Jon Hall
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195329063
- eISBN:
- 9780199870233
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195329063.003.0002
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This chapter examines in detail seven letters from Cicero's correspondence in order to establish some of the conventions of linguistic politeness typically used in more formal epistolary exchanges ...
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This chapter examines in detail seven letters from Cicero's correspondence in order to establish some of the conventions of linguistic politeness typically used in more formal epistolary exchanges between Roman aristocrats. These seven letters include missives from Cicero to C. Matius, Marcus Crassus, Cassius Longinus, Scribonius Curio, Acilius Caninus, and L. Culleolus, as well as one from M. Marcellus to Cicero. These letters show the important role played by conventionalized polite language in aristocratic correspondence and in particular by the following linguistic strategies: expressions of thanks and appreciation, pledges of help and support, emphatic assertions of pleasure, assertions of goodwill and congratulations, compliments (often wittily phrased), and the commemoration of family ties and previous friendly services. Overall, these letters demonstrate the value placed on the politeness of respect in circles where personal dignitas received great emphasis, as well as the significance of conventionalized affiliative politeness and polite fictions for individuals attempting to forge cooperative political alliances.Less
This chapter examines in detail seven letters from Cicero's correspondence in order to establish some of the conventions of linguistic politeness typically used in more formal epistolary exchanges between Roman aristocrats. These seven letters include missives from Cicero to C. Matius, Marcus Crassus, Cassius Longinus, Scribonius Curio, Acilius Caninus, and L. Culleolus, as well as one from M. Marcellus to Cicero. These letters show the important role played by conventionalized polite language in aristocratic correspondence and in particular by the following linguistic strategies: expressions of thanks and appreciation, pledges of help and support, emphatic assertions of pleasure, assertions of goodwill and congratulations, compliments (often wittily phrased), and the commemoration of family ties and previous friendly services. Overall, these letters demonstrate the value placed on the politeness of respect in circles where personal dignitas received great emphasis, as well as the significance of conventionalized affiliative politeness and polite fictions for individuals attempting to forge cooperative political alliances.
Kay Richardson
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195374056
- eISBN:
- 9780199776177
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195374056.003.0006
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Sociolinguistics / Anthropological Linguistics
Chapter 6 is the most directly sociolinguistic chapter in the book, and follows the example of previous writers such as Vimala Herman in applying methods and approaches from the study of naturally ...
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Chapter 6 is the most directly sociolinguistic chapter in the book, and follows the example of previous writers such as Vimala Herman in applying methods and approaches from the study of naturally occurring conversation to the study of television dramatic dialogue. This includes the ethnography of speaking, conversation analysis, interactional sociolinguistics, and pragmatics, including the study of politeness and impoliteness. It includes a discussion of the kind of sociolinguistic naiveté that is required in order to treat characters as people for the purposes of analysis.Less
Chapter 6 is the most directly sociolinguistic chapter in the book, and follows the example of previous writers such as Vimala Herman in applying methods and approaches from the study of naturally occurring conversation to the study of television dramatic dialogue. This includes the ethnography of speaking, conversation analysis, interactional sociolinguistics, and pragmatics, including the study of politeness and impoliteness. It includes a discussion of the kind of sociolinguistic naiveté that is required in order to treat characters as people for the purposes of analysis.
PETER BURKE
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198207108
- eISBN:
- 9780191677496
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198207108.003.0002
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Early Modern History
This chapter discusses the application of the concept of civility in language and politeness in early modern Europe. It examines the place of politeness ...
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This chapter discusses the application of the concept of civility in language and politeness in early modern Europe. It examines the place of politeness in language and of language in politeness. It analyses two forms of politeness, altruistic and egotistic, based on the assumption that forms of polite language vary over time, from place to place, and from individual to individual. The first type of politeness is about consideration for others, while the second is about distinction from others.Less
This chapter discusses the application of the concept of civility in language and politeness in early modern Europe. It examines the place of politeness in language and of language in politeness. It analyses two forms of politeness, altruistic and egotistic, based on the assumption that forms of polite language vary over time, from place to place, and from individual to individual. The first type of politeness is about consideration for others, while the second is about distinction from others.
David Russell
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- May 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780691196923
- eISBN:
- 9781400887903
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691196923.001.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, European Literature
The social practice of tact was an invention of the nineteenth century, a period when Britain was witnessing unprecedented urbanization, industrialization, and population growth. In an era when more ...
