Impoliteness

Using Language to Cause Offence

af Jonathan (Lancaster University) Culpeper

When is language considered 'impolite'? Is impolite language only used for anti-social purposes? What is the difference between 'impoliteness' and 'rudeness'? Grounded in naturally-occurring language data and drawing on findings from linguistic pragmatics and social psychology, Jonathan Culpeper provides a fascinating account of how impolite behaviour works.