The Strategies of Politeness in the Chinese Language

This monograph describes and demonstrates the politeness strategies used by speakers of Mandarin Chinese and explains these strategies to readers whose native language is English. As a contrastive study, it explores what aspects of behavior are universal, what aspects specific to a group. As a theoretical exploration, the work is of value to scholars in pragmatics, sociolinguistics, sociology, psychology, and anthropology; it also has practical value for teachers and learners of language. Examples are taken from recorded dialogues, contemporary literature, and the Dream of the Red Chamber (18th century).