Hostname: page-component-cb9f654ff-k7rjm Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-09-11T03:04:22.772Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Teaching L2 assertiveness: The personal cost of being polite

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 September 2025

Nicola McNab Open the ORCID record for Nicola McNab [Opens in a new window]
Nicola McNab*
Affiliation:
Universidad Antonio de Nebrija, Madrid, Spain
*
Email: nmcnab@alumnos.nebrija.es
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

An abstract is not available for this content so a preview has been provided. Please use the Get access link above for information on how to access this content.
Image of the first page of this content. For PDF version, please use the ‘Save PDF’ preceeding this image.'

Keywords

assertivenessimpolitenessindividual differencesL2 pragmaticspragmatics teaching

Information

Type
Christopher Brumfit Essay Prize
Information
Language Teaching , Volume 58 , Issue 4 , October 2025 , pp. 443 - 449
Check for updates
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press.

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Bonnefon, J. F., Feeney, A., & De Neys, W. (2011). The risk of polite misunderstandings. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 20(5), 321–324. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721411418472CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brown, P., & Levinson, S. C. (1987). Politeness, some universals in language usage. Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cheek, N. N., & Cheek, J. M. (2018). Aspects of identity: From the inner-outer metaphor to a tetrapartite model of the self. Self and Identity, 17(4), 467–482. https://doi.org/10.1080/15298868.2017.1412347CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Culpeper, J. (2011a). Impoliteness using language to cause offence. Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Culpeper, J. (2011b). Politeness and impoliteness. In Anderson, G. & Aijmer, K. (Eds.), Pragmatics of society (pp. 391–436). Mouton de Gruyter.Google Scholar
Darjan, I., Negru, M., & Ilie, D. (2020). Self-esteem – The Decisive difference between bullying and assertiveness in adolescence. Journal of Educational Sciences, 1(41), 19–34. https://doi.org/10.35923/JES.2020.1.02CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dewaele, J.-M. (2005). Investigating the psychological and emotional dimension in instructed language learning: Obstacles and possibilities. Modern Language Journal, 89(3), 367–380. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.2005.00311.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dewaele, J.-M., Furnham, A., & Petrides, K. V. (2008). Effects of trait emotional intelligence and sociobiographical variables on communicative anxiety and foreign language anxiety among adult multilinguals: A review and empirical investigation. Language Learning, 58(4), 911–960. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9922.2008.00482.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dewaele, J.-M., Mavrou, I., Kyriakou, A., & Lorette, P. (2024). The role of language and emotional intelligence in judgments of real-life social and moral transgressions among Greek, Hungarian and British users of English. Journal of Behavioural Decision Making, 37(1), Article e2356. https://doi.org/10.1002/bdm.2356Google Scholar
Donato, R., & McCormick, D. (1994). A sociocultural perspective on language learning strategies: The role of mediation. Modern Language Journal, 78(4), 453–464. https://doi.org/10.2307/328584CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Duckworth, M. P., & Mercer, V. (2006). Assertiveness training. In Fisher, J. E. & O’Donohue, W. T. (Eds.), Practitioner’s guide to evidence-based psychotherapy (pp. 80–92). Springer.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Félix-Brasdefer, J. C., & Mugford, G. (2017). (Im)politeness: Learning and teaching. In Culpeper, J., Haugh, M. & Kádár, D. Z. (Eds.), The Palgrave handbook of linguistic (im)politeness (pp. 571–599). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-37508-7_19Google Scholar
Garcés-Conejos Blitvich, P. (2009). Impoliteness and identity in the American news media: The ‘Culture Wars’. Journal of Politeness Research, 5(2), 273–303. https://doi.org/10.1515/JPLR.2009.014Google Scholar
Garcés-Conejos Blitvich, P., & Kádár, D. (2021). Morality in sociopragmatics. In Haugh, M., Kádár, D. & Terkourafi, M. (Eds.), The Cambridge handbook of sociopragmatics (pp. 385–407). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108954105.021CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Garcés-Conejos Blitvich, P., & Sifianou, M. (2017). (Im)politeness and cultural variation. In Culpeper, J., Haugh, M. & Kádár, D. Z. (Eds.), The Palgrave handbook of linguistic (im)politeness (pp. 571–599). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-37508-7_22Google Scholar
