Politeness Theory in Depth

Politeness theory addresses one of the most fundamental questions in pragmatics: why do speakers so often express themselves indirectly rather than stating exactly what they mean? The answer, according to politeness theorists, lies in the concept of face — the public self-image that every person wants to maintain. The most influential model was developed by Penelope Brown and Stephen C. Levinson (1978, revised 1987), building on the sociologist Erving Goffman's concept of face.

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Goffman and the Concept of Face

The sociologist Erving Goffman (1967, Interaction Ritual) introduced the concept of face into social science, drawing on Chinese and English folk concepts. Goffman defined face as:

"The positive social value a person effectively claims for himself by the line others assume he has taken during a particular contact."

In simpler terms, face is the public self-image that every competent adult member of a society claims for themselves. It is the image of ourselves that we project to others and that we want others to accept and respect.