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The social practice of tact was an invention of the nineteenth century, a period when Britain was witnessing unprecedented urbanization, industrialization, and population growth. In an era when more and more people lived more closely than ever before with people they knew less and less about, tact was a new mode of feeling one's way with others in complex modern conditions. This book traces how the essay genre came to exemplify this sensuous new ethic and aesthetic. It argues that the essay form provided the resources for the performance of tact in this period and analyzes its techniques in the writings of Charles Lamb, John Stuart Mill, Matthew Arnold, George Eliot, and Walter Pater. The book shows how their essays offer grounds for a claim about the relationship among art, education, and human freedom—an “aesthetic liberalism”—not encompassed by traditional political philosophy or in literary criticism. For these writers, tact is not about codes of politeness but about making an art of ordinary encounters with people and objects and evoking the fullest potential in each new encounter. The book demonstrates how their essays serve as a model for a critical handling of the world that is open to surprises, and from which egalitarian demands for new relationships are made. Offering fresh approaches to thinking about criticism, sociability, politics, and art, the book concludes by following a legacy of essayistic tact to the practice of British psychoanalysts like D. W. Winnicott and Marion Milner.Less
The social practice of tact was an invention of the nineteenth century, a period when Britain was witnessing unprecedented urbanization, industrialization, and population growth. In an era when more and more people lived more closely than ever before with people they knew less and less about, tact was a new mode of feeling one's way with others in complex modern conditions. This book traces how the essay genre came to exemplify this sensuous new ethic and aesthetic. It argues that the essay form provided the resources for the performance of tact in this period and analyzes its techniques in the writings of Charles Lamb, John Stuart Mill, Matthew Arnold, George Eliot, and Walter Pater. The book shows how their essays offer grounds for a claim about the relationship among art, education, and human freedom—an “aesthetic liberalism”—not encompassed by traditional political philosophy or in literary criticism. For these writers, tact is not about codes of politeness but about making an art of ordinary encounters with people and objects and evoking the fullest potential in each new encounter. The book demonstrates how their essays serve as a model for a critical handling of the world that is open to surprises, and from which egalitarian demands for new relationships are made. Offering fresh approaches to thinking about criticism, sociability, politics, and art, the book concludes by following a legacy of essayistic tact to the practice of British psychoanalysts like D. W. Winnicott and Marion Milner.
Jon Hall
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195329063
- eISBN:
- 9780199870233
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195329063.001.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This book presents a fresh examination of the letters exchanged between Cicero and correspondents such as Pompey, Julius Caesar, and Mark Antony during the final turbulent decades of the Roman ...
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This book presents a fresh examination of the letters exchanged between Cicero and correspondents such as Pompey, Julius Caesar, and Mark Antony during the final turbulent decades of the Roman Republic. Drawing upon sociolinguistic theories of politeness, it argues that formal relationships between powerful members of the elite were constrained by distinct conventions of courtesy and etiquette. By examining in detail these linguistic conventions of politeness, the book presents new insights into the social manners that shaped aristocratic relationships. Specific topics include a discussion of the role of letter-writing within the Roman aristocracy; the epistolary use of linguistic politeness to convey respect to fellow members of the elite; the deployment of conventionalized expressions of affection and goodwill to cultivate alliances with ambitious rivals, and the diplomatic exploitation of “polite fictions” at times of political tension. The book also explores the strategies of politeness employed by Cicero and his correspondents when making requests and dispensing advice, and when engaging in epistolary disagreements (Cicero's exchanges with Appius Claudius Pulcher, Munatius Plancus, and Mark Antony receive particular attention).Less
This book presents a fresh examination of the letters exchanged between Cicero and correspondents such as Pompey, Julius Caesar, and Mark Antony during the final turbulent decades of the Roman Republic. Drawing upon sociolinguistic theories of politeness, it argues that formal relationships between powerful members of the elite were constrained by distinct conventions of courtesy and etiquette. By examining in detail these linguistic conventions of politeness, the book presents new insights into the social manners that shaped aristocratic relationships. Specific topics include a discussion of the role of letter-writing within the Roman aristocracy; the epistolary use of linguistic politeness to convey respect to fellow members of the elite; the deployment of conventionalized expressions of affection and goodwill to cultivate alliances with ambitious rivals, and the diplomatic exploitation of “polite fictions” at times of political tension. The book also explores the strategies of politeness employed by Cicero and his correspondents when making requests and dispensing advice, and when engaging in epistolary disagreements (Cicero's exchanges with Appius Claudius Pulcher, Munatius Plancus, and Mark Antony receive particular attention).
