On Politeness Strategies Of Teacher Talk In Classrooms Of Postgraduate English Program

Teacher talk, as the important factor for teacher and students’interaction, is gaining increase recognition. Therefore, scholars have made studies on teacher talk from different disciplines. In this thesis, it analyzes teacher talk in classrooms of English postgraduate program from the perspective of politeness, with the purpose of describing its application and function in teaching.Taking the teacher talk in foreign linguistics and applied linguistics and English language and literature of Hainan University as the research objects, based on Brown&Levinson’s face theory as the guiding theory, it interprets the application of politeness strategy in teacher talk. The purpose of this study is to analyze the types and effects of the application of politeness in this types of teacher talk. The present study adopts audio-recording to collect data. After transcribing the data, there are491valid teacher talk.Based on the findings, there are four main politeness strategies:bald-on-record, positive politeness strategy, negative politeness strategy, and off-record. In questions, teachers mainly use11polite ways to realize these four politeness strategies:displacing hearer, asking the questions directly, showing deference, offering help, giving hints, and so on. Broadly speaking, when raising questions, teachers always adopt many ways to meet students’negative face wants, and encourage students to attend the discussion. For feedbacks, there are13polite ways to realize the four politeness strategies. They are showing disagreement, correcting, thanks, agreement, praise, be vague, etc. Teachers mainly use positive politeness strategy for it can satisfy students’positive face, and promote the interaction.According to observation and data analysis, it also finds that students have strong face wants. Teachers can adopt many polite ways to satisfy their needs. The application of politeness strategies can smooth the relationship, improve teaching effects. There are some similarities and differences between undergraduates’ and postgraduates’lessons for the application of politeness.The politeness of teacher talk has a close relation with teaching effects and the realization of teaching targets. This thesis makes an empiridal study of postgraduates’ subject lessons,explores the application of politeness. It is benefit for exploring how politeness guide English teaching, and widening research scope of politeness strategy.