Abstract
This paper is about face-threatening acts (FTAs). It upholds the usefulness of the general concept as first introduced by Brown and Levinson but presents a different view of (1) what an FTA is and how it arises and (2) how to gauge the relative severity of one. Regarding (I), it argues that no act is intrinsically face-threatening and that FTAs cannot be equated with speech acts. They can only be identified in the context of the ongoing interaction. An FTA, it is suggested, is simply any move which predicates a change in face. However, its ultimate identification rests with interactants. With regard to (2), the paper demonstrates that Brown and Levinson's 'weightiness' formula does not work. It is suggested that the severity of an FTA is the product of two factors: the amount of face-change it predicates and the amount of salience accorded to face at the time. But the values of these factors are also ultimately determined by participant reactions. Both matters are addressed largely through the close examination of one particular moment in one particular encounter.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 243-268 |
| Number of pages | 26 |
| Journal | Journal of Politeness Research |
| Volume | 3 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2007 |
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What's in an FTA? Reflections on a chance meeting with Claudine. / O'Driscoll, Jim.
In: Journal of Politeness Research, Vol. 3, No. 2, 2007, p. 243-268.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
TY - JOUR
T1 - What's in an FTA? Reflections on a chance meeting with Claudine
AU - O'Driscoll, Jim
PY - 2007
Y1 - 2007
N2 - This paper is about face-threatening acts (FTAs). It upholds the usefulness of the general concept as first introduced by Brown and Levinson but presents a different view of (1) what an FTA is and how it arises and (2) how to gauge the relative severity of one. Regarding (I), it argues that no act is intrinsically face-threatening and that FTAs cannot be equated with speech acts. They can only be identified in the context of the ongoing interaction. An FTA, it is suggested, is simply any move which predicates a change in face. However, its ultimate identification rests with interactants. With regard to (2), the paper demonstrates that Brown and Levinson's 'weightiness' formula does not work. It is suggested that the severity of an FTA is the product of two factors: the amount of face-change it predicates and the amount of salience accorded to face at the time. But the values of these factors are also ultimately determined by participant reactions. Both matters are addressed largely through the close examination of one particular moment in one particular encounter.
AB - This paper is about face-threatening acts (FTAs). It upholds the usefulness of the general concept as first introduced by Brown and Levinson but presents a different view of (1) what an FTA is and how it arises and (2) how to gauge the relative severity of one. Regarding (I), it argues that no act is intrinsically face-threatening and that FTAs cannot be equated with speech acts. They can only be identified in the context of the ongoing interaction. An FTA, it is suggested, is simply any move which predicates a change in face. However, its ultimate identification rests with interactants. With regard to (2), the paper demonstrates that Brown and Levinson's 'weightiness' formula does not work. It is suggested that the severity of an FTA is the product of two factors: the amount of face-change it predicates and the amount of salience accorded to face at the time. But the values of these factors are also ultimately determined by participant reactions. Both matters are addressed largely through the close examination of one particular moment in one particular encounter.
KW - Face
KW - Face-enhancing act
KW - Face-threatening act
KW - Facework
KW - FTA
KW - Interaction
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=51249157409&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1515/PR.2007.011
DO - 10.1515/PR.2007.011
M3 - Article
VL - 3
SP - 243
EP - 268
JO - Journal of Politeness Research
JF - Journal of Politeness Research
SN - 1612-5681
IS - 2
ER -