| Body | This activity was created to help learners consider what expectations about politeness orientation, or group/individual orientation, they might find in their specific work or educational context. It was created for learners of all levels, and would be particularly useful for Facilitated Interdependent Language Learning contexts and other language self-study contexts. As such, the instructions are written as if the learner were the audience of this document.
Learning outcomes:
Learners will be able to:
- Define politeness orientation
- Identify sample utterances in the target language that favor +politeness orientation (group) or -politeness orientation (individual)
Mode(s): Interpersonal
Materials: Introduction to Language for Specific Purposes video, Politeness Orientation video, How to Orient Language at Work puzzle, Politeness Orientation Sort handout (choose English, Spanish, Chinese, or Japanese)
Procedure:
- First, begin to unlock what politeness orientation is about by completing the How to Orient Language at Work puzzle.
- Next, verify your answers by watching the Politeness Orientation video. Jot down two things that surprised you or you found interesting. Then, write one way you think politeness orientation might impact communication in a workplace setting.
- Then, watch the Introduction to Language for Specific Purposes video. As you watch, think about what you wrote down in Step 2. Would you know what phrases are more indicative of a +politeness orientation (group) or a -politeness orientation (Individual)?
- Test your knowledge by deciding which Politeness Orientation Sort handout you would like to complete: English, Spanish, Chinese, or Japanese. If your L2 is one of these languages, complete the handout in that language. If your L2 is another language, you can complete the handout in English or brainstorm equivalent or similar phrases in your L2 (with an expert speaker is ideal).
Notes:
- Next Steps (to be completed at another time): Investigate the workplace context of your choosing to see if the communication trends have more of a +politeness orientation (group) or a -politeness orientation (individual). Some sources to investigate include expert speakers, travel blogs, and YouTube videos. Note that your answers may be dependent on the workplace context. For example, you would likely expect more -politeness orientation in a clinic in Taiwan than in a business meeting. If you can’t find clear answers, do not worry! Use the trends you see in the utterances from your word sort as your guide as you have more opportunities to observe the target language in practice as you continue your studies.
- Find an answer key to the How to Orient Language at Work puzzle here.
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