How context dependent are potentially face-damaging actions? Effects on rapport and response production

Abstract:

Previous corpus research identified three conversational actions that recurrently resulted in face damage in confrontational contexts. We experimentally inserted these actions into text-based conversations to investigate whether their effects persist outside their original context, assuming these would be reflected in participants’ rapport evaluations and conversational behaviour. Although the interventions did not significantly affect rapport, responses to interventions were longer and contained more subjectivity markers. The mixed results thus do not fully corroborate context-independent face damaging effects of these actions.

Research areas:

• Dialogue
• DiET chat tool
• DivCon

Year:

2026

Type of Publication:

In Proceedings

Book title:

Proceedings of the 30th Workshop on the Semantics and Pragmatics of Dialogue - Poster Abstracts