Jon Hall
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195329063
- eISBN:
- 9780199870233
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195329063.003.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This chapter discusses the social context of letter-writing during the Late Roman Republic, especially among the aristocracy and its concern with social manners. It also examines recent ...
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This chapter discusses the social context of letter-writing during the Late Roman Republic, especially among the aristocracy and its concern with social manners. It also examines recent sociolinguistic theories of politeness and facework (especially those of Erving Goffman and Brown and Levinson) and sets out the methodology to be applied to the letters of Cicero in the following chapters. In particular it identifies and defines three types of politeness regularly used in his correspondence: the politeness of respect, affiliative politeness, and redressive politeness. It is suggested that these forms of politeness derive in part from the Roman aristocrat's preoccupation with personal status (dignitas) and his need to form temporary political alliances with ambitious rivals. The relevance of these strategies of politeness to the correspondence of Pliny the Younger and Fronto is also addressed.Less
This chapter discusses the social context of letter-writing during the Late Roman Republic, especially among the aristocracy and its concern with social manners. It also examines recent sociolinguistic theories of politeness and facework (especially those of Erving Goffman and Brown and Levinson) and sets out the methodology to be applied to the letters of Cicero in the following chapters. In particular it identifies and defines three types of politeness regularly used in his correspondence: the politeness of respect, affiliative politeness, and redressive politeness. It is suggested that these forms of politeness derive in part from the Roman aristocrat's preoccupation with personal status (dignitas) and his need to form temporary political alliances with ambitious rivals. The relevance of these strategies of politeness to the correspondence of Pliny the Younger and Fronto is also addressed.
Jon Hall
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195329063
- eISBN:
- 9780199870233
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195329063.003.0003
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This chapter explores the more manipulative and self-interested uses of affiliative politeness among Cicero's correspondents. It suggests that at times it is difficult for us to distinguish between ...
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This chapter explores the more manipulative and self-interested uses of affiliative politeness among Cicero's correspondents. It suggests that at times it is difficult for us to distinguish between hypocritically fawning remarks (blanditiae) and conventionally supportive polite fictions. The contextual cues on which Cicero would have based his own judgements are often unavailable to the modern reader. Several letters are examined in order to illustrate these interpretative challenges: Cicero's exchanges with Mark Antony in 49 B.C and 44 B.C., a letter from Cassius Parmensis to Cicero, and letters from Marcus Lepidus to Cicero. In several instances we may well suspect deceptive intentions on the part of the writer, and such hypocrisy seems to have been a regular feature of Roman political life. The exploitation of this potentially deceptive language was facilitated to a considerable degree by the conventionalized use of polite fictions in everyday aristocratic correspondence.Less
This chapter explores the more manipulative and self-interested uses of affiliative politeness among Cicero's correspondents. It suggests that at times it is difficult for us to distinguish between hypocritically fawning remarks (blanditiae) and conventionally supportive polite fictions. The contextual cues on which Cicero would have based his own judgements are often unavailable to the modern reader. Several letters are examined in order to illustrate these interpretative challenges: Cicero's exchanges with Mark Antony in 49 B.C and 44 B.C., a letter from Cassius Parmensis to Cicero, and letters from Marcus Lepidus to Cicero. In several instances we may well suspect deceptive intentions on the part of the writer, and such hypocrisy seems to have been a regular feature of Roman political life. The exploitation of this potentially deceptive language was facilitated to a considerable degree by the conventionalized use of polite fictions in everyday aristocratic correspondence.
Jon Hall
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195329063
- eISBN:
- 9780199870233
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195329063.003.0004
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This chapter examines three types of face-threatening act that regularly occur in the social interaction and correspondence of Roman aristocrats: making requests, issuing refusals, and offering ...
