Congratulations, Commiserations and Good Wishes : Positive Politeness Strategies Promoting Mutuality in an Online Community
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| Year of publication | 2015 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
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| Description | The last two decades have seen an unprecedented boom and increasing worldwide popularity of the Internet attracting millions of users logging in not only to look for information, but also to interact and communicate with others. One of the oldest as well as most widespread forms of online communication is discussion/message boards, i.e. on-line polylogues with a certain time lag. Discussion boards often give rise to online communities developing a feeling of mutuality and cooperation despite the obstacles posed by the seemingly impersonal and detached technology. These communities tend to design and pursue their own strategies and develop an in-group language enabling efficient communication. Among other linguistic devices, this community spirit is enhanced also by employing various politeness strategies. Based on a pragmatic analysis of several discussion boards dedicated to the so-called “women’s topics”, such as losing weight or trying to conceive a child, the present paper aims to examine how online participants express concern and sympathy for each other via congratulations, commiserations and good wishes both in order to minimize the threat posed by the sensitive nature of the afore-mentioned topics and to enhance cooperation and solidarity in their online community. |