Az Eszterházy Károly Tanárképző Főiskola Tudományos Közleményei. 1998. Vol. 2. Eger Journal of English Studies.(Acta Academiae Paedagogicae Agriensis : Nova series ; Tom. 26)

Studies - Ágnes Deli: Cognition and politeness

or 8. What are you like? definitely demand an answer. Another approach to cognition and politeness can be another 'physical' explanation, which implies the concept: MORE IS MORE. The larger the physical distance between two persons the less likely a "physical invasion" into their territories. The longer an utterance the more time it takes and the more abstract distance it implies. The longer the PATH the further away the PHYSICAL GOAL. If the goal is the addressee's mind, and the speaker's intention is to make the addressee react, the longer the time available for the addressee to prepare for the response the less the psychological compellation. By deliberately making the distance larger the speaker emphasizes his unwillingness to intrude on the addressee. The concept MORE IS MORE seems compatible with Johnson and Lakoff s conceptual metaphor: CLOSENESS IS STRENGTH OF EFFECT (1980:128-132), and this allows us to make a step further and the following plausible inference. DISTANCE IS LACK OF STRENGTH. This metaphor seems to underly not only to politeness, but also to common abstract concepts. It is probably such conceptual metaphors that provide basis for the meaning of several words and phrases used to describe human behaviour and relationships, too. A person who keeps the distance does not want to get involved or have power. Someone who is called distant is cold, emotionally detached and unfriendly. A stand-offish person is rather unfriendly and behaves in a formal or distant way to other people, whereas a close friend usually has a strong effect on us. 98