A study of the polite method in the Arabic language according to Brown and Levinson's theory of politeness

Abstract

Polite method is one of the important issues in communication, as it paves the way for a successful communication with the addressee and prevents pragmatics failure. This article has studied the polite method in the Arabic language according to the politeness theory of Brown and Levinson, which is considered one of the most famous theories in this field in addition to the theory of Brooke and Nagasaka taken from the original theory. However, the research did not stop at the theory, rather it studied the types of polite methods in the Arabic language with functional examples, after studying the background of politeness in the Arabic language and showing the difference between Euphemism and politeness, which are two terms that some researchers have confused in defining their significance. This paper has suggested levels of politeness from Level 1 to Level 3 to facilitate the use of polite techniques in communicative situations. It concluded that it is better to use Euphemism in the sense of good expression that corresponds to the linguistic taboo, and to use politeness to name Brown and Levinson's theory due to its linguistic connotations. Polite methods can also be dealt with within its division into four main categories (addressing others, using the direct method politely, apologizing, and interrogating) and subcategories, where levels of politeness are presented according to Brown and Levinson's theory in three levels, and the higher the level, the higher the threat level more.

Keywords

• politeness theory
• polite methods
• levels of politeness
• pragmatics failure