A study of politeness strategies in the conversational activities of the coursebook New Headway" pre-intermediate(The third edition)

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES Trần Thị Phượng A STUDY OF POLITENESS STRATEGIES IN THE CONVERSATIONAL ACTIVITIES OF THE COURSEBOOK “NEW HEADWAY” PRE-INTERMEDIATE (THE THIRD EDITION) Nghiên cứu chiến lược lịch sử dụng hội thoại giáo trình giao tiếp NEW HEADWAY Pre-intermediate (Phiên 3) MA THESIS (MINOR) Field : English Linguistics Code : 60 22 15 Hanoi, 2011 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES Trần Thị Phượng A STUDY OF POLITENESS STRATEGIES IN THE CONVERSATIONAL ACTIVITIES OF THE COURSEBOOK “NEW HEADWAY” PRE-INTERMEDIATE (THE THIRD EDITION) Nghiên cứu chiến lược lịch sử dụng hội thoại giáo trình giao tiếp NEW HEADWAY Pre-intermediate (Phiên 3) MA THESIS (MINOR) Field : English Linguistics Code : 60 22 15 Supervisor : Assoc Prof Dr Nguyễn Văn Độ Hanoi, 2011 TABLE OF CONTENTS *Statement of authorship……………………………………………………………………………… i *Acknowledgements…………………………………………………………………………………… ii *Abstract………………………………………………………………………………………………….iii *Abbreviations………………………………………………………………………………………… iv *List of tables and charts……………………………………………………………………………… v PART I: INTRODUCTION Error! Bookmark not defined Rationale Error! Bookmark not defined Aims of the Study Error! Bookmark not defined Scope of the Study Error! Bookmark not defined Methodology Error! Bookmark not defined Design of the study Error! Bookmark not defined PART II: DEVELOPMENT .Error! Bookmark not defined Chapter 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND Error! Bookmark not defined I Language and culture Error! Bookmark not defined II Communicative Competence (C.C.) .Error! Bookmark not defined III Speech Acts (SA) Error! Bookmark not defined IV Politeness and Politeness Strategies Error! Bookmark not defined IV.1 Definitions of politeness .Error! Bookmark not defined IV.2 Face .Error! Bookmark not defined IV.3 Politeness Strategies Error! Bookmark not defined IV.3.1 Positive politeness strategies Error! Bookmark not defined IV.3.2 Negative politeness strategies Error! Bookmark not defined.6 Chapter 2: POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE POLITENESS STRATEGIES FOUND IN THE CONVERSATIONAL ACTIVITIES OF THE COURSEBOOK 20 I Overview of politeness strategies in “New Headway” Pre-intermediate (The Third Edition) (NHW) 20 II The frequency of positive and negative politeness strategies used in NHW Error! Bookmark not defined.1 Sampling process Error! Bookmark not defined.1 Balance of positive and negative politeness strategies used in NHW Error! Bookmark not defined.1 Analyzing positive politeness strategies used in NHW Error! Bookmark not defined.2 Analyzing negative politeness strategies used in NHWError! Bookmark not defined.4 The frequency of positive and negative politeness strategies in terms of functions of utterance Error! Bookmark not defined.7 III Positive and Negative Politeness Strategies and the S-H relationship Error! Bookmark not defined.2 Chapter 3: IMPLICATIONS FOR POLITENESS STRATEGIES IN TEACHING ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE IN THANG LONG UNIVERSITY Error! Bookmark not defined.8 I Implications for teaching positive and negative politeness strategies Error! Bookmark not defined.8 II Supplementary exercises and activities for cross-cultural study Error! Bookmark not defined.9 PART III: CONCLUSION Error! Bookmark not defined.7 I Summary .Error! Bookmark not defined.7 II Limitation of the study and suggestions for further research Error! Bookmark not defined.8 References………………………………………………………………………………… I Appendix……………………………………………………………………………………IV Abstract Nowadays, when language serves as a means of communication, English has become indispensable means of international communication Everybody wants to learn and use English for various purposes However, a large proportion of Vietnamese students have not yet been successful in communication as they may fail to understand the conversation or cannot express exactly what they want to Awareness of politeness strategies used in language is then a suitable way to help students be more successful in every day conversations This study is to focus on positive and negative politeness strategies in conversations of the course book “New Headway Pre-Intermediate (The Third Edition)”, with an aim to help the students at Thang Long University improve their awareness of positive and negative politeness strategies in conversational activities in the course book mentioned above, thus to apply these strategies in their everyday conversations in English In the course book “New Headway Pre-Intermediate (The Third Edition)”, typical conversation activities are classified into “Requesting”, “Making suggestions”, “Inviting” and “Social behaviors” and then analyzed mainly in the light of the politeness theories of Brown & Levinson and Nguyen Quang The research shows that the frequency of positive and negative politeness strategies depends not only on the purpose of the interactions but also on the relationship between speakers and hearers in communication Last but not least, some suggestions for learning and teaching positive and negative politeness strategies are also presented Keywords: politeness, politeness strategies, positive politeness strategies, negative politeness strategies Introduction People use language differently to communicate with each other They may express same meaning with various different functions of speech These differences are contributed to social factors Understanding social conventions and paying attention to such concepts as politeness and face, which are important to members in a particular culture, will certainly enable us to better comprehend the different ways of speaking by people from different cultures, thus helping eliminate ethnic stereotypes and misunderstandings Cultural knowledge is