Politeness Phenomena across Chinese Genres - Xinren Chen
10. Politeness and Disagreement in Hong Kong Internet Discussion Forums
Politeness Phenomena across Chinese Genres - Xinren Chen
Cynthia Lee [+]
University of Hong Kong
Winnie Shum [+]
University of Hong Kong
Description
Cynthia Lee and Winnie Shum manifest how in Internet discussion forums, the Cantonese interlocutors present opposite views when they disagree. Their study indicates that the interlocutors adhere to their traditional values to do justice and make moral judgement, and shows that the interlocutors employ these as tactics for implicit disagreement and empowerment, leaving the implied meaning to the others. They argue that such implicit disagreement is particularly enacted with the aim of preserving others’ face and avoids hurting the positive face directly (Brown and Levinson 1987), a speaking practice that is largely in line with Chinese interpersonal communication practice, politeness and face work (Gao 1998; Gao and Ting-Toomey 1998; Kádár and Pan 2011; Pan 2000;).