FROM ‘SORRY’ TO ‘NO OFFENSE’: THE SHIFTING BOUNDARIES OF POLITENESS IN ENGLISH

• Maftuna Kadirova Ikhtiyorjon qizi

  English Language Teacher at Namangan Academic Lyceum under Tashkent State University of Law

  Author

This paper delves into the dynamic evolution of politeness strategies in contemporary English, with particular emphasis on the subtle transition from conventional markers of deference—such as “sorry,” “please,” and “excuse me”—to more context-dependent, and sometimes ambiguous, expressions like “no offense,” “just saying,” or “not to be rude, but…”. These newer forms often serve dual purposes: they can soften potentially face-threatening acts while simultaneously signaling irony, detachment, or even passive aggression, depending on intonation and context.

By anchoring the analysis in Brown and Levinson’s (1987) politeness theory, and supplementing it with recent advancements in pragmatic and sociolinguistic scholarship, the study investigates how these linguistic changes mirror broader transformations in societal values, digital communication norms, and interpersonal expectations. In particular, the paper focuses on how online discourse—such as tweets, memes, and comment threads—has contributed to a reconfiguration of what is considered “polite,” “honest,” or “socially acceptable.” This exploration ultimately aims to highlight the complexity and fluidity of politeness in a digitally mediated, postmodern linguistic landscape.

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