Politeness Maxims in a Public Speech (Based on Angela Merkel’s Speeches)

Abstract

This article studies the mechanisms of successful delivery of a public political speech in terms of the politeness principle, which includes 6 conversational maxims: tact, sympathy, agreement, approbation, modesty and generosity. Any public speech of a politician should be aimed at establishing a psychological and emotional contact with the addressee in order to achieve the desired perlocutionary effect. The methods and means of observing the maxim of tact (in terms of implementing its second sub-maxim) and the maxim of sympathy are analysed using the speeches of former German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The research aimed to identify and describe the main strategies of positive and negative politeness, which are employed to observe the politeness maxims under study. The scientific value of this work is determined by the fact that the German public political speech is studied in the aspect of the politeness category, which is of great importance both for interpersonal and for mass communication, whose participants (addresser/addressee) need to save their face. The practical significance of the paper consists in the possibility of using the research results in lecture courses on German linguistics as well as in special courses on cultural linguistics, language teaching, and intercultural communication. It was established that the second sub-maxim of the tact maxim (maximizing the benefit to the interlocutor) is realized with the help of the strategy of showing respect, which is one of the strategies of negative politeness aimed at maintaining the negative face of the communicant. The tact maxim is actualized in the speech acts of greeting and address. The maxim of sympathy is realized through several strategies of positive politeness (marking intragroup affiliation, demonstrating increased interest, and exaggeration) in the speech acts of greeting, address, congratulation, giving wishes, expressing empathic joy and gratitude.