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VICEnglish LanguageQuick questions
Unit 3: Language variation and social purpose
Quick questions on Face needs and politeness theory in VCE English Language Unit 3
2short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.
What are face-threatening acts?Show answer
A face-threatening act (FTA) is any utterance that risks damaging someone's face. Requests, criticisms, refusals, disagreements, commands and interruptions all threaten face. Because bald FTAs damage relationships, speakers usually mitigate them.
What is politeness across register?Show answer
Politeness operates at both ends of the formality continuum, but the strategies differ. Formal register leans heavily on negative-face politeness: elaborate modality, distance and indirectness minimise imposition and signal respect ("I was wondering whether it might be possible to"). Informal register leans more on positive-face politeness: in-group slang, endearments and shared humour affirm belonging. Recognising which kind of face work a text prioritises helps you connect its features to its purpose.
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