Relativism and Universalism in Linguistics - Fachbereich 10 ...

Workshop 2 – Anc 155
This pattern is also followed by English θencju, which is often used in lieu of Greek (e)fxaristo
(‘(I) thank you’). In addition to being restricted by register, the distribution of these two variants
in the spoken corpus data reveals differences in their politeness import. θencju typically occurs
at the closing of transactional exchanges, often alongside other greeting formulae such as pa pai
(‘bye bye’), and seems to function more as an appropriate slot filler largely bleached of its
thanking semantics. (e)fxaristo, on the other hand, appears to have retained its thanking
potential and is reserved for genuine expressions of thanks, for instance when the person being
thanked has gone out of his/her way to help the speaker. This accords with the fact that
(e)fxaristo is often accompanied by the intensifier poli/pol:a (‘a lot’), a possibility not attested
for θencju (*very much/a lot). The situational distribution of the two variants thus suggests that,
when a choice between them is possible (i.e. only in informal settings), acts that fall within the
normal rights and obligations of interlocutors tend to receive only token acknowledgement in
the form of borrowed θencju, while acts that go beyond interlocutors’ normal rights and
obligations can only be acknowledged by inherited (e)fxaristo.
It is possible to account for the politeness import of these two variants within Brown and
Levinson’s theory, if we take (e)fxaristo to be the negative politeness marker, reserved for
acts of greater Weightiness—prompted by either formality (=high Distance+Power), or a high
Ranking—compared to θencju, which should be considered the positive politeness marker.
However, native speakers comment that, when used in informal settings, (e)fxaristo is more
sincere, and therefore more highly valued than θencju. Seen from the native speaker’s
perspective, to consider (e)fxaristo a negative politeness marker in these settings seems
somewhat misguided: the essence of (e)fxaristo is not to respect the hearer’s “peace and selfdetermination”
(B&L:74), but rather to function as an “expression of [the speaker’s] regard”
(ibid.). Conversely, in these same settings, it is θencju that serves to acknowledge the hearer’s
“peace and self-determination.” Their situational distribution thus appears to square badly
with Brown & Levinson’s prediction that acts of increased Ranking are universally performed
by addressing negative politeness concerns. The fact that positive politeness concerns
motivate the use of (e)fxaristo with acts of high R in informal settings in Cypriot Greek
suggests that either aspect of face may take priority in context. Moreover, only close
investigation into the culture- and situation-specific determinants of face can reveal which
aspect of face is addressed each time, excluding a 1:1 correspondence between linguistic
expressions and their face-constituting potential.
Criteria of language choice as face-saving strategies in a
multilingual society: the case of Dakar (Senegal)
Versluys, Eline
University of Antwerp
eline.versluys@ua.ac.be
In this abstract I will describe some of the linguistic strategies and attitudes belonging to a
group of young inhabitants of Dakar (Senegal). The findings are based on two periods of
ethnolinguistic fieldwork in 2004 and 2006, conducted in Yoff, a suburban neighbourhood of
Dakar. 14 young inhabitants of the neighbourhood, between the age of 18 and 30, constituted
the main group of informants. In performing a detailed case study, based on participant
observation, informal talks, individual interviews and group discussions, I have tried to
examine how young urban dwellers construct language attitudes and how this relates to their
composed identities, which are characteristic of urban and postcolonial life.
As in many other postcolonial cities, the sociolinguistic situation of Dakar is characterised by
extended multilingualism. Extremely rapid urbanization causes a range of quick social
changes, making Dakar into a bustling urban centre with various interacting cultural spheres.