obviously an important key for Vietnamese students to succeed in learning English because second language learning is second culture learning In order to acquire the second language- English, it is necessary to learn not only linguistic knowledge and interaction skills but also knowledge of the culture Cultural factors are included in the course designs in universities and schools today When understanding the cultural factors students have chances to expose themselves to native speaking environments Normally, Vietnamese students tend to employ English based on their own cultural experience and thus, cause misinterpretation in communication They sometimes appear impolite, unfriendly or even hostile by chance Hence, to communicate well across cultures students must be aware of their own culture and the English culture as well, especially the hidden parts of the target culture including politeness strategies used in everyday conversations Politeness is really an important part in all social interactions The author of this study aims to investigate and draw out the important role of positive and negative politeness strategies in conversational activities of the course book “New Headway” (Pre-Intermediate-The Third Edition) by John and Liz Soars so as to improve the teaching of communication in English Aims of the Study The study is carried out to achieve the following objectives: - To find out the important roles of politeness in social communication, especially in cross-cultural communication - To identify positive and negative politeness strategies in most typical contextual environments in the conversational activities of the course book “New Headway” (Pre-Intermediate- The Third Edition) - To suggest some effective and efficient ways of teaching positive and negative politeness strategies - To collect and design potential cross-cultural activities and exercises to help students avoid misinterpretation in cross-cultural communication 4 Methodology The major method that the author has employed is quantitative with the reference to qualitative method as this study is mainly about the practical aspects of cross-cultural communication All the considerations and conclusions are based on the analysis and reference The main procedures are: - Reference to publications - Discussion with supervisor - Discussion with colleagues - Discussion with students - Personal observations Design of the study The study is divided into three parts: Part I is the introduction which presents the rationale, aims of study, scope of the study and methodology Part II is the development which consists of three chapters Chapter provides the theoretical background on language and culture, communicative competence, speech act and politeness strategies Chapter analyzes positive and negative politeness strategies found in the conversational activities of the course book “New Headway” (PreIntermediate-The Third Edition) in terms of frequency of positive and negative politeness strategies used in such functions as “Requesting”, “Making suggestion”, “Responding”, “Inviting” and Social behavior” It also pays attention to the influence of S-H relationships on politeness strategies Chapter gives the implications for learning and teaching politeness strategies for students at Thang Long University, supplementary exercises and activities for cross-cultural study Part III is the conclusion which summarizes the study and gives some limitations of the study and suggestions for further research 6 Implications for teaching positive and negative politeness strategies Apparently, having good knowledge of politeness strategies is essential in language teaching process and politeness strategies help to keep the conversations going in a smooth, natural and effective way Therefore, good methods for teaching culture in general and politeness in particular in foreign language teaching need to be focused and discussed, especially when teaching the communicative course book “New Headway Pre-Intermediate (the Third Edition)” at Thang Long University (TLU) Firstly, through the book “New Headway Pre-Intermediate (the Third Edition)”- a culture- related material, the teacher ought to help the students understand more about cultural values and be aware of cultural differences That is, the students may be pointed out whether positive or negative politeness strategies are acceptable or preferable in English or in Vietnamese in certain conversational activities They should grasp the reality that some linguistic expressions which are appropriate in English cannot be interpreted in Vietnamese and vice versa Secondly, teaching a language with its functions, or speech acts rather than structures should be emphasized by teachers In fact, most students who have the knowledge of structures only can make something grammatically correct but culturally inappropriate or impolite In real life communication, to be polite or show respect is more important than the meaning of words together Thus, the teacher is suggested to instruct students about what to say and how to say politely in English in a certain situation Polite or appropriate utterances should be subtly introduced in a way that language functions are focuses as well as forms Finally, when teaching ““New Headway Pre-Intermediate (the Third Edition)” teachers are advised to create chances of social interactions for students because one of the best ways to teach social English is through social situations Under the teacher’s instruction, students are given situations and encouraged to join the conversations Through daily conversations the teacher may help them recognize which utterances are acceptable or polite in English Clearly, English which belongs to Western cultures is quite different from Vietnamese or Eastern cultures Therefore, when teaching politeness or politeness strategies used in communication, teachers must have a deep understanding about English