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This chapter examines three types of face-threatening act that regularly occur in the social interaction and correspondence of Roman aristocrats: making requests, issuing refusals, and offering advice. As the discussion shows, various conventionalized expressions of redressive politeness arose in Roman epistolary manners in order to ease the social tension often caused by these situations. Typical strategies used when making a request include acknowledging explicitly the imposition upon the addressee and offering a ready-made “out” (a valid reason for refusing). Conversely, when issuing a refusal, a Roman patron would often be careful to give reasons for his decision and to show that the refusal was not an easy one to make. Finally, when offering advice (especially to powerful peers), the Roman aristocrat frequently took pains to stress that such suggestions should not be taken to imply a certain ignorance on the part of the addressee. The extent to which this strategy prevailed shows again the Roman grandee's concern with personal status and dignitas. This latter topic is analyzed with reference in particular to the letters of Pompey and Decimus Brutus, and to the conventionalized use of the Latin phrase ut facis.Less
This chapter examines three types of face-threatening act that regularly occur in the social interaction and correspondence of Roman aristocrats: making requests, issuing refusals, and offering advice. As the discussion shows, various conventionalized expressions of redressive politeness arose in Roman epistolary manners in order to ease the social tension often caused by these situations. Typical strategies used when making a request include acknowledging explicitly the imposition upon the addressee and offering a ready-made “out” (a valid reason for refusing). Conversely, when issuing a refusal, a Roman patron would often be careful to give reasons for his decision and to show that the refusal was not an easy one to make. Finally, when offering advice (especially to powerful peers), the Roman aristocrat frequently took pains to stress that such suggestions should not be taken to imply a certain ignorance on the part of the addressee. The extent to which this strategy prevailed shows again the Roman grandee's concern with personal status and dignitas. This latter topic is analyzed with reference in particular to the letters of Pompey and Decimus Brutus, and to the conventionalized use of the Latin phrase ut facis.
Jon Hall
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195329063
- eISBN:
- 9780199870233
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195329063.003.0006
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This chapter considers the role of polite language in the political negotiations that followed Caesar's assassination in 44 B.C. It examines in particular the correspondence of Mark Antony with the ...
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This chapter considers the role of polite language in the political negotiations that followed Caesar's assassination in 44 B.C. It examines in particular the correspondence of Mark Antony with the leaders of the conspirators, Marcus Brutus and Cassius Longinus, and the letters exchanged between Cicero and Munatius Plancus. In the former case, Brutus and Cassius appear to deploy a highly respectful and restrained manner in order to present themselves as solid, conservative types, an image necessary given their radical use of violence against Caesar. Antony, by contrast, seems to have adopted a harsher, more abusive style in his later public letters in order to define himself more starkly as a Caesarian staunchly opposed to the assassins. In the following year, Cicero and Munatius Plancus employed affiliative politeness with remarkable energy during their high-stake political negotiations. The latter's eventual defection to Antony highlights the duplicitous potential inherent in this type of language, even though both parties seem to have been well aware of the political game they were playing. In this connection, Cicero's correspondence with Octavian and Dolabella during this period is also examined.Less
This chapter considers the role of polite language in the political negotiations that followed Caesar's assassination in 44 B.C. It examines in particular the correspondence of Mark Antony with the leaders of the conspirators, Marcus Brutus and Cassius Longinus, and the letters exchanged between Cicero and Munatius Plancus. In the former case, Brutus and Cassius appear to deploy a highly respectful and restrained manner in order to present themselves as solid, conservative types, an image necessary given their radical use of violence against Caesar. Antony, by contrast, seems to have adopted a harsher, more abusive style in his later public letters in order to define himself more starkly as a Caesarian staunchly opposed to the assassins. In the following year, Cicero and Munatius Plancus employed affiliative politeness with remarkable energy during their high-stake political negotiations. The latter's eventual defection to Antony highlights the duplicitous potential inherent in this type of language, even though both parties seem to have been well aware of the political game they were playing. In this connection, Cicero's correspondence with Octavian and Dolabella during this period is also examined.
Jon Hall
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195329063
- eISBN:
- 9780199870233
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195329063.003.0007
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
The Conclusion asks the question: what are we to conclude about Cicero's epistolary use of politeness? The chapter attempts to provide an answer this multifaceted issue and draws together the ...
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The Conclusion asks the question: what are we to conclude about Cicero's epistolary use of politeness? The chapter attempts to provide an answer this multifaceted issue and draws together the various features of artistocratic politeness such as conventionalized expressions, the use of affiliative strategies, and the relationship between politeness and politics as observed in Rome's unique political and social landscape.Less
The Conclusion asks the question: what are we to conclude about Cicero's epistolary use of politeness? The chapter attempts to provide an answer this multifaceted issue and draws together the various features of artistocratic politeness such as conventionalized expressions, the use of affiliative strategies, and the relationship between politeness and politics as observed in Rome's unique political and social landscape.
Peter White
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195388510
- eISBN:
- 9780199866717
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195388510.003.0003
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
Apart from their explicit content, Roman letters signaled meaning through material elements of the text: the papyrus or tablet surface, the handwriting, and the writer's seal. Generic conventions—the ...
