FACE-ATTACKING AND FACE-ENHANCING STRATEGIES

Abstract

This paper is based on the analysis of empirical data made by Faceattacking conflict strategies that attack a person’s positive face (for example, comments that criticize the person’s contribution to a relationship or any of the person’s abilities) or a person’s negative face (for example, making demands on a person’s time or resources or comments that attack the person’s autonomy). Face-enhancing strategies are those that support and confirm a person’s positive (praise, a pat on the back, a sincere smile) or negative face (giving the person space and asking rather than demanding), for example. Not surprisingly, academics have a special acronym for these: FTAs or Face Threatening Acts. More specifically, we explore (1) linguistic and extra-linguistic strategies of face-attack employed in the Georgian politics and (2) linguistic and extra-linguistic strategies of face-enhancing employed in the Georgian politics