Resumen de An empirical study of Chinese request strategies

Wei Hong

• Based on a questionnaire administered in Gansu Province, China, this study examines the use of linguistic politeness in Chinese requests. The analysis of this data shows that the choice of polite linguistic usage in requests depends greatly on the social distance (D) between the Speaker and hearer and their relative power relation (P). Besides these sociolinguistic variables which may affect request behavior, Chinese culture, the social System, and public relations under socialism are also ofweight in the choice of request strategies. Following the lines of Brown and Levinson s politeness theoryt this study offers empirical support for their theory and concrete Chinese evidencefor their models of politeness strategies. The results of this study may also be of Import for the teaching of Chinese requests.