Abstract
The paper presents a study of the functions of greetings in context to different social beliefs and behavior of the people. The paper is based on research that will be conducted by reviewing literature and writings of various philosophers and researchers. The study starts with the theory of Austin’s Speech Act and explains the origin and practical application of the theory in real life. Austin’s Speech Act theory says that actually what we say is what we do. The paper presents all pragmatic functions of greetings and the uses of greetings in social interaction. The paper presents a study on greetings as linguistic habits of politeness. The paper reviews the theories and thoughts of different writers who have given their views on the linguistic habits of courtesy. It relates linguistic habits and greetings in a social scenario that could be used to develop human behavior and thoughts. The research also examines the use of greetings in social interaction. The study finally represents the social factors affecting the choice of greetings in linguistic interaction. In doing so, the Laver’s framework of greetings will be utilized to observe the effects of the social factors on the choice of greetings. Most importantly, the paper sketches a study on the functions and use of greetings in social life.
Introduction
Greetings are truly essential part of social interaction all around the globe. In every culture, people have efficiently utilized suitable greetings behavior to control social, interpersonal affiliation. As far as sociology is concerned, the appropriate functions of greetings can be termed as one of the major disciplines to be studied. Meanwhile, the study of the functions of greetings can help us to investigate how people with different cultures, languages, and social customs have applied greetings to maintain politeness in the interpersonal relationship (Gleason, Perlmann & Greif, 2014). In the case of sociolinguistic perspective, the study on this particular subject can reveal the essential social factors dominating the choice of greetings within a culture. Considering the comments, gestures and signs utilized in greetings, the study will figure out a descriptive framework on which the system greetings are functioning. The proposal paper has been developed to discuss the basic assumptions to be maintained in the interactive system and the effects of the same. Mainly, greetings are an impulsive, emotional response to make a significant bonding among the people of society. On the basis of cultures, social people have conventionalized a routine practice such as greetings to start or end a conversation following a scrupulous pattern.
Research Objective
The main objective of the research is to study the functions of greetings in context to different social beliefs and behavior of the people. The study mainly focuses on critically evaluating several theories on greetings and linguistic habits of politeness. The paper also presents a study on the social factors that has an impact on the usage of greetings in daily life. Hence, the main aim of the paper is to observe and present several works of literature and provide a view on the theories to help researchers to develop the theories and function of usage of greetings in social interaction.
Research Structure
The research starts with an introduction to the given topic. The introduction chapter will provide a basic knowledge about the function of the use of greetings in social interaction. A literature review has been presented in which several theories related to the topic are reviewed. The theories presented by different authors have been studied and evaluated to draw a proper framework for the research paper (Maher et al., 2014). The procedure for conducting the research has been presented in the methodology section that explains the use of data collection techniques, population sampling and the use of qualitative research in the completion of the paper. The analyzed data will be presented in the form of results and findings of the research. As this is a research proposal, the overview of the results and findings have been presented in a shorter form that will help in further researches on the given topic. The paper ends with a conclusion and suggestion that will present a path for the researchers to study the topic in the future.
Literature Review
Pragmatic utility of Greetings
The literature review on greetings can explore quite a few hypothetical and methodological segments that can be briefed by the literature and research done by human ethnologists, language act theorists, ethnographers and discussion analysts. Considering the tradition of ethologic, the study of greetings can be signified as discovering something very evolutionary that can be based on the behavior of human (Hidalgo Navarro & Cabedo Nebot, 2014). In some cases, greetings can be considered as a form of rituals that encode with potential aggression. As far as the pragmatic utility of greetings is concerned, it can be used as the form of illocutionary acts to define requests, promises, commands, complaints, advice and orders. According to the theory of Austin, illocutionary acts can be categorized into six categories such as assertive, directives, expressive, verdictives, commissive, and effective (Wei, 2010). The illocutionary acts have been significantly utilized in greetings as far as interpersonal communication is concerned. Mainly, the greetings have performed in a conventional method to express some of the illocutionary acts effectively. The routinization of the expressions utilized in greetings can add politeness to the everyday conversation. In the case of linguistic politeness, Brown and Levinson’s theory of politeness has referred greetings as the tool of courteous behavior in a linguistic pattern.
Uses of Greetings
Considering Brown and Levinson’s theoretical model of politeness, the utilization of greetings in social culture has been identified and defined in this very review of literature section. In the case of analyzing the greeting strategies, the particular model can be termed as ideal for the analytic framework (Joseph, 2013). As greetings are conventional routine for starting up any conversation, the factors of social relationship have significantly affected by the same. According to Brown and Levinson’s theoretical model of politeness, five significant strategies can be applied to maintain the level of social exchanges as follows.
Positive politeness,
Negative politeness,
Off-the-record,
Direct on record, and
Without the Face Threatening Acts (FTA).
