Chapter I. Theoretical foundations and approaches to the study of politeness 7

:-) jilmayib;
:-))) kulib;
:-D quvnoq kulib;
:-| vazmin, neytral;
:-( qayg'uli;
:-/ norozi yoki hayron;
:-0 hayron (og'zini ochiq).
The use of emoticons is frequently used to underline the written text. For example, “I am just kidding. Hehehe~”; “This is funny. Hahaha!”; “I am really upset about my test score “, “I am getting married. XD”, etc. The following table shows some emoticons which are frequently seen in online communication:

S.R. Hiltz notes that the lack of nonverbal cues in computer-mediated communication may cause difficulty in communication⁹¹. Therefore, emoticons, in addition to the function of showing emotions, can also be used in nonverbal strategy to maintain interactional harmony by mitigating or strengthening words, e.g., “I had a big fight with my parents >_<“. To maintain good communication, many people will modulate their verbal messages with nonverbal vocal and kinesic messages to avoid conflict and also to show their care of other people’s feelings, i.e. by offering criticism in a pleasant tone with a smiley face.
The means of expressing explicit politeness are routine formulas, clichés, lexical and grammatical means. The means of implicit politeness are complemented by strategies of caution and strategies to avoid or reduce aggression; they largely correspond to the strategies of distancing (negative) and solidarizing (positive) politeness.
To explicit means, we also include conventional means that are used in the implementation of indirect motives or desires of the speaker (for example, indirect questions with Can ...?), and thereby significantly narrow the group of implicit means. Most of the language means and ways of representing the category of politeness in English, which will be described below in this chapter, relate to the forms of implementation of explicit politeness.
Basically, for the expression of politeness / impoliteness in English (as in other languages), there are two groups of means: 1) universal means of expressing politeness / impoliteness (they are marked on this basis), and 2) means that receive the status of polite / impolite in depending on the situation of communication, a specific communicative context.
In the first case, the sign is assigned to the form - language conventions, in the second case, speech conventions of use play an important role. Universal markers of politeness for directive speech act are, for example, lexemes please, kindly, possible, special politeness formulas, for example, ‘Would you mind ...?’; ‘I would be much responsible if you do...' etc.
In general, e-mail messages should be written in a very polite and formal style. Therefore, when starting to write an e-mail, if there is one, you can start with the name and surname of the recipient, and in other cases, you can enter the name of the organization. Words you need to get started: Dear Mr. Johnson; Dear Professor Steyne; Dear Effort Team members. At the end of the message, of course, you should express your gratitude and, if necessary, express that you are looking forward to a reply. The following words can be used to express gratitude: “Thank you for your time”; “Thanks for your help; I really appreciate it!”; "I look forward to receiving your response soon!". At the end of the message, you should politely restate your identity: Sincerely; Best Regards; Respectfully.
Email as a medium of communication has quickly spread over the past two decades and is nowadays often used as the main channel in the academic environment. M. Economidou-Kogetsidis claims that students view the medium as positioned somewhere between written discourse (formal letters) and oral discourse and thus tend to disrespect certain politeness rules, even more so as the Face threat seems to be mitigated by the physical absence of both participants⁹². Furthermore, A. Danielewicz-Betz brings attention to the fact that due to relative newness of email as a communication channel, there are no established norms for such interaction; in fact the author claims that there is a lack of generally accepted rules of netiquette or e-politeness⁹³. In relation to this issue, A. Hallajian, M.K. David suggest that the academic staff often view students’ emails as impolite and admit this fact shapes their approach to the students⁹⁴. L. Grabowski as cited in A. Danielewicz-Betz introduces a concept of so-called lazy emails⁹⁵. Such emails “would be typically sent without a salutation (no greeting), students would ask for information about a missed class; use excessive abbreviations unconventional punctuation (e.g., multiplied exclamation marks that read like yelling), with the whole message sometimes typed entirely in lower case.” On account of these features it appears that sloppy email communication is influenced by texting, and more particularly instant messaging⁹⁶.
3.2-§. Using positive politeness expressions and sentence frames in e-mails
“Positive politeness is a redressive action oriented toward the positive Face of the hearer, the positive self-image that he claims for himself, and his desire that his wants should be thought of as desirable to at least some others.”⁹⁷
“Positive politeness is approach-based; it ‘anoints’ the face of the addressee by indicating that in some respects, the speaker wants the hearer’s wants (e.g. by treating him as a member of an in group, a friend, a person whose wants and personality traits are known and liked).”⁹⁸
Positive politeness is presented through exaggerated “normal linguistic behavior between intimates” such as shared knowledge, shared wants, reciprocal approval and interest in indicated wants. Hence it can be used as a social accelerator enabling the speaker to “come closer” to the hearer. As positive politeness is not restricted to a particular FTA, but it rather addresses the hearer’s self-image and his wants in general, we expect that it would occur in requests marginally.
The output strategies of positive politeness are grouped into three major categories:
a) Claim common ground: The first mechanism comprises so-called claiming common ground. With these strategies, the speaker shows that the speaker and hearer share specific wants, the speaker may thus express that he takes interest in the hearer’s wants, that both the speaker and the hearer share an in-group membership, or simply some sort of common perspective.
b) Convey that the speaker and the hearer are co-operators: The second type of positive politeness strategies portrays both the speaker and the hearer cooperatively involved in a common activity. These six strategies emphasize the speaker’s knowledge of the hearer’s wants, and certain reciprocity/reflexivity in the hearer’s and the speaker’s wants for themselves.
c) Fulfil the hearer’s want (for some X): The last strategy indicates the speaker’s willingness to redress the hearer’s face by offering to fulfil some of the hearer’s wants.
Claim common ground
1. Notice, attend to the hearer (his interests, wants needs, goods): You must be hungry, it’s a long time since breakfast. How about some lunch?
2. Exaggerate (interest, approval, sympathy with the hearer): What a fantastic garden you have!; How absolutely marvellous/extraordinary/devastating/incredible!
3. Intensify interest to the hearer: I come down the stairs, and what do you think I see?—a huge mess all over the place, the phone’s off the hook and clothes are scattered all over...
4. Use in-group identity markers: Come here, mate/honey/buddy.
Use of in-group language or dialect
First call: Come here, Johnny.
Second call: John Henry Smith, you come here right away.
Use of jargon or slang:
In British English: Lend us two quid then, wouldja mate?
In American English: Lend us two bucks then, wouldja Mac?
Contraction and ellipsis: How about a drink?

