Language Politeness: Public Apologies Research Assignment

Language Politeness: Public Apologies
Name
Institution of Affiliation
Date
Chapter one
Introduction
The word politeness refers to the application of good manners in different scenarios, especially when talking to people. Politeness of language is a broad term that can be defined in a number ways because various aspects qualify messages as being polite. Such elements may include, the social distance between people who are communicating, the age bracket they fall in, the context of which they are speaking to each other and even their personality. Linguists throughout the world have not agreed on the best definition of the term Politeness of language; however, they have used some of the aspects that qualify language as polite to derive the meaning. Politeness in Language is speech oriented in which it is revealed in relating to people, which often makes a person to frame his or her communication intentions before making utterances. It shows the nature of people's sociality. It involves the behavior of a person in speech while taking account of his or her interactor's social status and even social relationships CITATION Bro15 \l 1033 (Brown P. , 2015).
It is important to mention that apologies can be offered on different levels and different contexts. There are those that happen between two people and those that occur when one or more people are involved in a conversation. An apology can be a written or a spoken expression of a person's regret of wronging to another. Whether it is to one person or many people, apologizing for a wrong done is considered one of the essential functions of language because if it is used appropriately, it can prevent conflicts before they happen. Thus, the ability to understand when and how to apologize to someone is critical in safeguarding and restoring peace in the country in a world that is faced with many conflicts. There are possibilities of having misinterpretations when speakers are not well acquainted with each other which sometimes lead to a complete breakdown of communication. Such situations have been analyzed by many linguists in their study of pragmatics; a branch of linguistics that investigates how meaning is transmitted from one person to another depending on the language level of the speaker and the listener. It also uses their knowledge on the subject under discussion, their cultural difference, these intentions, the context of which they are speaking and many other factors.
In any context of communication, a public apology remains a critical aspect. This is critically important especially when talking of business organizations, companies and relationship between the clients and the company. It eliminates misunderstanding and clears off tense atmospheres that are normally created during communication. It can also help in maintaining the effectiveness of the message that was intended to be passed by edging off aspects that can hinder the speakers, even those from different levels and environment, as long as there is a willingness to apologize any time CITATION Kie99 \l 1033 (Kienpointner, 1999). It shows that one has respect for the other's thoughts or opinions regardless of their diversity in education levels, age or experience. This maintains healthy relationships b...