4. Politeness Strategies for College English Teacher Talk
In the chapter, according to the application of six maxims to teacher talk, the author first summarizes features of Leech?s Politeness Principle in college teacher talk, and thus gives positive politeness strategies, negative politeness strategies and other strategies.
4.1 Features of Leech’s Politeness Principle in College Teacher Talk
A conclusion from Leech?s Politeness Principle in college English teacher talk could be drawn that the teacher always gives students? benefits a first priority, making students feel being respected and then reacts with favorable impression, to smooth the classroom communication. From what the chapter 3 discusses, it can be seen that maxims of Leech?s Politeness Principle have four features when applied to college English teacher talk. To begin with, teachers make much use of tactful teacher talk to meet students? wishes, so that students think their actions receive the teacher?s recognition and praise. In the second place, teachers? compliments improve the teacher-student relationship. In order to protect students? interest in learning English, teachers may show interest in or approval of their opinion or success. These approbatory words raise their self-respect and pride. Thirdly, to strengthen the equal status teachers try to regard themselves as one member of students, seek a united position to join in teaching activities. This makes students feel cordial and forms harmonious relation between teachers and students. Lastly but not least, when dealing with controlling speech act, it is better to use suggestions and modal verbs to moderate strong tones.
These features of maxims of the Politeness Principle do a great favor for teachers. College students in China are a special group. Although most of them are adults and have strong self-awareness and sense of independence, their thought is immature for not going out into the world. They are not willing to obey orders and not easy to supervise as pupils are. But not all of them are able to study autonomously and
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actively. On the other hand, English is the required course for college students and every student attaches importance to English but suffers from learning it. Facing such problems, college English teachers need to be prudent and select appreciate wording and tones so as to build up a lively classroom atmosphere and advance teaching quality. And the application of Leech?s Politeness Principle to teacher talk is vital. Politeness is a sign that teachers are on equal terms with students and motivates students to communicate willingly with other students and teachers in English. 4.2 Politeness Strategies for College English Teacher Talk
Although the application of the Politeness Principle is often treated as a strategy in college English, what people should remember is that the Politeness Principle is not the result of consciousness but the union of consciousness and unconsciousness. Several different factors contribute to the politeness. In some cases, for people it is just a strategy and part of face work; in other faces, it may be a choice after they make a judgment of the situation or context, or their habits or styles. The habitus (惯习)internalized by the long-term language interactions tell people, sometimes when using the politeness strategy they tend to make plans and arrangements in advance and imagine what emergency probably happens during the process and prepare corresponding measures.
For college English teachers, the first thing that should be made clear is that maxims of Leech?s Politeness Principle are abstracted and concluded from a great of practical experiences of many years, and summarizes combined action of consciousness and unconsciousness. Moreover, it is difficult to predict a lecture, and the lecture can not go on as teachers expect. Accident always happens. That is to say, teachers should adjust politeness strategies, and gradually develop a relatively fixed steady politeness strategy.
Applying Leech?s Politeness Principle to teacher talk in college English class is beneficial to the English learners? communicative competence. Teachers use different types of teacher talk to show different maxims of Leech?s Politeness Principle. Here
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the author integrates the six maxims with Brown, P & Levinson?s politeness principle and sums up some politeness strategies for teacher talk as followings.
Positive politeness strategies. They are oriented toward the positive self-image and emphasize the need for communication. The first politeness strategy is to claim common point with others. This conveys the idea that the teacher and students are connected by virtue of having something in common. The second one is to claim communication by virtue of the fact that the teacher and students are cooperators. Thus, the teacher may indicate awareness and concern for students? eagerness for positive face. A third and final strategy is simply to meet students? wants in some way, directly and adequately. So teachers employ positive politeness strategy to show their positive talk.