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Apart from their explicit content, Roman letters signaled meaning through material elements of the text: the papyrus or tablet surface, the handwriting, and the writer's seal. Generic conventions—the salutation, the opening, the sign‐off, and the dateline—could be manipulated in ways that showed the sender's relationship with the addressee. Finally, the dyadic frame that is the essence of letters tended to exaggerate the politeness of epistolary interaction, and to compartmentalize the relationship that the letter writer maintained with each separate correspondent.Less
Apart from their explicit content, Roman letters signaled meaning through material elements of the text: the papyrus or tablet surface, the handwriting, and the writer's seal. Generic conventions—the salutation, the opening, the sign‐off, and the dateline—could be manipulated in ways that showed the sender's relationship with the addressee. Finally, the dyadic frame that is the essence of letters tended to exaggerate the politeness of epistolary interaction, and to compartmentalize the relationship that the letter writer maintained with each separate correspondent.
Patrick Coleman
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199589340
- eISBN:
- 9780191723322
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199589340.003.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, European Literature, 18th-century Literature
This chapter examines how entitlements to anger and obligations of gratitude were redefined in eighteenth-century France, a society in which cultural status began to be based on talent rather than ...
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This chapter examines how entitlements to anger and obligations of gratitude were redefined in eighteenth-century France, a society in which cultural status began to be based on talent rather than rank alone. Interpersonal relations also began to be imagined not only in terms of polite reciprocity, of the exchange of favors or gifts, but of equal and impersonal rights. It argues that Enlightenment writers enhanced their cultural status, on the one hand by using their sensitivity to insults or favors as proof that they deserved greater respect; and on the other, by representing themselves as free from emotional dependence on others and therefore as meritorious embodiments of impersonal reason. The argument is grounded in recent work by Martha Nussbaum, William Reddy, Robert Solomon, and others, according to which emotions are more than physiological states and should be understood as cognitive judgments and socialized dispositions.Less
This chapter examines how entitlements to anger and obligations of gratitude were redefined in eighteenth-century France, a society in which cultural status began to be based on talent rather than rank alone. Interpersonal relations also began to be imagined not only in terms of polite reciprocity, of the exchange of favors or gifts, but of equal and impersonal rights. It argues that Enlightenment writers enhanced their cultural status, on the one hand by using their sensitivity to insults or favors as proof that they deserved greater respect; and on the other, by representing themselves as free from emotional dependence on others and therefore as meritorious embodiments of impersonal reason. The argument is grounded in recent work by Martha Nussbaum, William Reddy, Robert Solomon, and others, according to which emotions are more than physiological states and should be understood as cognitive judgments and socialized dispositions.
Yeonkwon Jung
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9789622099654
- eISBN:
- 9789882207295
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Hong Kong University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5790/hongkong/9789622099654.003.0006
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Sociolinguistics / Anthropological Linguistics
In business and in other goal-oriented activities, politeness proves to be of great significance since, for example, a buyer will not react favorably to a seller's offer if the seller is not polite. ...
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In business and in other goal-oriented activities, politeness proves to be of great significance since, for example, a buyer will not react favorably to a seller's offer if the seller is not polite. Also, politeness enables both ends of the transaction to develop trust and respect so that long-term business relationships may be established and maintained. This study examines how Korean business professionals utilize politeness strategies in business correspondence to achieve successful results. In the business context, requests are made when the requested act is perceived to have favorable effects on the business. In some cases, businesses cannot proceed if requests are not performed. Specifically, the chapter focuses on politeness strategies since these signify the most important and common speech act in terms of business.Less
In business and in other goal-oriented activities, politeness proves to be of great significance since, for example, a buyer will not react favorably to a seller's offer if the seller is not polite. Also, politeness enables both ends of the transaction to develop trust and respect so that long-term business relationships may be established and maintained. This study examines how Korean business professionals utilize politeness strategies in business correspondence to achieve successful results. In the business context, requests are made when the requested act is perceived to have favorable effects on the business. In some cases, businesses cannot proceed if requests are not performed. Specifically, the chapter focuses on politeness strategies since these signify the most important and common speech act in terms of business.
Susan E. Whyman
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199250233
- eISBN:
- 9780191697906
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199250233.003.0004
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Early Modern History, Social History
This chapter looks at the development of a polite urban culture in new ways. It shows how John learned the rules of politeness while he was still a merchant. Long before John inherited, he learned ...
