A Pragmatic Study Of The Interplay Between Linguistic Impoliteness And Power

Conflict talk involves various forms of impoliteness,which is a common linguistic phenomenon in social interaction.The strategic use of impoliteness is considered by researchers to be an expression of power,which is defined in terms of freedom of action(Locher and Bousfield,2008).To test this hypothesis,the present study investigates the interplay between power and linguistic impoliteness in drama discourse,an underexplored area in the existing literature.Drama discourse in general thrives on verbal conflict that involves linguistic impoliteness.The discourse selected for case study is The Dumb Waiter,a play in which the two protagonists struggle to gain power through the deployment of impoliteness.Specifically,the research studies how impoliteness is realised in the drama,how it is used to reassert or challenge power by the two participants,and what are the outcomes that follow the power struggles between the two participants.Adopting a qualitative method,the present study follows Bousfield's(2008a)impoliteness model to analyse the data.A total of 11 strategies of impoliteness are identified in the interaction between the two protagonists,and all of them are included in Bousfield's model.Also,impoliteness is deployed to renegotiate the power relationship between the two interactants.While the more powerful interactant uses most of the impoliteness realisation strategies to appear superior as well as get power over actions and in conversation,the strategies used by the less powerful interlocutor to challenge power are limited to "Seeking disagreement" and "Challenge".This echoes the findings of previous research that a powerful participant has more freedom to be impolite.As for the resolution of power struggles,the present study shows that reassertion of power by the more powerful participant usually gets challenged by the less powerful one.Furthermore,the challenge to power in turn is mostly confronted with more impoliteness from the more powerful participant.Although the more powerful interactant still wields power in the end,the power struggles are more frequent and intense than those in previous studies where power hierarchies are strict and solid.The present study can be seen as a complement to the existing literature because it studies the interplay between impoliteness and power in a setting where the power hierarchy is less rigid,and shows that power in interaction is dynamic.Also,it helps enrich the understanding of power in Pinter's play,especially the struggle for power through the deployment of impoliteness between the two characters.