artighetsteori

Artighetsteori, or politeness theory, is a framework in linguistics and pragmatics for understanding how speakers manage face and social relations in communication. It originated with the work of Penelope Brown and Stephen Levinson in the late 1980s, building on Erving Goffman’s notion of face. The theory aims to explain why people choose certain forms of speech to avoid offending others while conveying their message efficiently.

Core concepts include the notion of face, consisting of positive face (the desire to be approved and liked) and negative face (the desire not to be imposed upon). A face-threatening act (FTA) is an utterance or action that could threaten either kind of face. The selection of politeness strategies depends on factors such as social distance between speaker and hearer, relative social power, and the imposition or harm implied by the act.

The five main strategies commonly described are: bald on-record (direct and with little or no mitigation), positive politeness (attending to the hearer’s need for belonging and approval), negative politeness (acknowledging the hearer’s autonomy and avoiding imposition), off-record (indirect or ambiguous language that leaves interpretation open), and on-record with redressive actions (acknowledging potential harm and offering justification or apology). These strategies allow speakers to balance effectiveness and face considerations in varied social contexts.

Criticism and extensions: While influential, politeness theory faces debates about universality and cultural variation. Critics emphasize cross-cultural differences and point to alternative models, such as Ting-Toomey’s face-negotiation theory. The framework has also been applied to digital communication, multilingual settings, and conversational analysis to better understand everyday interaction.