Greeting and leave-taking in Texas
Perception of politeness norms by Mexican-Americans across sociolinguistic divides
The present study reveals how 16 Mexican-Americans residing in Texas perceive and follow politeness norms (e.g. Brown and Levinson 1987; Locher and Watts 2005; Scollon and Scollon 2001) related to greetings and leave-takings in different cultural and linguistic contexts. Data from online questionnaires identify a significant difference in perceived level of social expectation (i.e. politeness) for employing the speech acts with Spanish- versus non-Spanish speakers. The data support previous research in identifying a sense of solidarity among Mexican-American extended families, but also suggest that this bond extends to other Spanish-speaking acquaintances. Better understanding of these norms should facilitate inter-cultural exchanges between linguistic in- and out-group members.
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 2.Background
- 2.1Greetings and leave-takings and politeness
- 2.2Politeness and cultural variation
- 2.3Intra- and Inter-lingual variation in greetings and leave-takings
- 2.4Speech acts in U.S. bilingual/bicultural settings
- 2.5Research questions
- 3.The present study
- 3.1Methodology
- 3.1.1Participants
- 3.1.2Instruments
- 3.1.3Data analysis
- 3.2Results
- 3.2.1Rating scales tool: Presence versus absence of greetings and leave-takings
- 3.2.2DCT: Types of greetings and leave-takings
- 4.Discussion
- 5.Conclusions
- Notes
-
References
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