CP beyond). The ramifications of the current study are suggested in terms of comparative linguistics, EFL/ESL studies of English for global communication, and pragmatics-sensitive machine translation studies in the forseeable future.

• Cross-Cultural Studies
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• v.46
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• pp.327-353
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• 2017

This study analyzed how an aspect of translation can be shown on the 'Kureru type(くれる類)' verbs in "Kokoro", which was a Japanese modern novel when it was reproduced by translators. It focused on 'the use in accordance with a subject of expression and the other person' and 'the object of movement'. 'The use in accordance with a subject of expression and the other person' could be summarized as follows: The 'Kureru type' verbs were not translated only in accordance with the use of vocabulary in a dictionary. 'Kudasaru' was used in many examples of letter writing when 'the giver' was younger and it was translated to a polite form in Korean. 'Kureru' had a characteristic when 'the giver' was older in Korean translation. The act of parents was translated to an honorific form if parents were 'givers' regardless of whether a listener was an internal character or an external character in parent-child relationships. The degree of politeness was different in English translation when the 'Kureru type' verbs were used for asking a favor request command. 'Please' was used more for 'Kudasaru' than 'Kureru'. An aspect of translation in accordance with 'the object of movement' could be summarized as follows: The 'Kureru type' verbs were used as main verbs. 'Kureru' and 'Kudasaru' were translated to 'Juda' 'Jusida' in Korean translation, but they were translated to various vocabulary words in accordance with the characteristic of 'the object of movement' and were translated to imply a specific act, the process of possession and the result of possession in English translation. The 'Kureru type' verbs were also used as auxiliary verbs. The translated vocabulary words for Korean translation and English translation were different in accordance with whether the movement of things other than the movement of act was included or not. Examples were translated predominantly to expressions of profit such as '-Jada' '-Dalla' '-Jusida' when there was a movement of act as well as specific things in Korean translation. Also, some examples were translated to expressions of profit when there was the movement of act with an abstract matter and there was only the act of the object of movement, but many examples were translated to the act of first verbs. Examples were translated predominantly to the act of first verbs when there was the movement which included specific things and abstract matters or there was only the movement of act in English translation. Expressions of asking a favor request such as 'Kureru' and 'Kudasaru' were translated to '-Dalla' '-Juseyo' in Korean translation, but they were translated to expressions which specify an act while focusing on the structure of sentences or the function of language, such as 'must', 'ask', 'wish', 'would', and 'would like to' 'please' in English translation.

• Cross-Cultural Studies
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• v.31
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• pp.371-394
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• 2013

This study aims to know word forms and usages according to personal relationships of 'Kureru Kudasaru' by analyzing dialogues of female speakers. Novels of the Meiji period when there were attempts of a language revolution were mainly used for this study as well as novels of the Edo Period and the Taisho Period. Firstly, the number of examples according to gender differences in the novels was as follows. In case of 'Kureru', female speakers showed a high usage rate in the novels of the Edo period. 'Kureru' was mostly connected with female languages such as 'Naharu', 'Namasu', 'Nansu'. These expressions were not used in the novels of the Meiji Period and the Taisho Period. Although 'Okureru' and 'Okurenasaru' were used in the novels of the Meiji Period, the number of examples of 'Kureru' by female speakers was decreased in the novels of the Meiji Period and the Taisho Period. 'Kudasaru' was predominantly used by female speakers. Especially, female speakers used clearly to show vertical relationships in the novels of the Edo Period and"Doseishoseikatagi"of Meiji 10s. After"Ukigumo", the usage rate of female speakers was decreased but the usage rate of male speakers was increased. Gender differences became gradually smaller. Female speakers in the novels were increased from geisha and relatives such as wife, sister, mother and children to young women, teacher and student. Aspects of benefactive verbs' usages could be summarized as follows. Female speakers at licensed quarters used clearer and more typical expressions according to vertical relationships and gender differences in the novels of The Edo Period than the novels of The Meiji Period and the Taisho Period. In the novels of the Meiji Period, female speakers in a sophisticated social group used benefactive verbs to show strong respect and concern for the other person. In the novels of the Taisho Period, female speakers used benefactive verbs to show respect and concern for the other person according to their areas of outside activities. In the novels of the Meiji Period, female speakers used 'Okureru' when the other person was younger than them and was socially and psychologically close to them. Also, 'O~Nasaru' which was one of respect expressions was used by female speakers. Female speakers used it to older people in the Edo period but they also used it to younger people in the Meiji Period. Examples were not shown in the novels of the Taisho Period. Usages of 'Kureru' 'Kudasaru' according to vertical relationships were as follows. If 'a giver' was an older person, 'Kureru' with respect expressions 'Nasaru' 'Nansu' 'Namasu' was used more than 'Kudasaru' in the novels of the Edo Period. However, many examples of 'Kudasaru' were shown on the novels of the Meiji Period and the Taisho period. In the novels of the Meiji Period, 'Okureru' and 'Okurenasaru' which were expressions included in 'Kureru' were shown. Female speakers used them to older people who were socially and psychologically close to them like family. There were not many examples of 'a giver' and 'a receiver' around the same age. However, 'Kureru' and 'Okureru' were used in a younger group and 'Kudasaru' was used in an older group in the novels of the Meiji Period. If 'a giver' was an younger person, 'Kureru' was mainly used in the novels of the Edo period and "Doseishoseikatagi"in Meiji 10s. However, 'Kudasaru' was used many times in the novels of the latter Meiji Period and the Taisho Period.