Xorijiy lingvistika va lingvodidaktika –
Зарубежная лингвистика и
лингводидактика – Foreign
Linguistics and Linguodidactics
Journal home page:
https://inscience.uz/index.php/foreign-linguistics
Politeness and tact in Uzbek youth’s social media
interaction: a pragmatic perspective
Bakhora KHAMRAEVA
1
Uzbek State World Languages University
ARTICLE INFO
ABSTRACT
Article history:
Received March 2025
Received in revised form
10
April 2025
Accepted 2 April 2025
Available online
25 May 2025
This article investigates how pragmatic strategies such as
politeness and tact are realized in the digital discourse of Uzbek
youth, particularly on social media platforms like Telegram and
Instagram. Although the study of CMC pragmatics has become a
well-developed field globally, there remains a lack of context-
specific exploration in Central Asia. Using a qualitative
approach, the paper analyzes authentic digital interactions of
university students to identify how classical pragmatic
principles – including Grice’s Cooperative Principle, Brown and
Levinson’s Politeness Theory, and Leech’s Politeness Maxims –
are adapted in computer-mediated communication. Findings
show that Uzbek youth actively employ both universal and
culturally embedded politeness strategies such as indirectness,
emoji use, strategic punctuation, and delay tactics to preserve
interpersonal harmony online. The use of code-switching and
digital cues (like GIFs and emojis) reveals an emerging hybrid
communicative style that reflects both modernity and tradition.
Moreover, gendered patterns in digital behavior suggest that
females tend to prioritize empathy and tact, while males often
rely on humor and sarcasm. This research not only contributes
to the growing field of CMC pragmatics, but also offers practical
implications for digital literacy education in Uzbekistan. It
emphasizes the importance of incorporating cultural values into
pragmatic competence training. The study highlights the need
for localized perspectives in pragmatic research and serves as a
foundation for further exploration into how language, culture,
and technology intersect in digital environments.
2181-3701/© 2025 in Science LLC.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47689/2181-3701-vol3-iss5
This is an open-access article under the Attribution 4.0 International
(CC BY 4.0) license (
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.ru
Keywords:
politeness,
tact,
pragmatics,
computer-mediated
communication,
social media,
Uzbek youth.
1
Master degree student in English Linguistics, Uzbek State World Languages University, Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
E-mail: bahorahamroeva2@gmail.com
Xorijiy lingvistika va lingvodidaktika – Зарубежная лингвистика
и лингводидактика – Foreign Linguistics and Linguodidactics
Special Issue – 5 (2025) / ISSN 2181-3701
512
O‘zbek yoshlari ijtimoiy tarmoqlardagi muloqotida
xushmuomalalik va noziklik: pragmatik yondashuv
ANNOTATSIYA
Kalit so‘zlar:
xushmuomalalik,
insof,
pragmatika,
kompyuter vositasidagi
muloqot,
ijtimoiy tarmoq,
o‘zbek yoshlari.
Mazkur maqolada O‘zbekistonlik yoshlarning ijtimoiy
tarmoqlardagi yozishmalarida xushmuomalalik va insof kabi
pragmatik strategiyalar qanday qo‘llanishi tahlil qilinadi. Chet
elda kompyuter vositasida amalga oshiriladigan muloqot (CMC)
pragmatikasi allaqachon rivojlanib ulgurgan bo‘lsa-da,
O‘zbekistonda bu boradagi tadqiqotlar hanuz kam uchraydi.
Ushbu maqolada Graysning Kooperativ prinsip va maksimlari,
Braun va Levinsonning xushmuomalalik nazariyasi hamda
LichnI,ing insof maksimlariga tayangan holda, Telegram va
Instagram kabi platformalardan olingan real yozishmalar tahlil
qilinadi. Tadqiqot natijalari shuni ko‘rsatadiki, o‘zbek yoshlari
onlayn muloqotda yuzni saqlash, boshqalarni ranjitmaslik,
bilvosita rad etish va emoji, punktuatsiya orqali ohangni
yumshatish kabi strategiyalardan faol foydalanishadi. Ushbu
maqola raqamli savodxonlik va madaniy pragmatikani
rivojlantirishda ham amaliy ahamiyatga ega.
Вежливость и такт в онлайн-коммуникации узбекской
молодёжи: прагматический подход
АННОТАЦИЯ
Ключевые слова:
вежливость,
такт,
прагматика,
CMC,
узбекская молодежь.
Анализируются проявления вежливости и тактичности
в онлайн-взаимодействиях узбекской молодежи с
прагматической точки зрения. Установлено, что такие
стратегии,
как
положительная
и
отрицательная
вежливость, такт и использование эмодзи, играют
ключевую роль в управлении онлайн-коммуникацией,
особенно в условиях отсутствия невербальных подсказок.
Рассмотрены основные прагматические теории: принцип
кооперации Грайса, теория вежливости Брауна и
Левинсона, принцип вежливости Лича. Проанализированы
примеры общения в мессенджерах и социальных сетях.
Выяснено, что молодежь активно применяет тактичные
выражения, а также косвенные акты речи, чтобы сохранить
лицо собеседника.
SUMMARY
Background
The rapid evolution of social media platforms has transformed how people,
especially youth, communicate. In Uzbekistan, where traditional norms of politeness and
indirectness are strongly embedded in social life, the transition to online communication
raises questions about how these values adapt in digital contexts.
