Brown and Levinson's ([1978] Politeness: Some universals in language use, Cambridge University Press, 1987) politeness theory has been criticized as being ethnocentric by displaying a Western preoccupation with autonomy and individualism. Many non-western societies, it is argued, are better understood by appealing to cultural discernment or group…

Examines Korean president Roh Tae-woo's 1988 Inaugural Address. Focuses on audience expectations on this occasion, which include the influence of Confucianism and of Western political ideas, recent Korean political history, and the speech as an inaugural delivered at the end of an unusual and challenging campaign. (SR)