Considering the strategies, categorizing greetings can be a lot more difficult. Some linguistic experts have argued about these five topics referred those as inappropriate. On the other hand, most of the researchers have studied the five strategies into two specific categories i.e. high esteem greetings and commonality greetings (Holtgraves, 2005). Considering the worth of a particular culture or relationship, greetings appropriately put a relative weight on the verbal communication system in a polite way. Brown and Levinson’s theoretical model of politeness have, therefore, indicated most suitable style to be maintained in a verbal communication. In this way, a contrastive study on greetings has identified the actual impact of the same on the situation.
The Universality of Conventional Greetings
The study of greetings as a social cultural form can eventually provide how communities all around the globe have utilized conventional greetings in speech activity. In the case of activity specific greetings, some of the residents of different countries have utilized the same sort of greetings. Only the language has been different to represent the greetings. For instance, in American English, citizens are used to saying ‘hi’ whereas, in the Italian language, the citizens have utilized ‘ciao’. Considering the expressions used in greetings, literature from the past research can show how people belonged to different social culture have used an identical form of greetings. In the case of modern social interaction, most of the communities have utilized the English term ‘how are you doing?’ in greetings perspective (Kasanga & Lwanga-Lumu, 2007). Meanwhile, the universality of conventional greetings has efficiently served the social public to develop greetings as a form of ritual. In this scenario, one must concentrate on the precise items and exclusive phrases that have been utilized in different languages as a form of greetings. Building onto the topic given here, identification of specific problems is worth recognizing to deliver an idea of greetings (Troutman, 2010). The overall content of the previous research can establish a spatiotemporal section for human interaction and greetings methods. The Austin’s Speech Act Theory has mentioned the simplicity of human nature. For instance, in real life our work and greetings certainly reflect our thoughts.
Classifying Greetings across Global Language
Considering the broader picture relevant to the topic, previous studies of the functionality of greetings have purposely discussed the distinct classification of greetings around the global language. In a particular language community, there are six recurring characteristics that can be utilized to identify the form of greetings as follows.
Adjacency brace format;
Local-boundary occurrence;
Founding a public perceptual field;
Relative inevitability of content;
Configure a spatio-chronological pool unit of verbal interaction; and
Detection of the interlocutor for distinct reformulation (Troutman, 2010).
Developing a verbal interaction through ceremonial greetings can be recognized as one of the social procedures. According to many researchers, some of the official greetings can be followed by some exchanges of jokes or some funny questions among the participants. Observationally, the function of greetings can be theoretically applied to impress the participants involved in a conversation (Yabuuchi, 2006). As far as the social status of a community is concerned, significant greetings rituals have been appreciated by the social community. In this way, some mutual recognition can be acknowledged by the social community to develop a greetings culture. In English culture, people tend to be more formal as far as greetings are concerned (Skopek & Garner, 2014).
Limitations of Social Factors in use of Greetings
According to the Brown and Levinson’s theoretical model of politeness, there are several social factors affecting greetings strategies. One of the major social factors is the weight of seriousness that can be represented in any communication (Yabuuchi, 2006). For example, when a group of people is discussing on a serious note, they use minimum greetings in conversation mode. In the case of some occasions, there is no need to use any greetings. As methods of communication have built up a unique understanding between the speakers, the polite form of greetings may influence the participants view. However, in some cases, greetings are merely used to develop and augment social affairs between the communicating parties (Perrin, Deshaies & Paradis, 2003). Therefore, sometimes greetings do not influence the unrestrained goals of a conversation. Regarding this point, this is a serious limitation in the use of greetings. For instance, if two people are angry on a given topic, there is no necessity for using any greetings in a conversation. Moreover, choosing of the correct form of greetings is an essential part of utilization. Using wrong greetings mistakenly without knowing the actual meaning can be so ugly. Therefore, by linguistic resources and social cultures, appropriate use of greetings expression must be marked as mandatory (Takhtarova, 2015). As social people of cultured nations have developed their significant methods of greetings, appropriate selection of greeting expression must be learned in order to develop cultural efficiency. Meanwhile, Brown and Levinson’s theoretical model of politeness have been significantly effective in western cultures such as American cultural or English culture.
Methodology
Research Design
The research design is a blueprint of the paper that present the way in which the hypothesis has been presented for better understanding of the readers. The particular research proposal has been constructed using descriptive research, a perfect and valid solution is provided to the research topic. The Descriptive research is used to draw a relationship between the variables that are used to conduct the analysis. It provides a descriptive discussion on the results and findings of the research. Considering the research discussion point, descriptive research design can put the focus on some major points regarding greetings culture. Hence, to analyse the theories on a given topic, the descriptive form of research will be conducted to draw a proper conclusion.
Data Collection
Data collection is one of the most important tasks of a research study. There are different types of data collection method that are used for increasing the knowledge and database of the researcher. The first data collection method utilized in this very paper can be identified as secondary data collection method in which the data is collected from the secondary sources like books and journals that are found in printed formats or on the internet. In this research, the secondary data collection method will be utilized that will help to collect data from the prior literature, journals and other sources. For instance, ‘The Functions and Use of Greetings’can be termed as one of the main written sources from where essential data and information has been collected (Wei, 2010). This data will be analyzed to draw the results and findings of the research.
