polite behavior as unnecessary and offensive." Speaker (S) will weigh: the want to communicate the content of the face-threatening act in question the want to be efficient or urgent the want to maintain H's face to any degree In most cooperative circumstances where 3. is greater than 2., S will want to minimize the face-threatening act. Payoffs associated with each strategy In deciding which strategy to use, the speaker runs through the individual payoffs of each strategy. Bald on-record enlists public pressure, puts H in the public eye if there are others present S gets credit for honesty, outspokenness which avoids the danger of seeming manipulative, yet can come across as abrasive and tactless S avoids danger of being misunderstood by putting intended meaning directly into utterance without the reliance upon the pragmatic meaning Positive politeness minimizes threatening aspect by assuring that S considers to be of the same kind with H, increasing the sense of solidarity and decreasing their social distance criticism may lose much of its sting if done in a way that asserts mutual friendship when S includes themself equally as a participant in the request or offer, it may lessen the potential for face-threatening act debt Ex: a person says "Let's get on with dinner" to their spouse in front of the television: by using the first person plural of the imperative form of the verb, the speaker is able to include themself as a recipient of the order, just like the hearer, likewise increasing solidarity. Negative politeness Helps avoid future debt by keeping social distance and not getting too familiar with H pays respect or deference by assuming that you may be intruding on the hearer in return for the face-threatening act. Ex: "I don't mean to bother you, but can I ask a quick question?" Off record get credit for being tactful, non-coercive avoid responsibility for the potentially face-damaging interpretation give the addressee an opportunity to seem to care for S because it tests H's feelings towards S If S wants H to close the window, he may say "It's cold in here." If H answers "I'll go close the window" then he is responding to this potentially threatening act by giving a "gift" to the original speaker and therefore S avoids the potential threat of ordering H around and H gets credit for being generous or cooperative Don't do the face-threatening act. S