speaking cultures which always consider negative politeness as a polite and formal way of communicating Meanwhile, Eastern people tend to use positive politeness in almost all interactions That is why when teaching politeness strategies used in conversational activities of “New Headway PreIntermediate (the Third Edition)” the teacher should know about this difference to help avoid miscommunication Also, it should be noted that it is necessary to teach cross-culture and politeness for the students so that the students can overcome all difficulties or culture shock in real-life communication In conclusion, teaching English should not be separated from teaching its culture and its politeness strategies In order to help the students, especially the ones at TLU to acquire English effectively while using the course book “New Headway Pre-Intermediate (the Third Edition)”, politeness strategies should be highlighted by teacher Some of the effective ways for studying and understanding politeness of English will be presented in cultural exercises and activities on politeness in the next section Exercises and activities for the course book “New Headway” (Pre-Intermediate level) Exercise 1: Greeting I Study these dialogues and answer the following questions Which dialogue is the most polite? Why? Which dialogue is the least polite? Why? In which situation is each dialogue used? Dialogue 1: A: Hello, Mary How are you? B: Fine, thank you And you? A: Not bad, thanks Dialogue 2: A: Good morning, Sarah B: Good morning, Peter How is everything? A: That’s OK Thanks Dialogue 3: A: Hi! I haven’t seen you so long How are you getting on? B: How you do? My name is Mary Lively Nice to meet you! II Discuss and find out the similarities and differences in greetings (in these situations) in English and Vietnamese Exercise : Make Arrangement I How can you arrange the meeting based on the following situations A Make arrangement to play a sport B The time is no good for A Ask for another time C Say that is not possible and offer another time D Accept and say goodbye II What can you say in the following situations? You want to go to the dentist Wall on Saturday, so now phone the dentist’s receptionist to make an appointment You phone your friend for a meeting in a pub this evening You friend wants you to go to the theatre with him/her tomorrow but you reject because you are busy writing a report III Discuss and see if you say in the same way in Vietnamese in these situations Exercise 3: Request Conversation and Request situation I Match each request with a suitable response A B Could you ask My to phone me, please? It’s Lan a Go straight and turn left at the second corner Can I have some information about a Sorry, I’m leaving in minutes the train? I’d like a room, please b Yes, of course I wonder if I could talk to you b OK Excuse me Please, show me the way c Single or double to the nearest railway station? II Guess the place in which the dialogues are used in the right way and the people who join these conversations III Discuss and decide the best way of making requests in each situation in the table below E.g Hearer Situation Request Waiter You’ve just come to a restaurant See the menu Stranger You’re at the phone box You Change money haven’t got any change for a phone call Receptionist You arrange to meet your dentist Change the date next Friday evening But now it’s impossible for you Staff You are at work Ask to have a letter typed Shop assistant You want to buy an LG washing Know how it works machine Friends You have to a translation Ask about some new words in the work translation IV Discuss and point out the similarities and differences in making the requests in the situations above between English and Vietnamese Exercise 4: Safe or unsafe topics I Work in groups to discuss if the following questions are considered to be safe (S) or unsafe (U) when you meet someone for the first time in an English speaking country Explain your answers Then, compare them with the ones in Vietnamese culture What does your husband/ wife do? How much money you earn every month? How many children have you got? Are you married? Why aren’t you married? Why don’t you have any children? Do you like sports? How old are you? Are you a Democrat or a Republican? 10 How much was your watch? 11 Do you like politics? 12 Where are you from? 13 Do you work down town? 14 Why don’t you work/ why you still stay at home? 15 Are you from Britain? II Discuss if the following statements are true (T) or false (F) Then, find out the difference in choosing topics to start conversation in English and in Vietnamese When meeting each other the British often talk about the weather Politics is a common topic in Britain It is no problem when the Vietnamese ask English people about their age for the first time meeting In English speaking countries to show politeness means “ Don’t put your nose in my affairs” In English speaking countries the question “How are you?” is only used when speakers really want to know about listeners’ health Exercise 5: Appropriateness I How you say in the following situations: You are fifteen minutes late for class The teacher is explaining something to class when you arrive You are ringing your doctor to make an appointment for Friday evening You are calling the post office to send 20 roses to your friend in another city so that they arrive in time for her/his birthday You have got a question about something the teacher has just said in class 5 You are ringing the local railway station to get known about the earliest train to the capital You want to try a nice T-shirt in a clothes shop You are in the city centre Someone asks you the way to the nearest bank You are calling the cinema to find out if there are any tickets left for the last show of the day You are a travel agent You’ve just met a foreign visitor at the airport You want to make the visitor feel welcome 10 You are ringing to the