VIET NAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
DEPARTMENT OF POST-GRADUATES STUDIES NGUYỄN THỊ THANH VÂN

A STUDY ON POLITENESS STRATEGIES IN
NEGOTIATING CONVERSATIONS IN MARKET LEADER

“NGHIÊN CỨU CÁC CHIẾN LƯỢC LỊCH SỰ ĐƯỢC SỬ DỤNG TRONG CÁC BÀI HỘI
THOẠI ĐÀM PHÁN CỦA GIÁO TRÌNH MARKET LEADER”

(PRE INTERMEDIATE BUSINESS ENGLISH – NEW EDITION)
M.A. THESIS
(COURSE WORK) Field : English Linguistics
Code : 60 22 15
A STUDY ON POLITENESS STRATEGIES IN NEGOTIATING
CONVERSATIONS IN “MARKET LEADER”

“NGHIÊN CỨU CÁC CHIẾN LƯỢC LỊCH SỰ ĐƯỢC SỬ DỤNG TRONG CÁC BÀI HỘI
THOẠI ĐÀM PHÁN CỦA GIÁO TRÌNH MARKET LEADER”

(PRE INTERMEDIATE BUSINESS ENGLISH – NEW EDITION) Field : English Linguistics
Code : 60 22 15
Course : 15D

Supervisor: Assoc. Prof. NGUYỄN QUANG (PH.D)



Chapter 2: Politeness strategies in negotiating conversations in Market Leader (new
edition) – Pre Intermediate Business English
2.1. Negotiating conversations in the coursebook……………………………………… 19
2.2. Politeness strategies in negotiating conversations ………………………………… 19
2.2.1. The frequency of negative politeness and positive politeness strategies used in the
negotiating conversations…………………………………………… .………………… 20
2.2.1.1. Sampling process ……………………………………………….………………. 20
2.2.1.2. Balance of positive and negative politeness strategies used in negotiating
conversations……………………………………………………………………………… 21
2.2.1 Positive politeness strategies in negotiating conversations ………………….…… 22
2.2.2 Negative politeness strategies in negotiating conversations …………………….…. 26

Chapter 3: Implications for teaching politeness strategies to HUBT second-year students.

3.1. Preparation for training politeness strategies…………………………………………. 32
3.1.1. Preparation for students………………………………………………………… … 32
3.1.2. Making plans……………………………………………………………………… 32
3.2. Training politeness strategies for the HUBT second - year students…………….…… 36
3.2.1. Politeness strategy-awareness training……………………………………………… 36
3.2.2. One-time politeness strategy training…………………………………………… 37
3.2.3. Long-term politeness strategy training………………………………………….… 37

Part 3: Conclusion
1. Summary……………………………………………………………………….……… 39
2.Limitations………………………………………………………………………………. 40
3.Suggestions for futher study…………………………………………………………… 40

References

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2. Aims of the study
The study aims at
- Identifying and analyzing positive and negative politeness strategies in the negotiating
conversations of “Market Leader – Pre intermediate".
- Offering implications for teaching positive and negative politeness strategies in a
more effective way with cross - cultural activities and exercises.
3. Scope of the study
This study focuses on the positive and negative politeness strategies found in
conversational negotiating activities of "Market Leader – Pre intermediate”. It is only intended
for HUBT second year students.
4. Methodology
The major method employed is quantitative with due reference to qualitative method as
this study is mainly about the practical aspects of cross-cultural communication. All the
considerations and conclusions are based largely on analysis and reference. The main
approaches include:
- Reference to publications
- Discussion with supervisor
- Discussion with colleagues
- Discussion with students
- Personal observations
5. Design of the study
The study is divided into three parts:
Part 1: Introduction presents the rationale, aims of the study, scope of the study,
methodology and design of the study.
Part II: Development consists of three chapters. Chapter 1 provides the theoretical
background on speech acts and politeness strategies. Chapter 2 analyzes positive and negative
politeness strategies found in the negotiating activities of "Market Leader – Pre intermediate"

things on its own. This means that it can function depending on contexts as praise, or even
asking for money in a certain situation. It is clear that speaking a language is performing
speech acts. Thus, “all utterances, in addition to meaning whatever they mean, perform
specific action (or do things) through having specific forces” (Levinson, Stephen C. 1983).
Levinson (1983:236) believes that three kinds of acts are simultaneously performed in
making an utterance: locutionary, illocutionary and perlocutionary acts.

