The Influences of Cultural Different Politeness on the use of address terms in Chinese and in English Discourse

Address terms are words used to address others and oneself. It plays an important role in discourse, for it indicates the discourse afterward as well as gives the counterpart a good impression by using the appropriate forms. The correct and appropriate use of address terms closely relates to culture. There is a certain gap between Chinese culture and western culture, which contributes a great deal to Chinese and English languages. However, a polite utterance with appropriate addressing always facilitates successful communication in all cultures. Therefore, in order to make a smooth communication in the discourse, usually starting with addresses, it is quite significant to understand politeness in the use of address terms. Based on cultural different politeness theories in both China and west, .this paper analyzes the different use of Chinese and English address in discourse under different circumstances. Only through fully comprehending the cultural featured politeness can address terms be used appropriately and serve successful communication.