Face theoryWord

　　Face Theory

　　Contents1.The notion of Face 2.Introduction of Face Theory 3.Constitition of Face Theory 3.1positive face

　　3.2negative face4.Face threatening acts (FTAs)

　　5.Strategies for doing FTA6.“Face ”in Chinese culture

　　1.The notion of faceThe notion of face has to do with feelings of being embarrassed or humiliated.

　　It is something that is emotionally invested and something that can be lost, maintained, or enhanced, and therefore must be constantly attended to be in interpersonal interaction.

　　2.Introduction of Face Theory In 1978,Brown and Levinson published the book Politeness:Some Universals in Language Usage, in which they developed Goffman's (1976) notion of face into the well-known Face Theory(FT for short).

　　Stephen C. LevinsonFunction/Status: Director of The Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics Group Affiliation: Language and Cognition Group Professional background:Linguistics, anthropology(人类学), cognitive anthropology

　　Penelope Brown

　　Function/Status: researcher Group affiliation(从属): Acquisition Group Professional background: Linguistic Anthropology, Language Acquisition, Mayan(玛雅语) Indians(印第安人)

　　In their view, politeness was the various rational behaviors of a Model Person to satisfy his face wants. A Model Person had two special properties-rationality and face. Rationality:the application of a specific mode of reasoning-what Aristotle(1969) called ‘practical reasoning’(实用主义) --which guarantees inferences from ends or goals to means that will satisfy those ends.

　　3.Constitition of Face

　　Face the public self-image that every member wants to claim for himself. It refers to that emotional and social sense of self that everyone has and expects everyone else to recognize. Face consists of two related aspects:

　　3.1Negative face (a) negative face: It refers that people hope to have the freedom of choosing,do not wish to be imposed by others and their behaviors do not suffer from interference, hinder.消极面子指的是不希望别人强加于自己，自己的行为不 受人的干涉和阻碍，希望自己有自己的选择。

　　E.g.: threat、warning、order

　　3.2Positive face(b) positive face:It refers that people wish to get approval,appreciation and respect from others.积极面子指的是希望得到别人的赞同、喜爱、 欣赏和尊敬。 E.g.: It is very kind of you. You are beautiful. Negative face positive face

　　4.Face threatening acts (FTAs)Some speech acts characterized by original threat face themselves will threaten the face, which are called Face Threatening Acts(FTAS) 有些言语行为具有固定的威胁面子的性质,本身会威胁到面 子，这些行为被称作“威胁面子行为”。 Speech acts as FTAs: Representatives (assertives) [?] Directives (impositives) [requests, commands, advice]

　　Expressives [criticisms, blames]Commissives [promises, refusals] Declarations [dismissals, ?naming]

　　5.Strategies for doin

　　g FTAsLesser

　　without redressive action(礼貌补偿行动) , baldlyon-record Do the FTA positive politeness negative politeness

　　Estimation of risk of face loss.

　　with redressive action

　　Greater

　　off-record Don’t do the FTA

　　Source: Brown Levinson 1987: 60

　　FTA strategies Do the FTA on record without redressive action, baldly(1)Listen, I have got an idea. (2)Excuse me. [?]

　　(3)Add three cups of flour and stir vigorously. [?](4)Get me a cup of coffee.

　　FTA strategies

　　Do the FTA on record with positive politeness(5) (6) (7) Goodness, aren’t your roses beautiful! I was just coming by to borrow a cup of flour. Hey, mate, I was keeping that seat for a friend of mine. Move a little bit, would you mate?

　　FTA strategies Do the FTA on record with negative politeness(8) Can you pass the salt?

　　(9) You couldn‘t by any chance pass the salt, please, could you?(10) I’m awfully sorry to bother you, and I wouldn‘t but I‘m in an awful fix, so I wondered if by any chance ...

　　FTA strategies Do the FTA on record off record(11) It’s cold here.(meaning: Shut the window!)

　　(12) This soup is a bit bland.(meaning: pass the salt)

　　Positive politenessa. b. c.

　　Notice/attend to hearer’s wantsExaggerate interest/approval Intensify interest

　　d.e. f. g.

　　Use in-group identity markersSeek agreement Avoid disagreement Presuppose/assert common ground

　　h. Joke i. Assert knowledge of hearer’s wants

　　j. Offer, promisek. Be optimistic

　　l. Assume/assert reciprocity(互惠主义)m. Include speaker and hearer in the activity

　　n. Give gifts to hearer (goods, sympathy, etc.)

　　Negative politeness1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

　　Be conventionally indirect Question, hedge Be pessimistic Minimize imposition Give deference

　　6.7. 8. 9. 10.

　　ApologizeImpersonalize State the imposition as a general rule Nominalize Go on record as incurring a debt

　　“Face ”in Chinese culture:The conception of face in Chinese culture is different from Brown and Levinson’s definition. Brown and Levinson declare that face is the self-image in social life. It is obviously that they put great emphasis on individual. What they call FATs are those that threaten the face of the speaker or hearer.

　　中国人的脸，不但可以洗，可以刮，并且可以丢，可以

　　赏，可以留。 —林语堂要脸，赏脸，丢脸，争脸，爱面子，丢面子，留面子， 碍面子，有面子，争面子，讲情面，不要脸，无脸见人，

　　撕破脸皮，翻脸不认人，打肿脸充胖子，不看僧面看佛面，死要面子活受罪。 阿Q 饿死事小 孔已己 失节事大

　　In Chinese culture and social life, “脸”or “面子”is

　　used to control and modulate(调节) social acts. We canunderstand the implication of face as the following:

　　个人需要不要超过社会给予的身份地位，代表的是个人从属于社会的价值观。 —顾曰国

　　Chinese attach more importance to individual’ssubordination to the society, becau

　　se Chinese culture is collectivity-centered.

　　Thank you!