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This chapter looks at the development of a polite urban culture in new ways. It shows how John learned the rules of politeness while he was still a merchant. Long before John inherited, he learned the rules of London's polite society. It was symbolised by the urban visit and the conspicuous use of the coach. The discussion illustrates the development of politeness by describing John's entry into society. It shows how a group of supposedly dependent women controlled daily rites of sociability. The dynamic, urban culture that confronted John was a blend of civic humanism, natural law, and commercial inputs. London was its location, politeness its doctrine, and courtesy manuals its texts. The gentleman became its ideal type. Unlike previous generations, John made use of the London marriage market.Less
This chapter looks at the development of a polite urban culture in new ways. It shows how John learned the rules of politeness while he was still a merchant. Long before John inherited, he learned the rules of London's polite society. It was symbolised by the urban visit and the conspicuous use of the coach. The discussion illustrates the development of politeness by describing John's entry into society. It shows how a group of supposedly dependent women controlled daily rites of sociability. The dynamic, urban culture that confronted John was a blend of civic humanism, natural law, and commercial inputs. London was its location, politeness its doctrine, and courtesy manuals its texts. The gentleman became its ideal type. Unlike previous generations, John made use of the London marriage market.
Robin Clark
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- August 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780262016179
- eISBN:
- 9780262298742
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262016179.001.0001
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Applied Linguistics and Pedagogy
This book explains the usefulness of game theory in thinking about a wide range of issues in linguistics. It argues that we use grammar strategically to signal our intended meanings: our choices as ...
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This book explains the usefulness of game theory in thinking about a wide range of issues in linguistics. It argues that we use grammar strategically to signal our intended meanings: our choices as speaker are conditioned by what choices the hearer will make interpreting what we say. Game theory—according to which the outcome of a decision depends on the choices of others—provides a formal system that allows us to develop theories about the kind of decision making that is crucial to understanding linguistic behavior. The book argues the only way to understand meaning is to grapple with its social nature—that it is the social that gives content to our mental lives. Game theory gives us a framework for working out these ideas. The resulting theory of use will allow us to account for many aspects of linguistic meaning, and the grammar itself can be simplified. The results are nevertheless precise and subject to empirical testing. The book offers an introduction to game theory and the study of linguistic meaning. The book includes an extended argument in favor of the social basis of meaning; a brief introduction to game theory, with a focus on coordination games and cooperation; discussions of common knowledge and games of partial information; models of games for pronouns and politeness; and the development of a system of social coordination of reference.Less
This book explains the usefulness of game theory in thinking about a wide range of issues in linguistics. It argues that we use grammar strategically to signal our intended meanings: our choices as speaker are conditioned by what choices the hearer will make interpreting what we say. Game theory—according to which the outcome of a decision depends on the choices of others—provides a formal system that allows us to develop theories about the kind of decision making that is crucial to understanding linguistic behavior. The book argues the only way to understand meaning is to grapple with its social nature—that it is the social that gives content to our mental lives. Game theory gives us a framework for working out these ideas. The resulting theory of use will allow us to account for many aspects of linguistic meaning, and the grammar itself can be simplified. The results are nevertheless precise and subject to empirical testing. The book offers an introduction to game theory and the study of linguistic meaning. The book includes an extended argument in favor of the social basis of meaning; a brief introduction to game theory, with a focus on coordination games and cooperation; discussions of common knowledge and games of partial information; models of games for pronouns and politeness; and the development of a system of social coordination of reference.
Ryu Susato
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780748699803
- eISBN:
- 9781474416207
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748699803.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, History of Philosophy
David Hume (1711–1776) remains one of the most equivocal thinkers in eighteenth-century Europe. Some emphasise his conservatism because of his criticism of rationalism in morals and of the social ...
