Cross-Varietal Study of Politeness Markers in British, Malaysian and Pakistani English: A Corpus Based Study

Abstract

This study inside the framework of variational pragmatics, examines a cross-cultural variation in the use of politeness formulae among British(GB), Pakistani(PK), and Malaysian(MY) English varieties. Using the data from the GloWbE corpus, this study investigates three politeness types (tentativeness, deference, and solidarity) and three levels of formality i.e. formal, neutral, informal. From GB, PK, and MY subcorpora, statistical results showed significant differences between all the varieties. Pakistani English, illustrating its hierarchical and religious cultural backgrounds, is associated with the greatest degrees of deference politeness and formal language; British English aligned with more indirect modes of communication employs tentativeness politeness; while Malaysian English emphasizing a focus on community and rapport has comparatively higher levels of solidarity markers. These findings foreground how politeness behavior in World Englishes is shaped through sociocultural variables such as power distance, urbanization, and religio-cultural values.