On the role of maximization in verbal politeness

In contrast t o the more recent linguistic research which identifies verbal politeness with strategies of weakening and indirectness (MIN), this paper examines the relationship between politeness andforms of linguistic intensification andemphasis (MAX). Sofar a corpus ofFrench andltalian data has been collected by means of an experimental questionnaire on reactions to imaginary situations. These were sei up in order basically to provoke two different types of 'polite' speech actst thanking #«drequesting. With respect to maximizing speech strategies, the following points can be made on the basis of a structural analysis of the utterances: — In itsfunction ofsupporting alter, thanking is rieh in r outine hyperbolic