Negative politeness strategies. They are oriented mainly toward satisfying students? negative face that includes their basic wants to maintain claims of territory and self-independence. One most frequent negative politeness strategy is to be conventionally indirect which could be performed by questioning or asserting the felicity conditions underlying the act. A second strategy is to communicate explicitly what the teacher does not want to impinge on students. This could be accomplished by offering an apology. The last one is to lessen force and minimize the imposition.
Other politeness strategies. These strategies are the indirect that avoid making any explicit imposition on students. The defining feature is their ambiguity and hence deniability. Teachers go against a certain maxim of Cooperative Principle on purpose and cause students to learn some intention which is expressed indirectly. Teachers often used these strategies to save students? face in college English classroom. Through students? response to teacher talk, the implicit correction feedback, like the teacher? s response to a student?s answer “Well, you may be right, but I think we can answer from another aspect”, is one of teacher talk that students like best. It is because that this kind of implicit teacher talk indicates the student?s answer differs from what the teacher wants, saves the student?s face and in the meantime encourages all students to state freely their thought.
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5. Conclusion
Politeness is a universal phenomenon in communication. With the framework of Leech?s PP, this thesis tries to make a study of politeness in teacher talk in college English classroom teaching. Teacher talk with suitable politeness is believed to be very helpful for students? English learning, because right teacher talk can arouse students? English learning interest and increase students? English learning confidence with the help of adequate politeness. 5.1 Major Findings
Based on the analysis of the result of the present study, the general findings may be summarized as:
(1) There are different definitions of teacher talk, but roughly speaking, it refers the language used by teachers to instruct English knowledge, organize classroom activities and give feedback to students? performance in the classroom. Students in the English classroom, both the top ones and underachieving ones, all prefer teacher talk with politeness. They expect the active and relaxed learning environment and think polite teacher talk can save their face and encourage them to be confident in their performance. And teachers often make use of different maxims to achieve desirable teaching results.
(2) Most college teachers are aware of students? self-respect and sensibility, so they could apply politeness to teacher talk and hence to protect students? face. They have recognized the importance of non-conflict teaching context in the successful college English classroom teaching and employed proper maxims of the Politeness Principle to improve teaching effects in their teacher talk. However, they lack of the systematical theories of pragmatics and teacher talk, especially competence in applying pragmatic theories to teacher talk in English classroom teaching.
(3) The author seeks to explore how Leech?s Politeness Principle is applied by college teachers in their teacher talk. On the basis of the Politeness Principle, the
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author attempts to introduce six maxims of the Politeness Principle used by teachers in their teacher talk. In all, the Politeness Principle is of great importance for English class teaching. As well as the process of communication, English class teaching aims at instructing students in English knowledge and training their abilities to use English correctly and tactfully. During the instruction, appropriate teacher talk which observes the Politeness Principle should be used by teachers as a catalyst for harmonious atmosphere, and stimulation for activeness and for cultivating students? politeness awareness and communicative competence. Therefore, it is necessary for teachers to obtain the PP and apply it to the teaching practice. 5.2 Pedagogical Implications
From above, it is known that Leech?s Politeness Principle plays an important role in college teacher talk. College English teachers should realize the significance of adjusting politeness to their teacher talk in their classes for most college students need more meaningful teacher talk to make their English acquisition possible. According to the results of the thesis, some suggestions for college English teachers will be given in the following part.
(1) Develop college teachers? theory knowledge on pragmatics
It is believed that English teachers not only master rich linguistic knowledge but also grasp pragmatic knowledge, and especially apply it to English teaching to make students understand English correctly and use it tactfully. Rightly applying the Politeness Principle in teacher talk helps enhance students? learning motivation. In addition, influenced by teachers, students tend to use politeness strategies in communication. It is obvious teachers should develop themselves and follow politeness theory in their teacher talk. Only in this way can the goal of raising communicative abilities be reached and could students do well in the cross-cultural communication.
(2) Focus on the use of appropriate politeness maxims
Teacher talk is very essential in college English classroom teaching and offers
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