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Abstract
This research focuses on cross-cultural differences in facework
between English and German conversation. Specifically, the research
addresses facework occurring as part and parcel of sociable conversation, as
it is played out within moments of focused topic development - what I term
'sociable episodes'. Drawing on extant literature, the study identifies a range
of communicative parameters along which English and German
communicative style has been shown to differ, non more so than those
suggesting different facework norms, and orientation to face needs as
opposed to such things as ideational aspects of talk. In an attempt to address
these differences, the study develops a model of facework - facework as
alignment -which is posited as being appropriate to the study of essentially
apolite conversational interaction. Further, although utilising the notions of
ritual equilibrium (Goffman 1967) and positive - negative aspects of face
(Brown and Levinson), the posited model of facework focuses specifically on
aspects of sociable selfhood informing sociable conversation. It is argued that
facework in sociable episodes is a matter of positive and negative alignment
of sociable selves in and through the claiming of solidarity with and autonomy
from other co-participants in terms of expressions of definitions, evaluations,
experiences. In terms of English - German differences, these are
demonstrated to be a matter of alignment of different sociable selves, ones
normatively and routinely positively and negatively aligned in the achievement
of sociable conversation, and ones indexing prevailing but culturally differing
positive social values (Goffman 1967). The study concludes by identifying
areas for future research based on the facework as alignment model
developed and applied throughout the thesis.
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