Politeness: showing awareness and consideration of another person’s public self-image.
Face: a person’s public self-image as described in the study of politeness
Face-threatening act: saying something that represents a threat to another person’s self-image.
=> If you say something that represents a threat to another person’s self-image, that is called a face-threatening act.
Ex:
if you use a direct command to get someone to do something (Give me that paper!)
you are behaving as if you have more social power than the other person.
If you don’t actually have that social power (e.g. you are not a military officer or prison warden), then you are performing a face-threatening act.
Whenever you say something that lessens the possible threat to another’s face, it can be described as a face-saving act.
Face-saving act: saying something that reduces a possible threat to another person’s self-image.
Ex:
Could you pass me that paper?
removes the assumption of social power. You are only asking if it is possible. This makes your request less threatening to the other person’s face.
Negative face: the need to be independent and free from imposition.
Positive face: the need to be connected, to belong, to be a member of a group.
Ex:
Negative: I’m sorry to bother you …, I know you’re busy,...
Positive: The same thing happened to me …, Let’s do this together,...