Phatic language difficulties are particularly revealing, and include things like leave-takings (‘Goodbye’, ‘Adios’, ‘Hasta la vista, baby’ and ‘Bye-bye’), greetings (‘What’s up!’, ‘Dude, what is it?’, ‘Hello!’), gratitude expressions (‘Thanks’, ‘Oh wow, I can never repay you!’) and so on. Phatic language has long been analysed by linguists and anthropologists as a form of ‘grooming’, that is a recognition of the other as a person you value, however superficially. Interestingly, although English – which has phatic language – lacks grooming as a regular cultural ritual across most of its
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