English Politeness and Class

Sara Mills is Emeritus Professor in Linguistics at Sheffield Hallam University. Her field of interest is the differences and similarities between linguistic forms of expression in different languages, particularly in reference to what is considered polite. She is the author of Gender and Politeness (Cambridge, 2003) and has published many books and articles on politeness and discursive approaches to the analysis of politeness. She has also published on feminist linguistic theory, most notably Language and Sexism (Cambridge, 2008) and, with Louise Mullany, Language Gender and Feminism (2011).

'English Politeness and Class provides a timely contribution to the growing body of work in the field of politeness research that charts intra-cultural diversity. Demonstrating the applicability of recent developments in the theorization of linguistic (im)politeness and offering a fresh approach to the ideologies that inform politeness evaluations, Mills' book will be of great value to scholars across a wide range of disciplines who are interested in the relationship between language and culture.' Christine Christie, Loughborough University

• 1. Introduction; 2. Traditional approaches to language, culture and politeness; 3. Traditional approaches to British English politeness; 4. Politeness and class; 5. Materialist discursive approach to politeness, culture and norms; 6. Conclusions.