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https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110920826.209

has been cited by the following article:

• TITLE: A Comparative Analysis of the Inherent Linguistic Impoliteness in the “YOU NP” Structure between English and Chinese

  AUTHORS: Rou Huang

  KEYWORDS: “YOU NP” Structure, Impoliteness, Corpus Pragmatics, Linguistic Forms

  JOURNAL NAME: Open Journal of Social Sciences, Vol.12 No.4, April 23, 2024

  ABSTRACT: This article presents a comparative analysis of the “YOU NP” structure (e.g. you idiot), a recognized impoliteness formula, in both English and Chinese. Contrary to the prevailing perspective in contemporary (im)politeness research, which emphasizes context as the primary determinant of politeness or impoliteness, this study claims that impoliteness can be intrinsically linked to linguistic forms. While our findings in this research indicate that the “YOU NP” structure is conventionally associated with impoliteness across both languages, it is not entirely conventionalized. The high level of conventionalization of the form may result from the inherent evaluative nature by addressee of the structure, combined with the pragmatic explicitness of using a second-person pronoun, contributing to its impolite connotations. Notably, the structure’s association with impoliteness is more pronounced in Chinese, possibly due to linguistic and cultural nuances. By comparing English and Chinese, this research underscores the significance of linguistic form in shaping (im)politeness perceptions and offers insights into cross-linguistic variations in impoliteness conventions.