Geoffrey Leech invites you to a celebration of impoliteness and rudeness:
Linguistic Impoliteness And Rudeness II (LIAR II)
The 2009 International Conference of The Linguistic Politeness Research Group
Lancaster University, United Kingdom
30 June – 2 July 2009
This three-day conference focuses is on language and communication that might be described as ‘impolite’, ‘rude’, ‘aggressive’, ‘face-attacking’, etc., building on the success of the first politeness conference (LIAR) at the University of Huddersfield. However, we also welcome any papers that are related to politeness theory, application or practice in any form. Researchers and postgraduates working in fields such as linguistics, sociology, psychology, communication studies, business studies, organizational studies, conflict resolution studies, literature and philosophy are particularly welcomed, though the conference is open to all interested parties.
(Thanks to investigator Martin Gardiner for bringing this to our attention.)
Why, they asked, didn’t birds decimate the festoons of Monarchs that hung on the near-by butterfly trees? Do they taste bad? Are they toxic, possibly lethal? Ralph and Mike had just started their experiment during the afternoon break. Visiting the butterfly trees, they focused on two butterflies, one on top of the other. (long pause). Well, Ralph ate the male. Ralph reported that he tasted rather like hazel nuts and that he, Ralph, felt well. Mike promised that at least one of them would report on longer-term toxicity during the Sunday session, which they both did.
