THEORETICAL BASIS FOR A CROSS-CULTURAL AND VARIATIONAL STUDY OF (IM)POLITENESS

Within the framework of the continuous growth of research on (im)politeness in recent decades, this paper presents a theoretical discussion that aims to lay the groundwork for the research of this phenomenon from a cross-cultural and variational approach. To this end, several key issues are discussed, namely: a) the role of conventional and contextual elements in the shaping of (im)politeness; b) the impact that cultural, social and situational factors have; c) the way in which the conceptualization of (im)politeness as a combination of strategies and mechanisms can clarify its understanding; and d) the theoretical framework, regarding theories about (im)politeness, more suitable for our analysis.