Politeness in an Internet Relay Chat Room

Abstract

Despite considerable research in the area of politeness, and many studies into Computer-Mediated Communication, little is known about politeness issues in Internet Relay Chat (IRC). This study seeks to shed some light on the area by investigating a series of interactions in the IRC medium. Consideration of IRC itself is followed by an in-depth look at Brown and Levinson’s (1987) Model of Linguistic Politeness and closely-related issues of face and facework. The study analyses three extracts of IRC exchanges obtained from an IRC chat room, identifies a variety of Brown and Levinson’s politeness strategies, and considers their intended use. Findings suggest the strategies are used: 1) to convey a feeling of closeness (positive politeness) to other IRC participants, and 2) to downplay the seriousness of offensive comments (negative politeness).