There are different politeness strategies that people use to avoid or mitigate the possibility of threatening the face of someone else. Consider the following scenario: Bernice loaned her favorite DVD's to her friend Tamara. She now wants them back, so she says to Tamara: "Are you enjoying the DVD's I gave you?" Which politeness strategy is Bernice using to avoid threatening Tamara's face? A) neutral politeness B) negative politeness C) positive politeness D) going off-record E) bald on-record

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Bernice is using the "going off-record" politeness strategy by making an indirect statement rather than directly asking for the DVDs back. This allows Tamara to infer the request without being put on the spot, thus minimizing the threat to her face.

There Are Different politeness Strategies that People Use to Avoid