Linguistic Politeness and Media Education: A Lingua-Pragmatic Study of Changing trends in ‘Forms of Address’ in Egyptian Media Talk Shows

Abstract

This study addressed the issue of linguistic politeness and media education in its socio-cultural perspectives through the adoption of a lingua pragmatic approach of the Egyptian media, particularly their talk shows which are recognized education platforms in pragmatics. The selected talk shows from the Egyptian TV channels aired during the period 2011 to 2013 were used to investigate the changes that were felt in linguistic politeness, particularly in ‘forms of addresses used by presenter(s) of these shows. The study premised that these changes could contribute to media education in the form of enhancing media literacy about lingua-pragmatic aspects of ‘forms of address’ used on various media platforms. The study also followed the proposition that there existed a close relationship between linguistic politeness and pragmatics that often makes media as a means of social education. Secondly, a ‘form of address’ constitutes a well-defined media-educational pragmatic subject as revealed in its distinct lexical classes such as titles, personal names, nicknames and pronominal systems. These pragmatic strategies are often culturally bound and systematically applied by speakers within their community. The study cites instances of change in ‘Forms of address’ and the linguistic politeness culturally linked with the Arabic language. The findings reveal that how socio-cultural and political events greatly influenced the use of lingua-pragmatic terms like forms of address and the level of politeness embedded in them. The study has educational implications as it reveals how social and environmental factors shape people’s opinions and their use of language. The findings of this study would also offer novel learning opportunities for media personnel.