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aim of this final analytic chapter was to demonstrate the analytical purchase afford by such an approach, as well an demonstrate through actual empirical data how German and English participants in talk variously used the symbolic resources of the self as part and parcel of achieving ritual equilibrium. From a discussion of the findings arising out of the analyses conducted in Chapter 9,1 was able to make a general summative statement about the sociological bases for salient differences in English and German sociable styles. This then has been the thesis in a nutshell. I want now to reflect more specifically on the three central concepts underlying this study: That is, equilibrium, alignment, and the conversational self. 9.2 Reflections on the Current Approach As I noted in the Introduction, in this study I have attempted to do two things: The first out of empirical interest, the second out of theoretical and analytical necessity. That is, I have conducted a comparative study of facework in English and German sociable episodes, and, developed a framework for the analysis of facework, not in the first instance as politeness, or as remedial work oriented to face-threatening behaviour, but as alignment of sociable selves. I shall discuss the first of these endeavours; - the empirical aspect - below. First however, I should spend some time reflecting on the theoretical and analytical aspects of the study. What I hope to have achieved here is to have conducted, in essence, a more 'sociological' study of facework than might have been allowed for by extant approaches to the study of facework in discourse. I have done this by organising my analysis around three central sociological concepts: Equilibrium; alignment; and the self. As I outlined in Chapter 3, extant frameworks for the analysis of facework in discourse are largely premised on the positive - negative conceptualisation forged by Brown and Levinson (1987). Positive facework was demonstrated to be an essentially 'approach based' phenomenon. That is, by employing positive facework strategies, persons seek 292
to bring themselves and their interlocutors closer together; it is in effect a ratification of sameness. In the facework as politeness paradigm, this is normally taken to be achieved via a range of discourse strategies, from specific politeness 'markers' in the realisation of speech acts (e. g. the use of "we" over "I"), to general orientations to conversation per se (e. g. 'showing interest') (see Brown and Levinson 1987). The importance and salience in conversation of solidaric expression underlies both Goffman's and Brown and Levinson's development of facework. Goffman (1967) for instance speaks in quite general terms of 'working consensus' or'lip-service'. Whilst Brown and Levinson (1987) provide a comprehensive list of 'positive politeness' strategies. In short, positive facework can be perceived of as a kind of '-social accelerant' functioning to bring people 'closer together'. (Brown and Levinson 1987,103). This general ethos associated with positive politeness was shown to underlie subsequent models of facework which have incorporated and sought to build on this fundamental reading (e. g. Arndt and Janney 1987; Lim and Bowers 1991; Scollon and Scollon 1981) as well as in more conventional studies of politeness (e. g. Lakoff 1973; 1979; Leech 1983; Fraser 1990). Conversely, negative facework was shown to be generally treated as an 'avoidance' based phenomenon. That is, by employing negative facework, persons seek to keep their own selves and others at some 'symbolic distance', thereby recognising and ratifying themselves and others as autonomous preserves. Again, as with positive facework as politeness, a range of discourse strategies have been identified within the facework as politeness paradigm. As with positive politeness, the focus on a recognition and redressing of the autonomy of one's interlocutor underlies both Goffman's and Brown and Levinson's work. Although well-proven concepts in the analysis of facework, I noted in Chapter 3 that studies subsequent to Brown and Levinson have increasingly noted the complexity of discourse and its apparent recalcitrance to systematic analysis for facework using the facework as politeness paradigm. These observations have come about even though there has been an increasing call for the turn to naturally occurring conversational data drawn from naturally occurring settings for a more valid and comprehensive understanding of facework practices. 293
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FACEWORK IN ENGLISH AND GERMAN SOCI
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CHAPTER 4: DOING SOCIA(B)L(E) SCIEN
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Table List of Tables 1.1 Archetypal
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Conversational Excerpts Excerpt Pag
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Acknowledgments Acknowledgements se
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The 'Research Problem' Introduction
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Taking these problematics as a star
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At the time, this proposal seemed e
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the self and its relationship to on
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activity of sociable conversation,
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including the application of the fa
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CHAPTER I FACE AND FACEWORK: CONCEP
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1.1 Foundational Texts In order to
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communicative action could be seen
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Fig. 1.1 Goffman's Model of Ritual
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distribution of his feelings, and t
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empirically difficult' phenomenon (
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etween self and other). Conversatio
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allowing in effect a speaker to cri
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as an equilibric practice, allowing
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universality, particularly in studi
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Table 1.3 Individualist (LCC) and C
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Morisaki and Gudykunst (1994) emplo
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Mao (1994) addresses this tension b
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Tannen's work (1981 a; 1981 b) perh
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1.3 Culture, Facework, Equilibrium
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facework operates on an underlying
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CHAPTER 2 ANGLO-SAXON CHALK AND TEU
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impolite. However, I soon came to r
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in potential or actual conflict sit
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salient differences. For example, G
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Watts observed that German conversa
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Finally, although Watts argued that
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elatively little overlap, and a gen
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contributions, with the former set
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fully and substantively, what was r
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oriented to unmitigated disagreemen
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2.3 Communicative Underpinnings The
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service but by more confrontational
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Finally, additional explanatory dim
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specific communicative practices, a
