Politeness / Register
What relationship and tone are we using?
Signification
The social layer of language: formal, informal, polite, intimate, respectful, rude, professional, child-directed, or peer-like.
Comment le repérer
Notice whether the wording changes depending on who speaks to whom.
Exemples
please|sir|formal you|informal you|honorific
Could you please|tu vs usted|Mr. Smith
Could you help me, please?
Visual guide
message: help me
^
social layer:
who talks to whom?
formal / polite / peer / rude
Could you help me, please?
How languages mark E11: pronoun: tu vs usted verb form: polite ending word: sir / Mr. Smith particle: please style: direct -> indirect
Vue par langue
Dans votre langue maternelle
Register is strongly marked by tu/vous, titles, verb forms, and indirectness.
Pourriez-vous m’aider ?
Could you help me?
Dans votre langue d’apprentissage
En anglais, la politesse passe souvent par le choix du modal, comme could ou would, par une formulation indirecte, l’intonation et des expressions fixes comme please.
Could you help me, please?
could you please = demande polie
Les apprenants peuvent traduire directement des formules polies de leur langue et paraître trop directs, trop distants ou trop formels.
Same block, different coding
Both languages use this block strongly, but they signal it differently. Focus on form changes, not only meaning.