Introducing English Linguistics

threatening act (FTA)
, an utterance that undermines the tacit under-
standing that all language should preserve face. In determining the exact
level of politeness that will be employed to mitigate an FTA, Brown and
Levinson (1987: 15) propose three considerations: the power relationships
existing between speakers, their social distance, and the level of impo-
liteness that the FTA would create. Although numerous alternative views
of politeness exist (see Watts’ (2003: 49–53) survey of them), Brown and
Levinson’s work remains one of the more detailed and comprehensive
treatments of politeness.