Politeness and culture in second language acquisition

This book examines the importance of politeness in pragmatic expression and communication, making a significant contribution to the debate over whether the universal politeness theory is applicable globally regardless of cultural differences. It revisits Brown and Levinson's universal politeness theory that posits distance, power, and task imposition together to determine politeness weightiness perception. Sooho Song examines the issue of cultural differences in relation to second language learning, comparing how American and Korean college students' choice of expression reveals ingrained cultural values. The linguistic and cultural differences in the realization of politeness may lead many second language learners to develop a fear of being perceived as impolite, therefore losing 'face'. The book provides empirical evidence of the impact of culture on expression and communication, and argues that an understanding of socio-cultural differences and politeness expression are crucial in second language acquisition.