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One of the underrepresented aspects of pragmatic competence development is perceiving and responding to impoliteness acts. The present study reports on a quantitative and qualitative investigation of two international English language teaching (ELT) textbook series published by Oxford and Cambridge University Press; it focuses on the books highly popular among a thriving representative sample of learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) across four language proficiency levels and explores their coverage and treatment of impoliteness acts and their responses. Drawing on stringent models and taxonomies, the findings reveal that this unpleasant side of language is ignored and misrepresented in the textbooks, particularly at lower proficiency levels. We draw on our own and others’ previous incivility studies and argue for the inclusion of impoliteness especially from earlier stages of language learning owing to its saliency in authentic interactions. The study concludes with implications and suggestions for language learners, instructors, textbook writers, and researchers.

As a vital means of communication in social life, people’s talk is likely to be influenced by the media, specifically film talk. The study aimed at understanding how impoliteness is presented in TV series and movies. We investigated, quantitatively and qualitatively, 928 min of interactions from selected comedy and crime genres (popular among a group of English as a Foreign Language [EFL] learners). The collected corpus was analyzed using (revised) taxonomies of impoliteness strategies and defensive strategies. The findings revealed that although both cinematic genres abound with incivility, the type of prevalent impoliteness strategies differ between genres. Moreover, the viewers of the English TV series and movies are exposed to impoliteness presented in film discourse, specifically, taboo words. Considering the overall adequacy of the adopted analysis models and the noticeable impact film talk might have on individuals and society, we draw on our findings and the literature to conclude with explanations (e.g., disaffiliative humor and cognitive safety) and implications for similar sociopragmatic studies and applied linguistics domains (particularly language learning and teaching).

The present two-phased study set out to identify simplified and non-simplified sources of input popular among learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) and to compare and contrast the manifestations of impoliteness strategies and responses to them in such resources. First, a rather comprehensive survey conducted among 250 adult EFL learners revealed that English TV series and movies of comedy and crime genres were the most popular non-simplified sources of input, while the popular simplified sources were American English File and Interchange ELT textbooks. Then, the results of our in-depth qualitative-quantitative, comparative, macro- and micro-analysis (adopting a variety of stringent incivility frameworks) indicated there were noticeable quantitative and/or qualitative differences in (re-)presenting face-threatening acts between the two sources. Generally, while EFL learners are not judiciously familiarized with various impoliteness strategies and their responses in the textbooks, they are almost bombarded with them through their favourite media. Underlining the inherent instructional and motivational impact of both language input sources and the possible detrimental bearing of underrepresentation and/or overrepresentation of impoliteness for the learners’ pragmatic competence, the study concludes with a discussion of our findings’ implications for stake-holders including language learners and education specialists.