POWER & SOLIDARITY CHECKLISTS (for eavesdropping and written exercises)
Before you begin trying to keep track of politeness strategies for the eavesdropping exercise, fill in a detail or two about the participants, so you can easily keep track of them: e.g., male vs. female; older vs. younger; closer (to you) vs. farther – whatever will help you remember which is which.
Politeness Strategy | Participant 1 | Participant 2 |
---|---|---|
SOLIDARITY STRATEGIES | ||
common ground | ||
knowledge/approval of other | ||
show sympathy, concern | ||
use informal language | ||
use informal terms of address | ||
give or ask for reasons or explanations | ||
assume or assert reciprocity | ||
invite, promise, or offer | ||
joke | ||
DEFERENCE STRATEGIES | ||
use formal terms of address | ||
let other talk more | ||
use formal language | ||
don’t assume or presume about other | ||
be indirect | ||
hedge | ||
give a way out | ||
acknowledge debt | ||
apologize |