Exploring metapragmatics of politeness lexemes using a computational approach

Abstract This study employs a computational method, together with qualitative analysis, to explore the metapragmatics of politeness lexemes that both scholars and laypersons fail to provide effective articulations for. We specifically choose two bewildering politeness lexemes – kyemson (‘modesty’) and kongson (‘politeness’) – in Korean, and use the computational approach to identify their metapragmatic differences by analyzing over 27,000 texts that feature their usage. Results show that, while kyemson is associated with speakers’ personal and interpersonal qualities, kongson is manifested in a range of normative semiotic practices. They both feature the concepts of lowering oneself and elevating others, but realize them at different levels. In addition, kyemson helps to achieve relational harmony regardless of social hierarchies, and kongson reinforces social hierarchies but speaks little of relational harmony. The findings make two important contributions – namely, providing a novel methodology to address the pitfall in analysing first-order and second-order politeness, and offering an insight into the underexplored politeness lexemes in Korean.