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David Hume (1711–1776) remains one of the most equivocal thinkers in eighteenth-century Europe. Some emphasise his conservatism because of his criticism of rationalism in morals and of the social contract theory in politics, while others deem him one of the most important liberal thinkers. He can also be characterised as a forerunner of utilitarianism or even postmodernism. How can these images be integrated? To address this issue, Hume’s Sceptical Enlightenment demonstrates the uniqueness and complexity of Hume as an Enlightenment thinker through an investigation of the ‘historical’ Hume. Based on a sceptical adaptation of Epicureanism, he delineates the variable and vulnerable nature of the workings of our imagination and opinions, and emphasises the essential instability of civilisation. In addition, he retains a positive assessment of such modern values as liberty, politeness and refinement, and carries the banner for secularisation. His ‘spirit of scepticism’, which permeates even his non-epistemological writings, enables these seemingly paradoxical positions. This book is not only for Hume specialists, but is also a contribution to the flourishing fields of the Enlightenment study. This intellectual history connects Hume’s early eighteenth-century Continental and British predecessors not only to Hume, but also to British philosophers writing up until the nineteenth century.Less
David Hume (1711–1776) remains one of the most equivocal thinkers in eighteenth-century Europe. Some emphasise his conservatism because of his criticism of rationalism in morals and of the social contract theory in politics, while others deem him one of the most important liberal thinkers. He can also be characterised as a forerunner of utilitarianism or even postmodernism. How can these images be integrated? To address this issue, Hume’s Sceptical Enlightenment demonstrates the uniqueness and complexity of Hume as an Enlightenment thinker through an investigation of the ‘historical’ Hume. Based on a sceptical adaptation of Epicureanism, he delineates the variable and vulnerable nature of the workings of our imagination and opinions, and emphasises the essential instability of civilisation. In addition, he retains a positive assessment of such modern values as liberty, politeness and refinement, and carries the banner for secularisation. His ‘spirit of scepticism’, which permeates even his non-epistemological writings, enables these seemingly paradoxical positions. This book is not only for Hume specialists, but is also a contribution to the flourishing fields of the Enlightenment study. This intellectual history connects Hume’s early eighteenth-century Continental and British predecessors not only to Hume, but also to British philosophers writing up until the nineteenth century.
Robert J. Bennett
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199584734
- eISBN:
- 9780191731105
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199584734.003.0011
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Business History
This chapter breaks new ground in showing how early chambers were intimately involved in commercial coffee house, exchanges and other initiatives to providing meeting places and drop-in facilities ...
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This chapter breaks new ground in showing how early chambers were intimately involved in commercial coffee house, exchanges and other initiatives to providing meeting places and drop-in facilities for discussion. More than half of the early chambers were joint developers of coffee rooms, hotels, subscription libraries, or exchanges. This was critical to their need for deliberation on policy threats, but also interrelated with their underpinning networks in local communities. Entirely new material on Liverpool, Waterford, Cork, Glasgow, Dublin, Dundee, and Newcastle reveals some of the strongest links. Analysis of the content of chamber reading rooms and libraries shows their economic focus, but overlap with social exchange and politeness. Subsequent developments demonstrate milieus as critical parts of the USP until modern times; replaced by web and e-communications in the modern chamber.Less
This chapter breaks new ground in showing how early chambers were intimately involved in commercial coffee house, exchanges and other initiatives to providing meeting places and drop-in facilities for discussion. More than half of the early chambers were joint developers of coffee rooms, hotels, subscription libraries, or exchanges. This was critical to their need for deliberation on policy threats, but also interrelated with their underpinning networks in local communities. Entirely new material on Liverpool, Waterford, Cork, Glasgow, Dublin, Dundee, and Newcastle reveals some of the strongest links. Analysis of the content of chamber reading rooms and libraries shows their economic focus, but overlap with social exchange and politeness. Subsequent developments demonstrate milieus as critical parts of the USP until modern times; replaced by web and e-communications in the modern chamber.
Emma Major
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199699377
- eISBN:
- 9780191738029
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199699377.003.0003
- Subject:
- Literature, 18th-century Literature, Women's Literature
This chapter looks at some women who were claimed by their contemporaries as examples to the nation or as women who benefited the public. It begins with Elizabeth Burnet, who was involved in the ...
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This chapter looks at some women who were claimed by their contemporaries as examples to the nation or as women who benefited the public. It begins with Elizabeth Burnet, who was involved in the religious revival following the Glorious Revolution. It then discusses the critic, patron, and hostess Elizabeth Montagu, arguing that she saw herself as part of a patriotic pantheon of women and enjoyed describing herself in relation to Elizabeth I, Amazons, businesswomen, farmers, coalminers, witches, Lady Bountiful, and other types of woman. Catherine Talbot was a patriotic and religious exemplar in a very different way: part of the household of a clergyman who became archbishop, she was closely involved in Church matters and wrote fascinating journals. The chapter concludes by discussing Talbot’s journals and her criticism of Samuel Richardson’s novel Sir Charles Grandison.Less
This chapter looks at some women who were claimed by their contemporaries as examples to the nation or as women who benefited the public. It begins with Elizabeth Burnet, who was involved in the religious revival following the Glorious Revolution. It then discusses the critic, patron, and hostess Elizabeth Montagu, arguing that she saw herself as part of a patriotic pantheon of women and enjoyed describing herself in relation to Elizabeth I, Amazons, businesswomen, farmers, coalminers, witches, Lady Bountiful, and other types of woman. Catherine Talbot was a patriotic and religious exemplar in a very different way: part of the household of a clergyman who became archbishop, she was closely involved in Church matters and wrote fascinating journals. The chapter concludes by discussing Talbot’s journals and her criticism of Samuel Richardson’s novel Sir Charles Grandison.
