The Differences Between Chinese and American Cultures from the Perspective of Politeness Utterances

AcknowledgementsI am deeply grateful to my university forgiving me such a chance to end my college career. In the process, I got a lot of help and encouragement.First and foremost, I would like to sincerely thank my instructor—Mr. Liao Yunquan. He seriously and carefully corrects my thesis, , and fervidly encourages me.Secondly, I am also grateful to my roommates and family. In the course of writing and researching, they have given me a lot of assistance and advice.AbstractPoliteness is the basic principle of communicative activities. Language is a tool for human communication. Politeness utterances are the symbols of human civilization that is a requirement to help people establish a good communication relationship. In the increasing development of society, politeness utterances play an important role in the communication between countries. Through the study of politeness utterances, we should avoid misunderstandings and pragmatic failure and understand cultural connotation.This paper uses the methods of comparison, literature research and so on to explore the different politeness utterances in Chinese and English and the cultural causes of the differences between China and America. People can properly understand the different politeness utterances in Chinese and English, and understand the reasons for the differences. This will be of help to friendly and cooperative between nations, promote the cultural exchange, and reduce misunderstandings and conflicts.Key Words: politeness utterances; Chinese culture; American culture摘 要礼貌是交际活动中的基本准则，语言是人类的交际工具，礼貌用语是人类文明的标志，是帮助人们建立良好的交际关系的必要条件。在日益发展的社会中，国际间的交流逐渐加深，礼貌用语起着至关重要的作用。通过对礼貌用语的研究，以避免产生...