Sampling Technique
A research study involves a huge population out of which only a few samples are considered to collect the data and information for the hypothesis. It is not possible to consider the entire population because of the huge size. There the paper will be drawn by using different kinds of literature that will be chosen on a purposive basis. According to the purposive sampling technique, the population is chosen according to the relation between the information provided by literature and the information needed for conducting the research. The literature used in the research will be used to analyze the prior theories on the function of the use of greetings.
Research analysis
The most important part of the research is the analysis portion. The success of the research study relies on the analysis techniques that are used to evaluate the data and information collected for the research. There are two different types of research analysis technique. One is known as a qualitative research technique and the other in known are quantitative research technique. In this research, the qualitative research technique will be used that will help to draw a relationship between the variables in a descriptive manner. The research will not include any statistical or numerical hypothesis, but will be drawn on the basis of the relation between the variables that are related to the topic. A discussion will be presented that will help the readers to understand the results and findings of the research.
Limitations
The major limitation of a research study is the time constraint that bounds the completion of the paper in a given time. It is important for a researcher to prepare a proper plan for conducting research to complete the entire study in a particular period. There are many other research limitations that are faced while conducting the research. Another most important research limitation is the problems faced while collecting data. The Internet and library sources can be used to collect data for the research study. There are some uncertainties that may occur while conducting the research. Hence, it is important for the researcher to be prepared for the unknown uncertainties that may occur while conducting the research. Hence, a properly plan can be the key element of a successful research.
Ethical consideration
It is important to consider the rules and regulations while conducting a research study. Maintaining the right code of regulations can help a researcher to avoid unwanted situations that may delay the completion of the paper (Miller, Wu & Funk, 2008). It is important to note that the research conducted must not harm a living being mentally or physically. The researcher must follow the rules and regulations of the authorized body and submit the proposal for the research for approval of the higher authority.
Overview of the results and findings
The Austin’s Speech Act Theory as well as the Levinson and Brown’s model is proved to be helpful in providing discussion on the use and functions of greetings in American and English language. The major truth is that there is a variation in the greeting usage across different languages or even across different social groups. The greeting usage changes from one individual to another or even within a same from one situation to another. Greeting is a universal phenomenon but changes with the cultural specification. The Levinson and Brown’s theory can be proved to be validated. There is no principle that governs the expression of greetings, but it changes with social variation among the community. Considering the complex overall situation in global culture, it would be perfect to mention that greetings are a complimentary resource in a social conversation. An statistical data analysis have been presented to show the politeness function in greetings.
Social Factors Constraining the Use of Greetings
According to Brown and Levinson’s theory of politeness, the weight of seriousness in a conversation can be determined using 2 social factors and a cultural factor as follows.
Wx= D(S, H) + P (H, S) + Rx
Here, Wx signifies the weightiness of conversation; D(S, H) stands for the social detachment between H (hearer) and S (speaker) (Wei, 2010). On the other hand, P(H, S) defines the power of hearer and speaker involved in a conversation. Finally, Rx stands for the complete ranking of nuisance in a particular culture. Following the theory, if we have to determine the degree of politeness (X) in a greeting that can be defined as
X= D(S, H) + P (H, S) =
The degree of politeness in greetings therefore can be dependent on both D, P and some other variable social factors as seen in the above. In addition to that, in a conversation if P is left constant, X varies with D. For instance,
Conversation 1
Smith: Hey, Rebecca! Good evening!
Rebecca: Hey Smith! Glad to meet you at point of the day! How are you?
Smith: Thanks! It is an honor to meet you. Would you like some coffee?
Conversation 2
Clara: How do you, Mr. Johnson?
Johnson: I’m fine. How are you, Ms. Clara?
In the first conversation, the participants extend their conversation but in the second case it is relatively short. Therefore, the degree of politeness can be defined by the social and cultural factors as well as the length and importance of a discussion.
Summary
The proposal paper has been developed to identify the significant functions and utilization of greetings in modern culture. Considering the review of the literature on this topic and Brown and Levinson’s theoretical model of politeness, one must admit that in modern culture, greetings can be termed as a global routine phenomenon to develop communication. Identifying the cultural specification, British and Americans have efficiently utilized Brown and Levinson’s theoretical model of politeness in cultural elaboration. Understanding the intercultural studies has successfully evaluated how the culture of a society has influenced the use of greetings. According to socio-historical circumstances, the modern community has utilized greetings to define a range of unrestrained acts that can enhance the process of interaction between two speakers. In particular, the proposal paper has defined the actual greeting exchange techniques and motive of the participants involved in a discussion. Meanwhile, greetings work in favor of a speaker accomplishing a pragmatic understanding of a conversation.
References
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