A comparative study of western and oriental politeness strategies.

Stuart Kelly examines the concept of "face" and it's relevance to everyday transactions in English and Mandarin.

Despite claims for the universality of face, there would appear to be no general agreement as to its precise nature. Variations have been identified in the ways that different languages and cultures strive to maintain face in every day encounters. In particular, striking differences have been pointed out in the strategies used in the English and Chinese acts of complimenting, addressing, offering, and inviting . Stuart Kelly demonstrates how various ‘faces’ might account for these different strategies.