The Impact of Third Party Presence on the Motivational Concerns Underlying Linguistic Politeness Behavior in English-speaking Intercultural Contexts

Abstract

This paper reports the impact of third party presence on the Vietnamese motivational concerns underlying their politeness behavior in English-speaking intercultural workplace. Data are collected by means of diary-type record sheet. Twenty-four Vietnamese speakers of English working in non-government-organization offices in Vietnam reported noticeable incidents of their interaction with Westerners (Anglo-culturals). Data have shown that the presence of a third party influences Vietnamese motivational concerns, especially the concern for face and for association rights. Based on the findings, implications for intercultural communication are provided.