Anna Wierzbicka
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- January 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199321490
- eISBN:
- 9780199369263
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199321490.003.0008
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Semantics and Pragmatics, English Language
Speech practices and tacit assumptions associated with them vary a great deal across languages and cultures. Yet in Anglophone social science such diversity is often ignored and Anglo/English ways of ...
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Speech practices and tacit assumptions associated with them vary a great deal across languages and cultures. Yet in Anglophone social science such diversity is often ignored and Anglo/English ways of speaking are mistaken for the human norm. A particularly striking example of such absolutization of Anglo norms is presented by an influential article by the American philosopher H. P. Grice (1975). Grice’s basic ideas were transplanted onto the ground of linguistics by linguists Penelope Brown and Stephen Levinson and continue to exercise considerable influence in language studies. This chapter discusses in detail the Anglocentrism of Grice’s “Cooperative Principle” and of the linguistic theories based on it, and offers an alternative: the theory of “cultural scripts.” The explanatory power of this theory and its language-independent character are illustrated with many cultural scripts, some of which are formulated not only in English but also in Chinese.Less
Speech practices and tacit assumptions associated with them vary a great deal across languages and cultures. Yet in Anglophone social science such diversity is often ignored and Anglo/English ways of speaking are mistaken for the human norm. A particularly striking example of such absolutization of Anglo norms is presented by an influential article by the American philosopher H. P. Grice (1975). Grice’s basic ideas were transplanted onto the ground of linguistics by linguists Penelope Brown and Stephen Levinson and continue to exercise considerable influence in language studies. This chapter discusses in detail the Anglocentrism of Grice’s “Cooperative Principle” and of the linguistic theories based on it, and offers an alternative: the theory of “cultural scripts.” The explanatory power of this theory and its language-independent character are illustrated with many cultural scripts, some of which are formulated not only in English but also in Chinese.
Jon Mee
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199591749
- eISBN:
- 9780191731433
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199591749.003.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, 18th-century Literature, 19th-century Literature and Romanticism
This chapter introduces the key concepts of the book and offers an overview of the period covered. It argues that conversation does not necessarily work towards communion, but involves an element of ...
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This chapter introduces the key concepts of the book and offers an overview of the period covered. It argues that conversation does not necessarily work towards communion, but involves an element of risk and even conflict in the process of making meaning in language. These issues were a work in the assumptions of the eighteenth century conversational turn. The chapter addresses two influential critical approaches: the politeness paradigm and ‘rational-critical debate’ in Jurgen Habermas’s theory of the ‘bourgeois public sphere’. In the process it introduces some of the key tropes that governed the issues for the period, such as the idea of the ‘flow’ of conversation or the ‘collision’ between different points of view, indicating how these were often in tension. It ends by addressing the assumption that around 1800 there was a withdrawal from the mixed social spaces of eighteenth-century sociability. Two aspects of conversation stand out: the desire for reciprocal dialogue and the understanding of culture emerging out of the everyday worlds of its participants. These were often in conflict, with the desire for sympathetic understanding at odds with an idea of culture taking place within and between variously situated conversable worlds, but neither conclusively erased the other.Less
This chapter introduces the key concepts of the book and offers an overview of the period covered. It argues that conversation does not necessarily work towards communion, but involves an element of risk and even conflict in the process of making meaning in language. These issues were a work in the assumptions of the eighteenth century conversational turn. The chapter addresses two influential critical approaches: the politeness paradigm and ‘rational-critical debate’ in Jurgen Habermas’s theory of the ‘bourgeois public sphere’. In the process it introduces some of the key tropes that governed the issues for the period, such as the idea of the ‘flow’ of conversation or the ‘collision’ between different points of view, indicating how these were often in tension. It ends by addressing the assumption that around 1800 there was a withdrawal from the mixed social spaces of eighteenth-century sociability. Two aspects of conversation stand out: the desire for reciprocal dialogue and the understanding of culture emerging out of the everyday worlds of its participants. These were often in conflict, with the desire for sympathetic understanding at odds with an idea of culture taking place within and between variously situated conversable worlds, but neither conclusively erased the other.
