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Cross-cultural variation in the perception of
impolitenessA study of impoliteness events reported by students in England, China, Finland,
Germany and Turkey
Jonathan Culpeper et al.
Introduction
Cross-cultural study
Why?
How? – Methodology
- The diary of field-notes method
The research
Record ”rapport sensitive incidents”
100 undergraduate students for each
country
Focus on negative events
No labeling
The research
½ a page report box
Did not inform the participants
No forcing
Translations
The research
(1q)What was actually said, implied, or done? (1b) How was it said, implied, or done (e.g.,
was it something about the pronunciation?)? (2a) Where was it said, implied, or done (e.g.,
in class, on the bus)? (2b) By whom was it said, implied, or done?
(e.g., what was your relationship with them?) (2c) Were there others who heard it, too? (3) What were your reactions? (e.g., what did
you say, imply, or do?)
The research
“How bad did the behavior in the conversation make you
feel at the time it occurred?”
“Do you think that person meant to make you feel bad?”
Two question: (1) “We know you felt ‘bad,’ but describe
your feelings,” and (2) “Why did this particular behavior
make you feel bad?”
“How would you describe the behavior of the person
who made you feel bad (how would you label this kind of
behavior?)?”
Categories in the rapport-management framework (Spencer-Oatey)
FACEQuality face
Relational face
Social identity face
SOCIALITY RIGHTS
Equity rights
Association rights
QUALITY FACE desire for people to evaluate us positively in terms of our personal qualities
«Ignorant» is taken as a bad quality and thus as an offense
Quality face is violated
(TURKEY 89)
“I don’t know the answer to that
question”
“Ignorant”
SOCIAL IDENTITY FACE the value that we claim for ourselves in terms ofsocial or group roles
He is not the target of the remark
But he is a member of that group
His social identity face is violated.
(ENGLAND 23)
“it’s because he’s a vegetarian,
fucking veggie”
“I’m a vegetarian”
RELATIONAL FACE reflects who a person is in relation to his/her significant others: a good friend, a family member, etc.
Her relational value as a leader of her classmates, a group of significant others, is being threatened.
(CHINA 6)
“ I told her ideas for some activities for our class […] She rejected the ideas loudly with a tone of ordering […] I was greatly annoyed because my classmates all respected me and I had never come across situations like that before.”
Three components
1. Cost-Benefit
2. Fairness and reciprocity
3. Autonomy-control
EQUITY RIGHTS belief that we are entitled to personal consideration from others, so that we are treated fairly.
(CHINA 52)
“In a cafeteria I greeted my
classmate. But he did not
respond.”
The absence of the returning of greeting causes the offence.
Association rights belief that we are entitled to social involvement with others.
Three components:
1. Involvement
2. Empathy
3. Respect
1a) A person told me about a grave change in their lives.
1b) I felt hurt, because she only told me the truth after such a long time andhad talked to several other people before.
(Germany 97)
“I got the impression that the person did not trust me (anymore)”.
Will the results back up the existence of a clear-cut distinction between Western and non-Western cultures?
RESULTS
Qualit
y fa
ce
Iden
tity
face
Relat
iona
l fac
e
Equi
ty ri
ghts
Asso
ciat
ion
right
s0
10
20
30
40
50
60
ChinaEnglandFinlandGermany Turkey
SOME OBSERVATIONS
Qualit
y fa
ce
Iden
tity
face
Relat
iona
l fac
e
Equi
ty ri
ghts
Asso
ciat
ion
ri...
0102030405060
ChinaEnglandFinlandGermany Turkey
CHINAEquity Rights seem to be more important.
WHY?- Confucianism? One-child policies?
SOME OBSERVATIONS
Qualit
y fa
ce
Iden
tity
face
Relat
iona
l fac
e
Equi
ty ri
ghts
Asso
ciat
ion
ri...
0102030405060
ChinaEnglandFinlandGermany Turkey
ENGLAND and TURKEY share «quality face»
results.
GERMANY’s importance of «association
rights»
CONCLUSIONS
Western and non-Western are NOT unified wholes. We should avoid stereotypes and generalizations
Further research is needed with more stress on cultural diversity
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!