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First, every utterance is represented by a sentence with a grammatical structure and a
linguistic meaning, this is called locution. Second, the speaker has some intention in making an
utterance, and what they intend to accomplish is called illocution. A third component of a
speech act is the effect of the act on the hearer, which is called perlocutionary act.
* Locution: the actual form of the utterance.
To perform a locutionary act is to produce an utterance with a particular form and more
or less determine the meaning according to the rules of a given language. Locutionary acts are
divided into three sub-types, and these acts are simultaneous:
Phonic act: Producing an utterance in the phonic medium of sound
Phatic act: constructing a particular sentence in a particular language
Rhetic act: contextualizing a sentence.
* Illocution: the communicative force of the utterance, or the intended message of the
speaker.
Illocutionary act is some kind of intended message that the speaker assigns to his
utterance. There are different kinds of illocutionary force, because we use language for a
variety of purposes: to make promises, to threaten, to demand, etc.
What matters in performing an act is whether the act meets certain conditions, known
as felicity and appropriateness. Four types of felicity conditions are:
+ Propositional content condition: expresses the content of the act.
+ Preparatory condition: expresses the contextual background required for the act.
+ Sincerity condition: requires the speaker to be sincere.
+ Essential condition: the speaker intends the utterance to have a certain force.

Structure Sentence
Function
Assertion
Declarative
Conveys information; is true or false.
Question
Interrogative
Elicits information
Order and Request
Imperative
Causes others to behave in certain ways
Considering the following example in case the speaker wants the addressee not to stand in
front of television.

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(a) Move out of the way!
(b) Do you have to stand in front of the TV?
(c) You are standing in front of the TV.
(d) You‟d make a better door than a window.
As seen in the example, the basic function of all utterances is a command or request, but only
the imperative structure in (a) represents a direct speech act. In contrast, the interrogative
structure in (b) is being used only as a question, so it is not a direct speech act. The declarative
structure in (c) and (d) are also not direct speech acts. Thus, different structures can be used to
accomplish the same basic function, but only when there is a direct relationship between a
structure and a function, we have a direct speech act.
To sum up, the direct-direct exchanges are quite brief, with no implicature involved,
with no additional level of meaning. The hearer does not have to look for what the speaker
might have meant by uttering such and such sentences, everything in their interaction is
expressed explicitly. Misunderstandings hardly occur.
1.1.3. Indirect speech acts

Therefore similar utterances as in the following example are often employed:
“It‟s very hot in here.”
In this example the speaker explains or even excuses the reason why he makes a
request (Open the window!). Ardissono (2006) argues that speakers often prefer indirect
speech acts so that they do not infringe the hearer‟s face, which might be the case here too.
Ardissono claims that sometimes direct addresses may even appear impolite as in „Would you
lend me some money?‟ and „Lend me some money!‟ The latter variant would be absolutely
unacceptable in some contexts.
However, politeness is not the only motivation for indirectness. People also use indirect
strategies when they want to make their speech more interesting, when they want to reach
goals different from their partners‟ or when they want to increase the force of the message
communicated (Thomas, 1995).
1.2. Politeness
1.2.1. Face and Politeness
Politeness is one of the most important aspects of human communication: human beings
can only exist in peace together if certain basic conventions of politeness are observed. Recently
politeness has been seen as a pragmatic phenomenon. It holds an extremely significant status in

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human interaction since “politeness is interpreted as a strategy (or series of strategies) employed
by a speaker to achieve a variety of goals, such as promoting or maintaining harmonious relation”
(Thomas, 1995:157).
From different view, Brown and Levinson (1987) produce the most comprehensive
theory of politeness to date, the basis of which is used for analytical purposes in this study.
They argue that polite linguistic behavior may show up as a deviation against the rational and
efficient nature of talk, but through a consideration of linguistic politeness, the hearer finds
reasons for the speaker's apparent irrationality or inefficiency.
Brown and Levinson (1987) base their theory on the concept of face (Goffman 1967).
Face is defined as “the public self image that all rational adult members have when engaged in
spoken interaction, and it must be constantly adhered to”. Face consists of two related aspects:

1. Without redressive action, baldly
On record
With redressive action
2. Positive
Politeness
3. Negative
Politeness
4. Off - record
Do the FTA
5. Don't do the FTA
Lesser risk
Greater risk

politeness strategies are highlighted in this section in particular and in the whole research in
general.