Gervasio, A. H. (1987). Assertiveness techniques as speech acts. Clinical Psychology Review, 7(1), 105–119. https://doi.org/10.1016/0272-7358(87)90006-7CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gervasio, A. H., Pepinsky, H. B., & Schwebel, A. I. (1983). Stylistic complexity and verb usage in assertive and passive speech. Journal of Counselling Psychology, 30(4), 546–556. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.30.4.546CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Haidt, J. (2012). The righteous mind: Why good people are divided by politics and religion. Penguin Books.Google Scholar
Haugh, M., Kádár, D. Z., & Márquez Reiter, R. (2022). Offence and morality: Pragmatic perspectives. Language and Communication, 87, 117–122. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.langcom.2022.07.005CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ishihara, N., & Cohen, A. D. (2010). Teaching and learning pragmatics. Pearson Education.Google Scholar
Kyriakou, A., & Mavrou, I. (2023). What language does your heart speak? The influence of foreign language on moral judgments and emotions related to unrealistic and realistic moral dilemmas. Cognition and Emotion, 37(8), 1330–1348. https://doi.org/10.1080/02699931.2023.2258577CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lange, A. J., & Jakubowski, P. (1976). Responsible assertive behaviour. Research Press.Google Scholar
Langlotz, A., & Locher, M. A. (2017). (Im)politeness and emotion. In Haugh, M. & Kádár, D. Z. (Eds.), The Palgrave handbook of linguistic (im)politeness (pp. 287–322). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-37508-7_12CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Luckmann, T. (2002). Moral communication in modern societies. Human Studies, 25, 19–32. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1014838423896CrossRefGoogle Scholar
MacIntyre, P. (2002). Motivation, anxiety and emotion in second language acquisition. In Robinson, P. (Ed.), Individual differences and instructed language learning (pp. 45–68). John Benjamins Publishing Co.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mugford, G. (2008). How rude! Teaching impoliteness in the second language classroom. ELT Journal, 62(4), 375–384. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccm066CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Norton, B. (2013). Identity and language learning: Extending the conversation (2nd ed., Digital ed.). Multilingual Matters.Google Scholar
Nuessel, F. (2022). Language, pragmatics, and emotions: The case of impoliteness. In Petrilli, S. & Ji, M. (Eds.), Exploring the translatability of emotions (pp. 255–279). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-91748-7_10CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ockey, G. (2011). Self-consciousness and assertiveness as exploratory variables of L2 oral ability: A latent variable approach. Language Learning, 61(3), 968–989. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9922.2010.00625.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pavaresh, V. (2022). On the morality of taking offence. Language and Communication, 87, 60–71. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.langcom.2022.07.004CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pavaresh, V., & Tayebi, T. (2021). Taking offence at the (un)said: Towards a more radical contextualist approach. Journal of Politeness Research, 17(1), 111–131. https://doi.org/10.1515/pr-2020-0032CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Petrides, K. V., & Furnham, A. (2003). Trait emotional intelligence: Behavioural validation in two studies of emotion recognition and reactivity to mood induction. European Journal of Personality, 17(1), 39–57. https://doi.org/10.1002/per.466CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rakos, R. F. (1991). Assertive behaviour: Theory, research and training. Routledge.Google Scholar
Schumann, J. H. (2001). Appraisal psychology, neurobiology, and language. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 21, 23–42. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0267190501000022CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sifianou, M. (2023). Dangerous politeness? Understandings of politeness in the COVID-19 era and beyond. Journal of Politeness Research, 20(1), 11–37. https://doi.org/10.1515/pr-2022-0011CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tatsuki, D. H., & Houck, N. R. (2010). Pragmatics: Teaching speech acts. Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages Inc.Google Scholar
Terkourafi, M. (2005). Beyond the micro-level in politeness research. Journal of Politeness Research, 1(2), 237–262. https://doi.org/10.1515/jplr.2005.1.2.237CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Watts, R. J. (2008). Rudeness, conceptual blending theory and relational work. Journal of Politeness Research, 4(2), 289–317. https://doi.org/10.1515/JPLR.2008.014CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wilutzky, W. (2015). Emotions as pragmatic and epistemic actions. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, Article 1593. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01593CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed