Usefulness of Teaching Politeness Strategies in English Language Classrooms

Abstract

In English Language Teaching (ELT) coursebooks, few aspects of politeness are presented; neither its pragmatic aspects nor its linguistic elements are dealt with in detail. Thus, the question presents itself whether knowledge of politeness is necessary for L2 learners. The focus of this study was to examine the usefulness of teaching politeness strategies in English and make recommendations regarding whether and how they should generally be presented to higher level adult language learners. The study was conducted in three different stages: (1) personal interviews with English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners to ascertain their views; (2) a taught lesson based on the result of the interviews; (3) evaluation of the questionnaires completed by the participants regarding the usefulness/effectiveness of such teaching material. According to the findings, it is possible to teach politeness strategies, and the learners indicated the usefulness of this knowledge in everyday situations in the UK. With the aid of such strategies, learners will be able to make informed choices regarding language use in situations that require politeness.