FTA encounter
4. Do not do the FTA
Do the FTA
On record
3. Off record
2. With redressive action
Negative Politeness
Positive Politeness
1. Without redressive action

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1.2.2 Positive politeness
1.2.2.1. What positive politeness?
According to Brown & Levinson (1987: 101), "positive politeness is redress directed to
the addressee's face, his perennial desire that his wants (or the actions, acquisitions, values
resulting from them) should be thought of as desirable. In positive politeness the sphere of
redress is widened to the appreciation of other's wants in general or to the expression of
similarity between ego's and other's wants".
Positive politeness is redressive action directed towards the addressee's positive face,
demonstrating that the hearer's wants or needs are thought of as desirable. According to Brown
and Levinson (1987), “positive politeness seeks to establish a positive relationship between
parties; respects a person's need to be liked and understood”.
As Brown and Levinson put it, positive politeness is usually seen in groups of friends,
or where people in the given social situation know each other fairly well. It usually tries to
minimize the distance between them by expressing friendliness and solid interest in the hearer's
need to be respected (minimize the FTA).
1.2.2.2. Positive politeness strategies

Another way that helps the speaker claim the common ground with the hearer is to seek
the agreement between the speaker and the hearer.
E.g. - John went to London this weekend
- To London!
Strategy 6: Avoid Disagreement
There are different ways to avoid disagreement between speaker and hearer while
communicating, i.e., using token agreement, pseudo-agreement, white lies, and hedging
opinion. - 13 -
E.g. A: What is she, small?
B: Yes, yes, she's small, smallish, um not really small but certainly not very big.
Strategy 7: Presuppose/Raise/Assert Common Ground
This strategy is realized through gossip, small talk, personal centre switch, time switch,
place switch, avoidance of adjustment of reports to hearer's point of view, presupposition
manipulations, presupposition of knowledge of hearer's wants and attitudes, presupposition of
hearer's values which are the same as speaker's values, presupposition of familiarity in speaker
and hearer relationship, presupposition of hearer's knowledge. A good illustration of this strategy
is the use of "You know…”
E.g. I had a really hard time learning to drive, you know.
Strategy 8: Jokes
Jokes seem to be a very effective strategy for communicating if it is used in the right
place and with the right people. Typically, this strategy occurs between people who know each
other well.
E.g.: How about lending me this old heap of junk? ( the hearer's new Cadillac)
Strategy 9: Assert or presuppose speaker's knowledge of and concern for hearer's
wants.
This strategy is the way to help the speaker communicate with the hearer by indicating
that the speaker and the hearer are cooperators and potentially force the hearer to cooperate

E.g. I‟ve just been out shopping. Here's hot dog for you. Like it?
Strategy16: Encourage
By using this strategy 16, the speaker implicitly praises the hearer (as if you can do
this) and tries to throw the hearer's fear away, make them concentrate on positive factors,
possibilities
E.g. Don't worry. Everything will be all right

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Strategy17: Ask personal questions
This strategy seems very common in oriental cultures where privacy expression may be
seen as a sign of trusting each other. People will only tell others about their own secret when
they trust their contact. By making others answer personal questions, the speaker may gain
much of trust from the hearers.
E.g. Are you married?

1.2.3 Negative politeness
1.2.3.1. What negative politeness?
In contrast to positive politeness, negative politeness is repressive action directed to the
addressee's negative face, demonstrating the speaker's desire not to impose upon the hearer by
restricting their actions. Negative politeness makes a request less infringing, such as "If you
don't mind " or "If it isn't too much trouble " or respects a person's right to act freely. In
other words, deference.
(
According to Brown & Levinson (1987:129), negative politeness refers to "redressive
action addressed to the addressee's negative face: his want to have his freedom of action
unhindered and his attention unimpeded". Agreeing with Brown & Levinson on definition of
negative politeness, Nguyen Quang (2003) emphasizes that "negative politeness is any
communicative act which is appropriately intended to show that the speaker does not want to
impinge on the addressee's privacy, thus enhancing the sense of distance between them".
1.2.3.2. Negative politeness strategies

