Politeness phenomena in the Hindu sector of the South African Indian English speaking community

This study examines the understanding of politeness phenomena within the Hindu sector of the South African Indian English (SAIE) speaking community by focusing on the speech acts of apologies and requests. Data have been collected through interviews with cultural/religious leaders and with families, as well as through discourse completion tasks. The findings are compared with Western/non-Western views of politeness to determine their appropriateness in describing politeness in the target community. The influence of the Western value system on the evolution of politeness phenomena in the target community is also studied.