Politeness in the History of English

Author / Editor
Jucker, Andreas H.

Title
Politeness in the History of English

Published
Richard Dury et al., eds. English Historical Linguistics 2006: Selected Papers from the Fourteenth International Conference on English Historical Linguistics (ICEHL 14), Bergamo, 21- 25 August 2006. Volume II: Lexical and Semantic Change. Amsterdam: John Benjamins, 2008, pp. 3-29.

Description
Arguing that contemporary "negative" politeness may function in public only, Jucker surveys historical functions of politeness in English. Analyzes Chaucer's use of "thou" and "you" forms in ClT as "retractable," i.e., variable by situation, rapidly shifting, and dependent on levels of "politeness and respect" as well as on "affection and intimacy."

Alternative Title
English Historical Linguistics 2006: Selected Papers from the Fourteenth International Conference on English Historical Linguistics (ICEHL 14), Bergamo, 21- 25 August 2006.
Lexical and Semantic Change.

Chaucer Subjects
Language and Word Studies
Clerk and His Tale