Politeness in The Chinese And English Language

Politeness in The Chinese And English Language
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Introduction
The English and Chinese language are quite different at the core relative to the fact that they are based on different cultures. These are two different cultures that have varying values which also means that their approach to morals and ethics is diverse. This affects the way that people interact with one another. One of the aspects that has to be considered when it comes to the element of politeness in the Chinese culture is that, both morals and ethics are an integral part of the basis for politeness. In the English language however, there is some element of difference compared to the Chinese language. This is relative to the fact that, in the English language the aspect of politeness largely exists where there are two or more parties that are conflicted. As such, for the Chinese people there is a difference in concept of what they would consider to be politeness and most importantly the interpretation of what counts as face threatening acts or that which does not. It is important to understand the differences that exists between the two languages (McEnery, & Xiao, 2010). This is an aspect that can be seen as feeding the element of cultural competence in today’s society that has different cultures interacting. In the recent past, there have been some significant interaction between the Chinese culture and the American culture. This is relative to the fact that, Chinese has been rising in power over the last few years. This has thus promoted the need to learn the Chinese language for most of the people in the corporate sector for social, legal and business reasons (Peeters, Mullan, & Béal, 2013). Learning the differences between the two languages is thus a crucial part of cultural competence and one that could a long way in making sure there are no conflicts due to language barriers. What the English-speaking persons may assume is polite may turn out to be a complete opposite for the Chinese creating a tensile moment, one that could compromise important relationships (McEnery, & Xiao, 2010). This paper looks at the differences between the two languages with reference to the way that politeness is addressed in conversations.
Literature Review
Politeness
To establish the difference between the two languages with reference to politeness, it is crucial to first understand how it is defined (Walkinshaw, 2008). Politeness can be considered to be a deviation from the a maximally efficient communication. It is an act that allows the people conversing to perform sensitive actions that are interpersonal in a manner that is not threatening to either of the parties. This means that what is considered to be polite in the Chinese culture may be considered a mere intrusion in the English-speaking culture. The two cultures follow different value systems to establish the essence of one being polite to the other party (Zheng, 2015). That which is considered to be polite and sincere in the Chinese culture may be considered to be intrusive in the English culture. It is thus crucial to understand such differences as they bring a world of complications where they are not considered in a conversation (Zhu, & Bao, 20...