I just finished reading Kate Fox’s Watching the English. She’s an anthropologist and unlike those who go to far away lands and study exotic cultures, she focuses on life here in England. Although this means there are no headhunters or anything, the book is great, both insightful and very very funny.
One of the most interesting things she highlights is the English preference for `negative politeness’, compared to the American style `positive politeness’:
“[Negative politeness] is concerned with other people’s need not to be intruded or imposed upon (as opposed to `positive politeness’, which is concerned with their need for inclusion and social approval)”
It’s a pretty simple concept and it explains so many English behaviours. The book talks about some of the main ones (e.g. automatically saying sorry when someone bumps into you) but I’d like to suggest another. Ever wonder why on earth Hugh Grant is considered funny? It’s because his bumbling “Oh sorry I, err, rather, I mean, I didn’t want to offend…” routine is negative politeness writ large. So while people from other cultures find this just plain awkward and embarassing to watch, many English find his exaggeration of a national foible really funny.
Of course, some still find him irritating.
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Yes, this is very similar to Japan. For example, you hear “sumimasen” all the time over here, which means both “sorry” and “thank you” and “excuse me” all at the same time. In another context, it can be used to apologize without necessarily accepting blame – hence you often find yourself saying it when someone steps on your foot on the bus. I haul this word out all the time because it covers you in almost any awkward incident.
On a somewhat unrelated note, I’ve made one cultural observation that if you drank with someone the previous night, it increases your social standing if you meet them the next morning and claim that you are hungover. This shows the other person that you had such a good time the previous evening that you completely lost your sensibilities and got very drunk by accident.
Sumimasen – wow what a great word.
Fox also says that the other culture with similar politeness rules to England and Japan is Madagascar. Don’t suppose anyone knows any Madagascarans? (-ites?)
I had another thought. The book also talks about how the English like rules because it helps smooth out awkward social situations. Maybe that’s why Mornington Crescent is so funny to locals and so baffling to everyone else. This anthropology thing’s a breeze!
the application of negative politeness in EFL-teaching .i AM WRITING THE EASSY ABOUT PRAGMATICS AND efL TEACHING. iT IS HARD FOR ME TO COMBINE THE THEORY OF NEGATIVE POLITENESS WITH THE EFL TEACHING.