POLITENESS IN CONFLICT DISCOURSE

This article is devoted to the study of the relationship between the use of politeness tactics and conflict resolution. As early as in ancient times scholars got interested in the issue of conflict prevention and resolution, and in the modern world awareness of conflict prevention and resolution skills has become crucial. The present research looks into strategies of politeness used by opponents to prevent and resolve situations of conflict. The authors provide a detailed account of some commonly used politeness strategies opponents resort to in conflict situations, discuss peculiarities of their usage and compare their relevant frequencies in the British and American varieties of the English language. The comparative analysis revealed some striking differences in the use of politeness strategies by communicants to prevent and resolve conflict. The study of conflict prevention and resolution skills is a promising direction of research, due to the mushrooming proliferation of conflict in the modern world and the need for knowledge about the role of linguistic politeness in conflict settlement. The data obtained in this study are applicable to various areas of human activity, and contribute to understanding the role of politeness in human life. They are aimed at further studying this concept and disseminating knowledge about it.