An Analysis of Conflict Discourse in Why Women Kill from the Perspective of Impoliteness Theory

Conflict discourse exists widely in daily communication and is one of the important research orientations of discourse analysis. However, few studies have combined pragmatics, especially impoliteness theory, with the analysis of conflict discourse between couples. Based on the impoliteness theory proposed by Bousfield, this article adopts marital conflict discourse in American TV series Why Women Kill, with qualitative and case analysis methods, to explore the output and termination strategies of conflict discourse. Besides, this study also attempts to identify the underlying reasons for impolite phenomena in domestic situations. The results show that some of Bousfield’ s output and termination strategies are reflected in this study, including “hindering/ blocking”, “disassociating from the other”, “seeking disagreement/ avoiding agreement” and “submission to opponent”, “compromise” and “withdrawal”. Unequal family status and personality differences are the reasons that lead to conflict discourse. This study expands the scope of application of impoliteness theory, enriches the study of conflict discourse in domestic context, and helps to avoid conflicts and promote the construction of a harmonious family and society.