An Attentiveness Perspective in Metapragmatics of Im/politeness

Abstract

This paper investigates attentiveness from the perspective of metapragmatics. Attentiveness is defined as a demonstrator’s preemptive response to a beneficiary’s verbal/non-verbal cues or to situations surrounding a beneficiary and a demonstrator, which takes the form of offering. In this paper, the process of demonstrating and evaluating attentiveness is shown; and attentiveness is examined in relation to empathy and inference. These three are important in understanding im/politeness in Japanese culture.