Politeness and Communicative Strategies in Intercultural Communication

Abstract

Politeness plays a vital role in human interaction and is universally present, yet its forms and functions vary significantly across cultures. In an increasingly globalized world, understanding the dynamics of politeness has become essential for fostering effective intercultural communication. While previous research has predominantly examined politeness within monolingual contexts or from theoretical perspectives, fewer studies offer empirical comparisons of politeness strategies across multiple cultural settings in real-life discourse. A comprehensive analysis that connects politeness theory with authentic intercultural discourse is lacking, especially one that explores how different cultures encode and interpret politeness in diverse communicative environments. This study aims to analyze politeness and communicative strategies in intercultural communication through discourse samples from English, Russian, and East Asian contexts. It seeks to uncover how cultural values shape these strategies and the misunderstandings that may arise in cross-cultural exchanges. The findings demonstrate clear cultural distinctions: English speakers favor negative politeness to maintain autonomy; Russian speakers combine directness with expressions of solidarity; and East Asian speakers emphasize indirectness and group harmony. Miscommunication often occurs when these differing strategies are not recognized. By integrating empirical discourse analysis with frameworks from Brown and Levinson, Ting-Toomey, and Hofstede, this research provides a multidimensional and comparative understanding of politeness strategies across cultures. The study underscores the necessity of pragmatic and cultural awareness in communication. It highlights pedagogical applications for language education and proposes directions for future research in digital and hybrid interaction contexts.