Conceptualization of first-order politeness in Russia: an exploratory study

Abstract

Abstract The aim of this article is to explore how politeness is conceptualized in modern Russia. The study adopts a bottom-up approach and gathers conceptualizations of different aspects of politeness by lay native Russian speakers. This study uses an open-ended questionnaire to elicit the concepts people generally associate with politeness, descriptive labels for polite people, as well as individual experiences of polite and impolite behavior. The data for the research was gathered through 50 questionnaires composed of five questions. In total, 217 metapragmatic comments and 155 recollections of past experiences were obtained. The results of this study suggest that politeness is understood mostly in terms of expectable social behavior and serves a regulatory function. It indicates that culturally-specific concepts can fit into the framework of personal, relational and social underpinnings of politeness. This vision embraces a holistic view on politeness as a social tool of efficient interaction.