Routine formulae are expressions whose occurrence is closely tied to types of recurrent social situations. In providing the verbal means for mastering such situations in a generally accepted manner, they carry a great deal of social meaning. It is argued that the pragmatic conditions for their appropriate usage as well as their communicative functions can only be explicated in terms of cognitive systems of beliefs, wants, wishes, preferences, norms and values. The problem of translation of routine formulae is discussed, and it is demonstrated that a proper analysis can only be reached on the basis of a contrastive pragmatic approach. An attempt is made at explaining in what sense routine formulae are typical of a given sociocultural system.