Maxims of politeness in the context of the communicative behavior of Persian native speakers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.17721/1728-242X.2020.26.19-22

Abstract

This article explores issues connected with the maxims of politeness and their realizing in the communicative behavior of Persian native speakers. It provides brief analyses of the history of studying maxims of conversation by western linguists Paul Grice, Robin Lakoff and Geoffrey Leech who prepared the basis for effective communication, which is still valid. G. Leech proposed the principle of politeness consisting of six maxims of conversation, which inspired many researches to conduct comparative study of the communicative behavior of different nations. Among those researchers was Sofia Koutlaki, a Greek-born linguist who examined the politeness system in Persian and proposed her own set of Persian maxims of conversation, marked withbright ethnic specific features. S. Koutlaki determined one main supermaxim – the Manner, which roughly corresponds to the Persian notion of ادب adab ('politeness', 'good manners') and comprises three maxims: Respect, Humility, and Cordiality. These three make basis for the Persian communicative codes. Comparative analysis of the maxims of polite conversation done by G. Leech and S. Koutlaki proved that Persian maxims are more emotional,express attention and empathy to an interlocutor rather intensively, and use specific communicative strategies and tactics different from the western ones. At the same time, Persian maxim 'Respect' matches English 'Approbation', while Persian 'Humility' – unlike English 'Modesty' – has specific feature of self-humiliation together with considerable increasing the interlocutor's status. Persian maxim 'Cordiality' seems to be most special and includes four maxims by G. Leech, viz.: Tact, Generosity, Agreement, and Sympathy. This maxim envisages the use of such communicative tactics as persistent offer of assistance or service, all kinds of invitations (very often ostensible), obligatory rejecting anything being proposed, etc. Performed analysis allows concluding that attempts to 'keep face', both of one's own and that of interlocutor, in the Iranian communicative cultureoften cannot be separated from the intent to establish and keep nice long-term friendly relations.