6. 
   Seek agreement (Safe topics, Repetition):
   

A: I had a flat tyre on the way home.
B: Oh God, a flat tyre!
7. Avoid disagreement:
Token agreement
A: So, is this permanent?
B: Yeh, it’s ‘permanent’—permanent until I get married again.
Pseudo-agreement: I’ll meet you in front of the theatre just before 8.0, then.
The growth of the Internet and expansion of computer and mobile technologies have generated a communication revolution, with an increasing number of people interacting via a broad range of communication platforms, such as e-mail, text-chat, forums, blogs, wikis, etc. For the new “cyber” generation, communication with the help of digital technology, mobile phones in particular, is the predominant way of daily interaction. Example:

Dear Professor Johnson,
I was unable to attend class today due to a doctor’s appointment. When you have a moment, could please let me know what I missed and what homework I need to have completed for Friday?
Thank you,
Julia Smith

Etiquette letters are one of the types of business correspondence. Most often, they are written not for production needs, but in a situation where you need to pay attention to your partner. Like any type of letter, a letter of etiquette is drawn up on the letterhead of the organization, which is personally signed by the head. This type of business correspondence includes: 1) Letter of congratulation; 2) Letters on the occasion of the presentation; 3) Letter of apology; 4) Letter of regret; 5) Letter of invitation; 6) Letters on the occasion of departure; 7) Letter of condolence, letter of sympathy; 8) Presentation letter; 9) Image letters.

An invitation letter is one of the types of business correspondence, which is drawn up when it is necessary to invite one person to another in writing. The reason for writing an invitation letter can be various events, such as conferences, exhibitions, seminars, charity evenings, etc.
Korets G.B. believes that letters of invitation and responses to them are an integral part of business correspondence. Such letters are usually short with standard content. In private life, most invitations are received by us orally. However, there are a number of situations where a letter or printed card is the most appropriate way to invite people.
Invitations can be both formal and informal. Informal letters of invitation are written on the letterhead of the organization. The addressee has the right not to respond to such a letter, because it is sent in a mass mailing. Formal letters of invitation to a reception or business meeting can be sent either as a printed or engraved postcard, or as a standard letter on letterhead. In case of receiving a letter of this type, feedback is expected from the addressee. The response to the letter of invitation is always written in the third person.