On Politeness in Cross-cultural Communication

Abstract

“Politeness†is a frequently used word, but it is conceived and employed in different ways. Oriental culture applies “shame†while western culture uses “guilt†to regulate the morality of an individual. China is a country with a long history and the Chinese have shown respect for the elderly, seniority, rank, maleness, and family and family background. Confucianism embodies this attitude toward power and authority by stressing the benefits of fixed hierarchical relationships. Comparatively speaking, treating people according to their status and different contexts seem to violate the norms of western interpersonal relations which emphasize equality, fairness and informality. Therefore, how to deal with the cultural differences appropriately is a focus of world issues. This paper analyzes some phenomena of different behavior patterns of politeness in cross-cultural communication.