During the last fifteen years existing models of linguistic politeness havegenerated a huge amount of empirical research. Using a wide range of data fromreallif... » 

During the last fifteen years existing models of linguistic politeness havegenerated a huge amount of empirical research. Using a wide range of data fromreallife speech situations this new introduction to politeness breaks awayfrom the limitations of current models and argues that the proper object ofstudy in politeness theory must be commonsense notions of what politeness andimpoliteness are. From this Watts argues a more appropriate model one basedon Bourdieus concept of social practice is developed. The book aims to showthat the terms polite and impolite can only be properly examined as theyare contested discursively. In doing so polite and impolite utterancesinevitably involve their users in a struggle for power. A radically new accountof linguistic politeness the book will appeal to students and researchers in awide range of disciplines in linguistics and the social sciences. «