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HistoryOfEnglish » FocusAndContent » IdentifyingCentralProblems » Pragmatics » Insults » TheoreticalBackground

1. Theoretical background: What is politeness ?

In this section we will start with theoretical aspects that might be usefull when looking at insults.

  • Grice’s maxims of conversation
  • Politeness theory and face
  • Face-threatening acts
  • Distance, power and impostion

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