Junior Fellow Speaker Series
Miriam Locher, Visiting Professor, University of Basel
The interpersonal aspect of language use — or why politeness matters
Prof. Locher will introduce you to one of her favorite research fields: the use of language to shape, maintain, challenge, and confirm relationships. In the past this question was addressed under the label politeness, while nowadays the theoretical framework is more open to address issues of linguistic identity construction in general. In daily interactions at St. John’s College, and international graduate, we become aware of our subconscious norms of appropriateness in cross-cultural communication: we have expectations about how people should greet each other, how they address each other, how you show that you are listening, or how you choose the right level of formality. Once these expectations are not met, cross-cultural misunderstandings can arise. Locher will illustrate how linguists tackle this field of research and will draw on plenty examples.
Tuesday, October 16 | 8:00 pm | Fairmont Social Lounge at St. John’s College