Strategy 5: Give deference
When using this strategy, the speaker wants to show either he/she humbles and abases
him/herself or he/she raises the hearer (by treating the hearer as superior). This occurs between the
speaker who has lower social status than the hearer and the hearer who has higher social status than

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the speaker. Giving deference can be realized through the use of such phrases as excuse me, sir.,
sorry to bother you but…, please accept my apology, sir…., I must be excused, Miss…
E.g. Excuse me, sir, but would you mind if I closed the window?
Strategy 6: Apologise
By using this strategy, the speaker wants to show his/her reluctance to threaten the
hearer's negative face and thereby partially redress his/her action. This strategy can be realized
through the use of hesitation and bumbliness, and such ways to show the regret or reluctance as
I wouldn't normally ask you but…, I don't want to put you in any sort of trouble but…, I am
sure that you don't like it but…, I hope this doesn't make you bother too much.
E.g.: I'm sorry to bother you
Strategy 7: Impersonalize speaker and hearer
When using this strategy, the speaker means that she/he does not want to put any
imposition on the hearer. Therefore, the speaker avoids using the pronouns I and you. This
strategy is realized by the use of performative verbs and impersonal verbs.
E.g. It's important to finish the work on time.
Strategy 8: State the FTA as a general rule
E.g.: Passengers are requested to refrain from flushing toilets on the train.
Strategy 9: Nominalise
It is observed that, the more nouns are used the more negatively polite utterances
appear.
E.g.: It is with much regret that you are not the successful applicant.
Strategy 10: Go on record as incurring a debt or as not indebting hearer
The speaker wants to show his/her redress to the hearer by claiming his/her indebtness
to the hearer by means of expressions which are as follows:

Chapter 2: Politeness strategies in negotiating conversations in Market Leader (new
edition) – Pre Intermediate Business English

2.1. Negotiating conversations in the course book.
"Market Leader” (new edition) is written by David Cotton, David Falvey and Simon
Kent and published by Pearson Longman. "Market Leader – Pre Intermediate Business
English" is ideal for students preparing to work in an international business environment. It is
the second level the five-level series. It draws on the extensive media assets of the Financial
Times and other sources, offering a highly authoritative and flexible range of materials for
business English learners worldwide. The course book includes 12 main units, with 4 review
units, a Grammar reference, Writing and Activity Files, Audio scripts and a Glossary of
business terms. Following on from Market Leader Elementary level, it provides students with
the professional communication and language skills necessary for a wide range of business
situations such as participating in meetings, telephoning, negotiating, and socializing.
"Market Leader – Pre Intermediate” (new edition) is a course book reserved for
business people and students of business English. With that intention, negotiating skills can not
be missed. Negotiation is not persuasion. It is getting the best agreement that is possible when
agreement must be reached. Failure to agree is a failure to negotiate successfully. Generally
speaking, negotiation means discussions through which relevant parties can reach agreement to
satisfy their needs and coordinate relations. In international business, everything is negotiable.
Therefore international business negotiation means cross-cultural communication in the special
field of international business, it involves relevant information collection and utilization, and
requires good command of language.
Be aware of the important role of negotiation in business English, the author focuses on
analyzing politeness strategies in the negotiating conversations of the course book. Within the
scope of this study, only negotiating situations in Market Leader (new edition) – Pre
Intermediate are taken into consideration. It is estimated that there are about 60 conversations
from unit 1 to unit 12 with a wide range of situations. Among that number, negotiating
conversations make up around 25%. These conversations spread from the beginning (unit 2) to



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2.2.1.2. Balance of positive and negative politeness strategies used in negotiating
conversations.
Positive politeness strategies
Negative politeness strategies
Number of
appearance
Percentage
Number of
appearance
Percentage
196
59.7%
132
40.3%
Table 1: The statistics of positive and negative politeness strategies.

59.7%
40.3%
Positive Politeness Strategies
Negative Politeness Strategies

Figure 3: Frequency of negative and positive politeness strategies found in the
negotiating conversations.

The figure above shows the sum together with the respective percentage of politeness
strategies in all the negotiating conversations in the course book Market Leader- Pre
Intermediate. It is observed that positive politeness strategies are employed more frequently
than negative politeness strategies. This seems to suggest that people tend to employ more