By Dalat TESOL
Understanding how language expresses intention, manages relationships, and occasionally misfires across cultures
🧩 What Counts as “Polite”?
You might think saying “thank you” or “please” always makes a statement polite. But does it?
Let’s test that:
“Please sit down now.”
“Can you shut the door, please?”
Both use “please,” but the tone, intent, and delivery could feel commanding, rude, or gentle — depending on the speaker, the setting, and the listener.
That’s the world of pragmatics: the study of meaning in context.
It’s also where intercultural misunderstandings often begin.
📖 Glossary Snapshot: Key Concepts
- Pragmatics: How meaning is shaped by context, speaker intent, and listener interpretation
- Politeness: Language and behavior that manage social harmony and protect “face”
- Speech acts: Functions of language (e.g., requesting, apologizing, refusing)
- Face: One’s public self-image (Brown & Levinson, 1987)
- Hedges: Softeners like “maybe,” “kind of,” “a bit,” often used to reduce imposition
- Mitigation: Strategies to soften impact or disagreement
🧠 What Is Politeness Theory?
According to Brown and Levinson (1987), all humans have two basic face needs:
- Positive face: The desire to be liked, appreciated, and included
- Negative face: The desire to act freely, without being imposed upon
Politeness strategies are used to preserve face when performing potentially face-threatening acts (FTAs), like:
- Giving orders
- Disagreeing
- Making requests
For example:
- Direct: “You’re wrong.” → strong FTA
- Indirect: “I see it a bit differently.” → mitigated disagreement
🌏 Cultural Variation in Politeness
Not all cultures manage face in the same way.
In Vietnamese classrooms:
- Students often use indirect refusals: “Em sẽ cố gắng” (I’ll try) instead of “I can’t.”
- Deference is shown through honorifics and kinship terms: “Thưa cô,” “Dạ,” “Em nghĩ là…”
In American English classrooms:
- Directness is often valued: “Sorry, I don’t agree.”
- Students are expected to express opinions confidently.
These differences can create pragmatic misfires.
🔍 Miscommunication Example: Vietnam–US Interaction
A Vietnamese MA student is asked by their Western professor:
“Can you finish this draft by Monday?”
Student: “Dạ… Em sẽ cố gắng.”
(Translation: “I’ll try” → often means “probably not.”)
The professor hears it as: “Yes, I’ll try.”
The student thinks they’ve politely declined.
Result: misunderstanding.
This isn’t about grammar — it’s about pragmatic norms.
📚 Pragmatics in Intercultural Teaching
As future teacher-researchers, graduate students need to:
- Analyze how language functions in real settings
- Teach students to adjust pragmatically to their audience
- Avoid presenting politeness as a fixed checklist
Instead of teaching:
❌ “Always say please”
Teach:
✅ “Use politeness strategies appropriate to the situation and listener.”
🎓 Transcription-Based Task (With Analysis Example)
Activity: Analyze the following excerpt from an ELF (English as a Lingua Franca) conversation between a Vietnamese and Korean student:
A: I think maybe you want to write this part…?
B: Hmm… maybe… you are better in writing, I think.
✅ Hedging used (“maybe”)
✅ Deference and face-saving
✅ Avoidance of direct assignment
Discussion Prompts:
- How do both speakers avoid imposing?
- How might a Western listener interpret this indirectness?
- Could miscommunication arise?
📢 Common Vietnamese Pragmatic Features in English
| Pragmatic Feature | Vietnamese English Example | Communicative Goal |
|---|---|---|
| Indirect refusal | “I will try…” | Soften a “no” |
| Face-saving | “It’s okay, don’t worry.” | Avoid public confrontation |
| Deference | “Thưa cô/thầy…” in English | Show respect through address |
Teachers need to value these features, not simply correct them.
They are part of learners’ pragmatic identity.
🪞 Self-Reflection for Students
Ask yourself:
“Have I ever misunderstood someone in English because their tone felt ‘rude’ or ‘cold’?”
“Could this have been a different politeness norm?”
Then consider:
“In my own English, how do I soften requests or express disagreement?”
🧑🏫 For Language Educators
How can you train learners to interpret and produce pragmatic cues more accurately?
Suggestions:
- Use contrastive dialogues
- Teach speech acts in context (e.g., how Vietnamese vs. British speakers apologize)
- Encourage noticing through video, transcripts, and reflection
Avoid:
- Presenting native-speaker norms as superior
- Ignoring local pragmatic strengths