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Brown and Levinson (1987). Indeed,
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Notes to Chapter 2 11 use the term
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This chapter then can be regarded a
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asic irreducible sociological varia
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Fraser (1990) who, in also attempti
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particularly amenable to such a heu
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identify certain underlying dynamic
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In fact, these two opposing orienta
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at any given point in the flow of c
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orderly and meaningful conversation
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locally managed and constantly in d
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Poles of Alignment Fig. 3.6 Sociabl
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toward a clearer understanding of w
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Notes to Chapter 3 1 See also Brown
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4.1 Research Questions In the previ
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eferring to as sociable includes in
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The decision on quantity of data wa
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largely anecdotal evidence from whi
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such as laughter sequences. I also
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Table 4.3 Data: Omissions from Anal
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The obtrusiveness of my recording w
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hand, I did not want to engage in t
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German. However, these episodes asi
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presented here provides a necessary
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two chapters (Chapters 6 and 7). He
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Hand shakes for example were infreq
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eing invariably solidaric in nature
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claimed on the part of the particip
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Table 5.1 Sociable Topics Topic Cat
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in my observations of German sociab
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collective past peppered with indiv
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In the next chapter I want to explo
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CHAPTER 6 ALIGNMENT IN ACTION: NEGA
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shall not be carried forward into t
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These various symbols are intended
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Rather than
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19 EP: ' [Although I mean that [now
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
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detrimental effects foreigners are
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41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
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28 HB: but at the end of the day >1
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approach, I hope to further illumin
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37 KJ: I never had any day to day (
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2 bevor (. ) die Schlange nicht zeh
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ot non-ratifi cation and non-suppor
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
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What happens in this particular exc
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To reiterate, positive threshold br
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41 LIP: [IN FACT THERE WAs quite a
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What happens here is that KIP proff
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17 KH: the road (1) >and if he want
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1 2 3 4 5 6 which a new set of indi
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
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and English differences in conversa
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Notes to Chapter 6 1 The only insta
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study is a sociological one, and it
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performer, a player, an image, a fi
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English cultures respectively. In a
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I will shortly illustrate how each
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18 KJ: [(Graphic drawin)= 19 LM: =O
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The in-the-know self is a second sy
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documentaries to having witnessed r
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 is
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Excerpt 7.6'Up a Hill' The sociable
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RP&EP's mobilisation of an in-the-k
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
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Excerpt 7.10 Was muss Mann machen?
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Often, knowledgeable selves are ali
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7.4 Positive Selves I suggested ear
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27 RP: =get out of it= 28 LM: =. HH
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 is
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
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of these selves at conversational w
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develop the comparative focus, one
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CHAPTER 8 ALIGNING SELVES IN THE AC
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atification and support of unique,
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Fig 8.2b The Individuated Selves (a
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Page 265 and 266: however, such narrating selves are
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Page 273 and 274: 6 (0.5) 7 EP: America is booming at
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Page 283 and 284: is HB: =Yeah not at all but e:: rm=
Page 285 and 286: episode takes place. Rather, the ta
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Page 289 and 290: What this talk demonstrates is that
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Page 293 and 294: demeaned and knowledgeable selves (
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Page 297 and 298: CHAPTER 9 CONCLUSION: THE TO AND FR
Page 299 and 300: identified in conversational behavi
Page 301: handled sociable topics, in terms o
Page 305 and 306: sociable conversation. This sociabl
Page 307 and 308: maintain the underlying equilibrium
Page 309 and 310: allowed for by the facework as alig
Page 311 and 312: somebody who is overly-friendly, ge
Page 313 and 314: Fig 9.2 A Maxim of Conversational P
Page 315 and 316: Notes to Chapter 9 1 When we are ta
Page 317 and 318: German Participants Name Age Occupa
Page 319 and 320: German Gatherings Gathering Date Se
Page 321 and 322: Brown, G., and Yule, G. (1983) Disc
Page 323 and 324: Ervin-Tripp, S., Nakamura, K, and G
Page 325 and 326: Hellweg, S A., Samovar, L A., and S
Page 327 and 328: Hu, H C. (1944) The Chinese concept
Page 329 and 330: - (1979) 'Stylistic Strategies with
Page 331 and 332: - (1994) 'Facework in Communication
Page 333 and 334: Snell-Hornby, M.. (1984) 'The Lingu
Page 335 and 336: Trubisky, P., Ting-Toomey, S., and
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