Impoliteness: Using Language to Cause Offence

Studies in Interactional Sociolinguistics

by Jonathan Culpeper

When is language considered 'impolite'? Is impolite language only used for anti-social purposes? Can impolite language be creative? What is the difference between 'impoliteness' and 'rudeness'? Grounded in naturally-occurring language data and drawing on findings from linguistic pragmatics and social psychology, Jonathan Culpeper provides a fascinating account of how impolite behaviour works. He examines not only its forms and functions but also people's understandings of it in both public and private contexts. He reveals, for example, the emotional consequences of impoliteness, how it shapes and is shaped by contexts, and how it is sometimes institutionalised. This book offers penetrating insights into a hitherto neglected and poorly understood phenomenon. It will be welcomed by students and researchers in linguistics and social psychology in particular.

Genres: Linguistics, Nonfiction

308 pages, Paperback

First published May 4, 2011

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intriguing but a heavy book to read, especially the ebook version. Again, went through only the conclusions and introductions so far for the Pragmatics 2 exam.

[Sergei Moska · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a dense book, but very rich. I'm not well versed in sociolinguistics so I don't know how significant an independent contribution it is, but it at the very least provides a wonderful overview of the politeness and "face" literatures, among others. I have no doubt that I'll be referring to this book again and again in my own work.

[Norsalehah Shaharuddin]

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