A Study Of Conflict Talk In Dramatic Discourse From The Perspective Of Impoliteness Theory

As a pioneer of American modern play and winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature,Eugene O'Neill is dedicated to numerous works with profound meaning by a bold innovation and exploration.Long Day's Journey into Night not only marks the pinnacle of O'Neill's career and but also predicates the coming of age of American drama.Built on O'Neill's lifetime's accumulation of stage experience and wisdom,the complexity of its four major characters and their psychological richness are unfolded progressively through the simplicity of the play's dramatic form and the natural yet expressive quality of their dialogue.Based on the affinity between dramatic dialogue and ordinary speech and a crucial role played by impoliteness in dramatic discourse,this study attempts to analyze conversations among four family members in Long Day's Journey into Night by adopting an impoliteness model proposed by Derek Bousfield to find out the discrepancy and reasons behind various strategies employed by characters in the “beginning”,the “middle” and the “end” of the impolite speeches.It has been discovered that off-record impoliteness strategies are mainly explored by initiators to attack the interactant's positive face or negative face such as sarcasm,complaint,inappropriate identity markers as well as an explicit association of a negative aspect of the other.Meanwhile,some on-record strategies such as the use of taboo words,threaten and frighten as well as criticism are explored by male family members to attack the hearer's face.In terms of responses to impoliteness strategies,defensive strategies are adopted by responders who offer an account,ignore the face attack,plead and opt-out the impolite speeches to mitigate the face attack.On the other hand,there are also some offensive strategies used by male members to release their face damage by attacking other's faces.In terms of ways to terminate the impoliteness,submission to an opponent,dominant third-party intervention,compromise,and withdrawal are utilized to end the impoliteness speeches.However,it is worth noting that the stand-off is the principal method for male members to finish the impoliteness insincerely at their hands.Different strategies adopted by characters are related to their personalities and to the complexity of the characters' relationship.Meanwhile,the dynamic process of impoliteness moves the plot forward and presents the characterization and delivers the theme of guilt and forgiveness.