Impoliteness in Children’s Fiction: Linguistic and Cross-Cultural Aspects Dissertation zur Erlangung des Doktorgrades der Neuphilologischen Fakultät der Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg eingereicht von Monika Pleyer Rathausstraße 13a 69126 Heidelberg Erstgutachterin: Prof. Dr. Sonja Kleinke Zweitgutachterin: Priv.Doz. Dr. Sandra Mollin Heidelberg im Oktober 2018 Table of Contents List of Figures ............................................................................................................... i List of Tables ............................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements .................................................................................................... iii 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................. 1 2. Data .......................................................................................................................... 8 2.1 Matilda............................................................................................................. 11 2.2 Harry Potter .................................................................................................... 12 2.3 A Series of Unfortunate Events ...................................................................... 13 2.4 Artemis Fowl ................................................................................................... 13 3. Impoliteness ........................................................................................................... 15 3.1 Towards a Definition ...................................................................................... 16 3.1.1 Impoliteness is not Failed Politeness...................................................... 16 3.1.2 Impoliteness is not Inherent in Linguistic Forms .................................. 18 3.1.3 Impoliteness as a Theoretical Concept ................................................... 19 3.1.3.1 First-Wave Approaches to Im/Politeness........................................ 20 3.1.3.2 Criticism of First-Wave Approaches .............................................. 25 3.1.3.3 Second-Wave Approaches to Im/Politeness ................................... 26 3.1.3.4 Third-Wave Approaches to Im/Politeness ...................................... 28 3.1.4 Definition ................................................................................................. 29 3.2 Aspects of Impoliteness .................................................................................. 30 3.2.1 Impoliteness and Contextual Norms ...................................................... 31 3.2.2 Impoliteness and Intentionality............................................................... 34 3.2.3 Impoliteness and Emotions ..................................................................... 36 3.2.4 Impoliteness and Power .......................................................................... 39 3.2.4.1 Institutional Power ........................................................................... 40 3.2.4.2 Power and Impoliteness in the Army .............................................. 43 3.2.4.3 Power and Impoliteness in the School ............................................ 44 3.2.5 Impoliteness and Identity ........................................................................ 46 3.2.5.1 Face ................................................................................................... 48 3.2.5.2 Familiarity ......................................................................................... 49 3.3 The Acquisition of Impoliteness .................................................................... 50 4. Impoliteness in Fiction.......................................................................................... 54 4.1 Analysing Impoliteness in Fictional Data ..................................................... 55 4.2 Impoliteness and Entertainment in Fiction .................................................... 61 4.3 Impoliteness in Character and Plot Development ......................................... 63 5. Children’s Fiction: A Special Case of Fiction? ................................................... 67 5.1 Children’s Fiction: Towards a Definition...................................................... 69 5.2 Children’s Fiction: Shared Experiences ........................................................ 71 5.3 Impoliteness in Children’s Fiction: The Language of Children’s Fiction ... 72 5.4 Impoliteness in Children’s Fiction: The Setting ........................................... 76 5.4.1 Impoliteness in the Fictional Family ...................................................... 77 5.4.2 Impoliteness in the Fictional School ...................................................... 78 6. Cross-Cultural Im/Politeness ................................................................................ 82 6.1 German vs English Im/Politeness .................................................................. 85 6.1.1 Directness/Explicitness vs Indirectness/Implicitness ............................ 88 6.1.2 Orientation to Self vs. Orientation towards Other ................................. 89 6.1.3 Orientation towards Content vs. Orientation towards Addressee......... 90 6.2 Im/Politeness Perceptions in German and English ....................................... 91 7. Translations ........................................................................................................... 94 7.1 The Translation Process.................................................................................. 94 7.2 Translating for Children ................................................................................. 97 7.2.1 The Intended Reader.............................................................................. 100 7.2.2 Foreignization ........................................................................................ 102 7.2.3 Domestication ........................................................................................ 104 7.3 Translating Im/Politeness ............................................................................. 108 8. Translating Harry Potter .................................................................................... 112 8.1 The Translation Process of Harry Potter .................................................... 112 8.2 Translating Individual Phenomena .............................................................. 114 8.2.1 Translating Culture-Specific Items....................................................... 115 8.2.2 Translating Names ................................................................................. 116 8.2.3 Dialect and Register .............................................................................. 117 8.2.4 Humour, Puns and Wordplay................................................................ 118 9. Methodology and Hypotheses ............................................................................ 121 10. Analysing Impoliteness Token Structures in Children’s Fiction ................... 123 10.1 Conventionalised Impoliteness Formulae ................................................. 125 10.1.1 World- and Setting-Specific Conventionalised Impoliteness Formulae .......................................................................................................................... 127 10.1.2 Magical Curses as Conventionalised Impoliteness Formulae .......... 131 10.1.3 Insults ................................................................................................... 132 10.1.4 Pointed Criticism and Unpalatable Questions ................................... 136 10.1.5 Dismissals ............................................................................................ 137 10.1.6 Silencers ............................................................................................... 138 10.1.7 Threats .................................................................................................. 139 10.1.8 Dares ..................................................................................................... 143 10.1.9 Non-Verbal Conventionalised Impoliteness Formulae ..................... 144 10.2 Implicational Impoliteness ......................................................................... 145 10.2.1 Form-Driven Impoliteness .................................................................. 149 10.2.2 Convention-Driven Impoliteness ........................................................ 158 10.2.2.1 Convention-Driven: Internal........................................................ 158 10.2.2.2 Convention-Driven Impoliteness: External ................................ 165 10.2.3 Context-Driven Impoliteness .............................................................. 170 10.2.3.1 Context-Driven Impoliteness: Unmarked ................................... 170 10.2.3.2 Context-Driven Impoliteness: Absence of Behaviour ............... 171 10.3 Politic Behaviour ........................................................................................ 178 10.4 Polite Behaviour.......................................................................................... 186 10.5 Conflict Beginnings .................................................................................... 190 10.6 Conflict Termination .................................................................................. 197 10.7 Conclusion