English Politeness and Class

A revealing account of politeness in conversation, focusing on the vital role it plays in maintaining class differences.

Sara Mills is Emeritus Professor in Linguistics at Sheffield Hallam University. Her field of interest is the differences and similarities between linguistic forms of expression in different languages, particularly in reference to what is considered polite. She is the author of Gender and Politeness (Cambridge, 2003) and has published many books and articles on politeness and discursive approaches to the analysis of politeness. She has also published on feminist linguistic theory, most notably Language and Sexism (Cambridge, 2008) and, with Louise Mullany, Language Gender and Feminism (2011).