travel agency to know how to book a holiday abroad II Discuss in groups to find out if what is said in the situations above is the same as in Vietnamese Exercise 6: Suitable Reply I What responses can be made for the following utterances: Excuse me! I have just lost my wallet in the supermarket, mum You look tired What’s the matter? Peter, I have passed an important exam, you know You see, thousands of babies are born every day Tom and Mary are going to get married next week My son is going to start work tomorrow He has been unemployed for long II What can people say in the following situations: Assistant: Can I help you? Customer: ……………………………………………… Customer: I’d like a room for two days, please Receptionist: …………………………………………… A: Would you like to go to the party tonight? B: ………………………………………………………… A: Shall we go swimming this afternoon? B: ………………………………………………………… A: Is there a post office near here? B: ………………………………………………………… III Discuss in groups to find out what is said in the situations above is the same as in Vietnamese Conclusion Politeness plays important part in communication, especially, in cross-cultural communication The concept of politeness has been widely mentioned, discussed, and analyzed for years However, in fact, studying politeness systematically as a science in which the subjects matter defined has only been concerned in some recent decades Therefore, it is difficult to find an accurate definition of politeness Linguistic research on politeness is closely associated with the name of Lakoff (1973,1975), Leech (1983), and Brown & Levinson (1987) However, perhaps the most thorough treatment of the concept of politeness is that of Brown and Levinson which was first published in 1978 In the framework that they develop, “politeness is interpreted as redressive action taken to counterbalance the disruptive effect of face threatening acts” (Brown & Levinson 1987:4) The study aims at identifying this important of politeness in communication It investigate positive and negative politeness strategies and examines their frequency of occurrence in some typical kinds of conversational activities in the course book “New Headway Pre-Intermediate (the Third Edition)” on the theoretical ground of politeness proposed by Brown & Levinson The study shows that most positive and negative politeness strategies are used in the conversational activities of “New Headway Pre-Intermediate (the Third Edition)” except for positive politeness strategies 3, and 14 It also reveals that positive politeness strategies are preferred more than negative politeness strategies in almost all knids of conversational activities of the material “New Headway Pre-Intermediate (the Third Edition)” including requesting, making suggestion, responding, social behavior and inviting According to the data analysis, every kind of conversational activity in the book “New Headway Pre-Intermediate (the Third Edition)” does not refer to all the same politeness strategies Among 17 positive politeness strategies, the most favorite positive politeness strategies in almost all kinds of conversational activities are 1, 4, 5, 12 and 16 Among 11 negative politeness strategies, strategies and are most interested In addition, the choice of politeness strategies also depends on the relationship between S and H Positive politeness strategies are more used by friends and colleagues who want to pay attention, concern to each other or narrow the distance between them Apparently, the data and classification of politeness strategies highlight the importance of applying positive and negative politeness in communication as well as in cross-cultural communication for teachers and students of English In order to teach and study English efficiently it is essential to employ politeness strategies appropriately in certain situations in accordance with the purpose of communication Some sample exercises and activities, which are introduced in chapter 3, may help teachers and students to practice effectively positive and negative politeness strategies referred in “New Headway Pre-Intermediate (the Third Edition)” as well as to avoid cultural shock and succeed in daily communication later In conclusion, politeness is really vital in teaching and learning English in general and teaching and learning the course book “New Headway Pre-Intermediate (the Third Edition)” in particular So as to use politeness successfully to study English well and to avoid possible miscommunication, both teachers and students must have certain knowledge about English speaking cultures It would be hopeful that with the author’s study, the students of TLU could learn English through the course book “New Headway Pre-Intermediate (the Third Edition)” efficiently and become good across-cultural communicators Limitation of the study and suggestions for further research This study though has been done with great effort, cannot cover all aspects of the use of politeness and negative politeness strategies of English and Vietnamese people in daily communication In addition, the sample collection is taken from only one book, so it is not large enough to assure a complete generalization It is suggested that further investigation for politeness strategies in some other course books should be done and more research on the improvement in understanding and applying politeness strategies in the communication of the targeted students should be carried out in the future project REFERENCES In English: Austin, J.L (1962) How to things with words, Oxford University Press: Oxford, England Brown, P & Levinson, S.C (1987) Politeness: Some Universal in Language Usages CUP Brown, G & Yule, G (1983) Discourse Analysis CUP Bruner & Richard, J C (1978, 1985) The Context of Language Teaching CUP Clark, H.H and Schuk, D.H (1980) Polite Responses to Polite Requests Lognition Contrill,L (1991) Face, Politeness and 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