Understanding Historical (Im)Politeness

“Politeness research has bloomed recently, not least due to the influx of many non-European oriented studies (compare Sachiko Ide’s or Penny Brown & Steve Levinson’s trailblazing investigations). The crux of the matter is in the nature of (im)politeness, succinctly put in the apparent oxymoron: Politeness is not always polite! The ways (im)politeness has been handled cross-historically can help us understand better why this seemingly universal characteristic of human behavior is so full of mysteries. A superficial, ‘thin’ comparison of politeness behaviors across cultures can give us very few clues; Bax & Kádár’s collection of studies plugs the gap by offering select interpretations of various historic contexts in a ‘thick’ description that takes into account all of the social, cultural and historically relevant aspects of the problem. The collection is a true treasure trove for politeness researchers and linguistic-anthropologically interested readers alike.”

“For once a collection of essays fulfills the promise of its title! Collectively, the essays edited by Bax and Kádár make a major contribution to the understanding of a topic in which both linguists and historians have been showing increasing interest in the last few years. Ranging from prehistory to our own time and from England to China, the contributors go beyond the classic study of politeness by Brown and Levinson in their concern with both cultural variation and cultural change.”

“The edited volume “Understanding Historical (Im)Politeness” is a substantial contribution to the now rapidly growing body of research in the field, exploring the less travelled road of diachronic pragmatic research on (im)politeness. [...] The broad historical range, the various methodological approaches to politeness and impoliteness, the combination of rich historical data and high-level theoretical discussions make this volume appropriate for researchers and advanced students. The book will be of interest to historical linguists, pragmatists, sociolinguists, anthropologists and other professionals interested in the topic of politeness, both as a first-order and second-order term, as well as to those working on impoliteness, ritual insults, and related topics. All this said, “Understanding Historical (Im)Politeness” is certainly a valuable contribution to the field of politeness research and opens new directions for exploration of a vast and fascinating topic.”