How do politeness strategies differ in Spanish complaints and apologies

Politeness strategies in Spanish complaints and apologies differ in how direct or indirect speakers are and how they manage face-threatening acts. Complaints in Spanish tend to be carefully mitigated to maintain politeness, often using indirect language, lengthy openers, and over-mitigation to soften the face-threatening nature of complaints. Apologies, on the other hand, usually involve explicit recognition of the fault with polite forms like “lo siento” (“I’m sorry”) or “perdón”, and they frequently employ strategies to restore the social harmony after a face-threatening act.

Politeness in Spanish Complaints

• Complaints are seen as face-threatening for the hearer and require delicate handling.
• Speakers tend to use indirectness, mitigation, and delay the explicit complaint to avoid offending.
• Over-mitigation and polite buffering are common, especially among female speakers.
• Complaints include the use of elaborate openings and indirect requests for redress rather than direct confrontation. ¹

Politeness in Spanish Apologies

• Apologies focus on explicit acknowledgment of wrongdoing and expressions of regret.
• Key politeness markers include direct phrases like “lo siento” and “perdón”.
• Apologies aim to restore face and repair relationships by showing humility and responsibility.
• The approach is more direct compared to complaints but framed with politeness markers to maintain harmony. ²

Differences

In summary, Spanish complaints generally use indirect, mitigated politeness strategies to avoid confrontation, while apologies use more direct but respectfully framed language to acknowledge fault and mend relationships. ^{1, 2}

References

• “I would like to complain”: A study of the moves and strategies employed by Spanish EFL learners in formal complaint e-mails

• La variación en la cortesía: estudio pragmalingüístico del fenómeno en el español castellano

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• The Rise and Fall of Yiddish

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