Skip to main content

ETHNOS_APP

Home • Search • Journals • List 0

Cultural differences in politeness as a function of status relations

Comparing South Korean and British communicators

Bibliographic Data

ID21249904
AuthorsChanki Moon (0000-0002-1937-6206, Chonnam National University, corresponding author), Ayse K Uskul (0000-0001-8013-9931, University of Kent), Mario Weick (0000-0002-7809-3003, Durham University)
Year2019
Volume3
Issue3
Pages137-145
Publication date2019-07-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Theoretical Social Psychology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2475-0387 • E-ISSN: 2475-0387
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/jts5.40
OpenAlexW2902510913
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited38

Although politeness is an important concern in communications across cultures, a prevalent assumption in psychology is that East Asians are more inclined to be polite than members of other cultural groups due to prevalent cultural norms. Yet, evidence for this assumption is mixed. The present research examined this issue by considering the role of social hierarchy in interpersonal communications of Korean and British participants (N = 220) using an experimental task that involved writing an email to decline a request made by a junior or a senior person. The results showed that Korean participants’ emails were more polite when addressing a senior colleague compared with a junior colleague in work contexts. In contrast, recipient status did not impact British participants’ politeness. Crucially, cultural differences in politeness only emerged when participants addressed a senior colleague, but not when participants addressed a junior colleague. We discuss the implications of these findings and directions for future research

Cultural diversity · Hierarchy · Interpersonal communication · Interpersonal relationship · Linguistics · Politeness · Politeness Theory · Political science · Sociology · International Student and Expatriate Challenges · Language, Discourse, Communication Strategies · Language, Metaphor, and Cognition · Psychology · Social Psychology

  • Agreement as relational work in Korean conversation

    Open Access•Narah Lee•Journal of Pragmatics•2026

  • “Call Me Judy”

    Open Access•Palupi Paramarta Effendi•MOZAIK HUMANIORA•2024

  • Artificial influence

    Open Access•Heng Li•Current Psychology•2025

  • Cultural influences on normative reactions to incivility

    Open Access•Chanki Moon, Ángel Sánchez-Rodríguez•International Journal of Conflict…•2021

  • Understanding the consequences of workplace incivility

    Open Access•Chanki Moon, Catarina Morais•International Journal of Conflict…•2022

  • Cross-Cultural Variations in Predictors of Life Satisfaction

    Open Access•Oishi, Shigehiro Oishi et al.•Personality and Social Psychology…•1999

  • When openness to experience and conscientiousness are related to creative behavior

    Jennifer M George, Jing Zhou•Journal of Applied Psychology•2001

  • Employee Creativity

    Greg R Oldham, Anne Cummings•Academy of Management Journal•1996

  • Confucianism, Collectivism and Constitutions

    Betty Houchin Winfield, Takeya Mizuno et al.•Communication Law and Policy•2000

  • The Confucius connection

    Open Access•Geert Hofstede, Michael Harris Bond•Organizational Dynamics•1988

  • Confucianism and Civilization

    Don Baker•Korean studies•2016

  • Social status and anger expression

    Jiyoung Park, Shinobu Kitayama et al.•Emotion•2013

  • Politeness in Intercultural Email Communication

    Open Access•M Lynne Murphy, Margaret Murphy et al.•Journal of Intercultural…•2006

  • Asian and European American cultural values and communication styles among Asian American and European American college students

    Yong S Park, Bryan S K Kim•Cultural Diversity & Ethnic…•2008

  • Linguistic versus cultural relativity

    Open Access•Yayoi Tajima, Yayoi Tajima Yayoi Tajima et al.•Cognitive Linguistics•2012

  • A cross‐cultural comparison of implicit theories of requesting

    Min‐sun Kim, Steven R Wilson•Communication Monographs•1994

  • Do culture or situational constraints determine choice of direct or indirect styles in intercultural workplace conflicts

    Open Access•Frances P Brew, David R Cairns•International Journal of…•2004

  • The challenge of facework

    Open Access•Ge Gao•International Journal of…•1995

  • Intercultural communication

    Open Access•Stephen P Banks•International Journal of…•1996

  • Cultural variation in individuals' responses to incivility by perpetrators of different rank

    Open Access•Chanki Moon, Mario Weick et al.•European Journal of Social…•2018

  • More than words

    Nalini Ambady, Jasook Koo et al.•Journal of Personality and Social…•1996

  • A cultural task analysis of implicit independence

    Shinobu Kitayama, Hyekyung Park et al.•Journal of Personality and Social…•2009

  • Converging measurement of horizontal and vertical individualism and collectivism

    Harry C Triandis, Michele J Gelfand•Journal of Personality and Social…•1998

  • When conveying a message may hurt the relationship

    Open Access•Yuri Miyamoto, Norbert Schwarz•Journal of Experimental Social…•2005

  • The Relation Between Culture and Response Styles

    Open Access•Timothy P Johnson, Timothy Johnson et al.•Journal of Cross-Cultural…•2005

  • Asian American Ethnicity and Communication

    William B Gudykunst, William Gudykunst•Asian American Ethnicity and…•2001

  • Conversing across cultures

    Jeffrey Sanchez-Burks, Jeffrey Sanchez‐Burks et al.•Journal of Personality and Social…•2003

  • Interpersonal underpinnings of request strategies

    T Holtgraves, Joong-Nam Yang et al.•Journal of Personality and Social…•1992

  • The jury and abjury of my peers

    Young-Hee Kim, Young-Hoon Kim et al.•Journal of Personality and Social…•2010

  • Culture, Emotion, and Well-being

    Shinobu Kitayama, Hazel Rose Markus et al.•Cognition & Emotion•2000

  • Politeness

    Open Access•Penelope Brown, C Levinson et al.•Politeness•1987

  • The impact of Confucianism on interpersonal relationships and communication patterns in east Asia

    June Ock Yum•Communication Monographs•1988

  • Why Do Easterners Have Lower Well-Being Than Westerners? The Role of Others' Approval Contingencies of Self-Worth in the Cross-Cultural Differences in Subjective Well-Being

    Open Access•Cheng‐hong Liu, Cheng-Hong Liu et al.•Journal of Cross-Cultural…•2017

  • Speech Acts

    Open Access•John R Searle•Speech acts•1969

Unique citing works5
Citations per year1
Citation span2021 - 2026 (6)
Citation velocitycurrent
Highly citedNo
Citation typesNeutral: 4
Ethnos_APP • Open Source Project • MIT License • Frontend v2.0.0 • Privacy and Cookies • API Documentation: api.ethnos.app/docs • API Source Code: GitHub • DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17049435 • Frontend Source Code: GitHub • DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17050053 • cruz.rio.br • Expectantes Misericordiae