[Linganth] Call for papers - Special issue on im/politeness and globalization

[Pilar Garces]

Callfor abstracts for a special issue

 Im/politenessand globalisation


 
Editors

Maria Sifianou, National andKapodistrian University of Athens, msifian at enl.uoa.gr

Pilar Garcés-Conejos Blitvich, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, pgblitvi at uncc.edu


 
Research on im/politenesshas witnessed an immense expansion over the last decades (e.g. Lakoff 1973;Brown & Levinson 1978/1987; Leech 1983; Eelen 2001; Watts 2003; Mills 2003;Culpeper &Kádár 2010; Kádár & Haugh2013; Leech 2014),although issues of im/politeness have been of concern topeople for centuries. On the other hand, globalisation is a term that has gained increasing momentumrelatively recently. The concept is complex and multi-faceted but broadlyspeaking it is assumed that it will lead to homogenisation of every aspect of people’slives (e.g. Held et al. 2003; Coupland 2003, 2010; Fairclough2006). Discourse practicesfall at the heart of globalisation not least because it entails mobility andincreasing numbers of various kinds of interactions both traditional and novel,especially given the development of technologically mediated communication. 

In this context, language itself is seen a commodity (Heller 2003) whichsells well if it is wrapped up with politeness (a hallmark of this being theservice sector). A powerful kind of politeness, which despite its soundingalien to many, is spreading, thus appears to be leading to the homogenisationof discourse practices (e.g. Cameron 2000, 2003). Yet this view is in sharp contrast with abasic tenet of much of the recent research on im/politeness, namely that evenwithin one culture there is considerable variation as to what is perceived aspolite or impolite (e.g. Kádár & Mills 2011; Culpeper 2011, 2012). However, since globalisation is a process whichimplies change, this change actually entails both homogenisation anddiversification “but in relation to each other. Globalization often produceshybridity and multiplicity” (Coupland 2010: 5). Interestingly, globalisationhas also been associated with an increase in impoliteness and aggression,especially in the media (e.g. Tannen 1993; Garcés-Conejos Blitvich2009) ratherthan seeing a growth in politeness. 


 
Theaim of this special issue is to encourage research on the many interconnectionsbetween im/politeness and globalisation, in areas such as the following:


 
·         academic settings

·         intercultural encounters

·         language change

·         language teaching /learning

·         media discourse 

·         political discourse

·         second language acquisition

·         second / foreign languageteaching / learning

·         service encounters

·         the workplace

·         translation

·         travel and tourism


 
Interested colleagues are invited to submit anabstract of about 350 words to both guest-editors’ e-mail addresses above.


 
The abstracts should include:

·     Title

·     Author’s name, current affiliation and e-mail address

·     Research question(s), methodology, findings of the research

·     Up to five key words

·     References


 
Thedeadline for abstract submission is the end of December, 2015. After a preliminary reviewby the special issue editors, the selected authors will be invited to submittheir full papers, along with a couple of names for possible reviewers, by September 30, 2016. Papers will be reviewed by the guest-editors (by theend of 2016) and the revised papers (due back, end of February 2017) will besent out to two external reviewers. Requests forfurther revisions will follow and the final revised and accepted papers will bedue no later than April 15, 2017. 


 
Our goalis to publish this special issue in the Journalof Pragmatics, pending acceptance of the proposal. 


 
For additional information, please contact the specialissue editors.


 
 
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