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ABSTRACT
In a world that is ravaged by ethnic, religious, political and ideological conflict, there is the need to pay attention to factors that stimulate conflict among individuals or groups. Impoliteness is one of such factors. Impoliteness is a linguistic device that promotes conflict in the family and in society. This study presents a detailed analysis of the concept of impoliteness and investigates the relationship between impoliteness and conflict. Mr Trouble is juxtaposed with Nagging Wives of Jacob to reveal the characteristics of impoliteness in the texts. The frequency of impoliteness in the first text as against the second, the kind of responses of characters to impoliteness in the two texts and the divergent functions of impoliteness in the texts, altogether demonstrate the relationship between impoliteness and conflict. Analysis of conflict in this study is hinged on Simmel-Coser's hypotheses of conflict as espoused by James Dannen.
Chapter one presents an overview of the concept of impoliteness as a linguistic phenomenon as well as a brief summary of the two texts. Chapter two is simply a catalogue of impolite utterances in the selected data and why the utterances are judged as impolite. Characters' responses to impoliteness is highlighted in chapter three while chapter four centres on functions of impoliteness in the selected data. The relationship between impoliteness and conflict is reflected in the extent to which the impoliteness in the texts validate Simmel-Coser's hypotheses of conflict. This forms the crux of the matter in chapter five. The last chapter is conclusion.
