what is 'politeness' and how can we teach it?

In language, there is something called 'pragmatics' - which looks at how we put across the right message:

Jay Doubleyou: pragmatics: it ain't what you say it's the way that you say it

And there is something called 'register' - which provides the tools of putting across the right message:

Jay Doubleyou: writing with register: a lesson in using different levels of 'politeness'

Here's a good set of divisions: 

Pragmatics as the study of how language is used in social contexts and how people understand meaning through language.

Five language registers from most to least formal: frozen/static, formal, consultative, casual, and intimate. Each register is defined by its appropriate audience, topic, location, and purpose.

Pragmatics and Language Registers | PDF | Semiotics | Grammar

Becci Knowles of Trinity College looks at 'politeness' - as covered in the EL Gazette:

What’s the point of polite-isms?

Trinity College London reveals the gap between recognising the importance of politeness strategies and implementing them in classroom settings.

A new survey has uncovered significant challenges in teaching politeness strategies to English language learners, with 52% of teachers reporting that students find these crucial communication skills “difficult to use in real-time conversation”.

Recently, Trinity College London released new research exploring the role of ‘polite-isms’ in British English – those indirect expressions used to soften requests, avoid conflict, and navigate social interactions. The story was widely covered by British media including The Times, Daily Telegraph and Daily Mail.

To follow up this study, in March Trinity carried out complementary research of 400 EFL teachers, which highlights an implementation gap between recognising the importance of politeness strategies and successfully teaching them in classroom settings...

What’s the point of polite-isms? - E L Gazette

Click on the links for more:

Trinity College London

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