Xorijiy lingvistika va lingvodidaktika – Зарубежная лингвистика
и лингводидактика – Foreign Linguistics and Linguodidactics
Special Issue – 5 (2025) / ISSN 2181-3701
513
METHODS
This study employs a qualitative approach, analyzing real online interactions
among 20 Uzbek university students aged 18–25. Message samples were collected from
Telegram and Instagram and examined through the lens of key pragmatic frameworks –
Grice’s Cooperative Principle, Brown and Levinson’s Politeness Theory, and Leech’s
Politeness Principle – with special attention to politeness and tact strategies.
RESULTS
Findings indicate that Uzbek youth employ a blend of traditional and modern
pragmatic strategies in online communication. These include positive and negative
politeness, indirect refusals, the tact maxim, and code-switching. Emojis, memes, and
punctuation are used strategically to mitigate face-threatening acts and preserve
interpersonal harmony. Gender-based patterns emerged, with females more likely to use
emoji and indirectness, while males favored humor and sarcasm.
CONCLUSION
Uzbek youth demonstrate a high level of pragmatic competence in computer-
mediated communication (CMC), balancing digital spontaneity with cultural expectations.
These findings support the integration of pragmatic awareness into language and digital
communication curricula. The study also highlights the need for more region-specific
research in CMC pragmatics, especially in underexplored sociolinguistic contexts such as
Central Asia.
Introduction
With the emergence of new digital platforms and social media applications, the
nature of communication–especially among the youth–has undergone significant
transformation. Online interactions are often more spontaneous, informal, and
ambiguous, making the role of pragmatics particularly essential in understanding
meaning beyond words. In Uzbekistan, where language reflects deeply rooted values of
respect, honor, and social harmony, the shift to digital interaction presents both
opportunities and challenges for understanding politeness and tact.
The choice to focus on youth is not arbitrary. The younger generation is both the
most active online and the most adaptive to emerging digital trends. Moreover, as digital
natives, they often blend traditional Uzbek norms with global influences, particularly
Western norms of communication, through memes, emojis, and code-switching in
English.
Culturally, Uzbek communication norms prioritize indirectness, respect for elders,
and the avoidance of direct confrontation. In CMC, however, these norms must adapt to
new constraints–such as limited cues, asynchronous responses, and an audience that
might include both peers and public viewers.
Research questions:
1. What politeness and tact strategies are employed by Uzbek youth in online
interactions?
2. How do these strategies reflect cultural values in digital contexts?
3. What are the implications of CMC on face-saving behaviors and pragmatic
competence among youth?
LITERATURE REVIEW
This section provides an overview of theoretical foundations in pragmatics and
highlights their relevance to CMC among youth in the Uzbek context.
Xorijiy lingvistika va lingvodidaktika – Зарубежная лингвистика
и лингводидактика – Foreign Linguistics and Linguodidactics
Special Issue – 5 (2025) / ISSN 2181-3701
514
Grice’s Cooperative Principle and Maxims
Grice (1975) proposed that speakers generally cooperate in conversation through
four maxims: Quantity, Quality, Relation, and Manner. In CMC, these maxims are
frequently violated–intentionally or not. For instance, in group chats, users often send
only emojis or GIFs instead of text, potentially violating the Maxim of Quantity. Similarly,
sarcasm or irony may appear to breach the Maxim of Quality, as in “Wow, you’re on
time!” when someone is late.
These violations are not necessarily negative; they often serve communicative
purposes such as humor, intimacy, or critique. In digital youth discourse, these shifts
create new pragmatic norms.
Brown and Levinson’s Politeness Theory
Brown and Levinson (1987) describe face as the public self-image every person
wants to claim. CMC, lacking non-verbal signals, poses risks to face unless mitigated by
textual strategies. Positive face (desire to be liked) and negative face (desire not to be
imposed upon) are managed online through careful word choice, emojis, timing of
replies, and use of hedging phrases.
Face-threatening acts (FTAs) are often softened by strategies like:
Positive Politeness (e.g., “you’re amazing!” with emojis)
Negative Politeness (e.g., “Sorry to bother, but…”)
Off-record (e.g., indirect refusals or hints)
These are all visible in Uzbek youth CMC, where users balance between digital
informality and cultural expectations.
Leech’s Politeness Principle and Tact Maxim.
Geoffrey Leech (1983) emphasized social harmony in interaction, proposing six
maxims. Of special importance is the Tact Maxim, which encourages speakers to
minimize cost and maximize benefit to others.
In online Uzbek discourse, tact often appears in softened refusals, coded criticisms,
and the use of emoji to mask disagreement. For example, declining an invitation with
"InshAllah, let’s see
😊
" combines religious deference and indirectness. Tact also appears
in the choice to use English words or meme formats, allowing the speaker to deliver
critique while minimizing social risk.
CMC and Local Studies in Uzbekistan
While most foundational theories originate abroad, scholars in Uzbekistan have
begun exploring CMC pragmatics. Shaitan and Zakhidova (2021) examined how students
craft formal emails, noting challenges in pragmatic competence. Porubay (2023) studied
digital discourse and its effect on spoken interaction. However, few have focused
specifically on youth politeness and tact strategies on social media, signaling a gap this
paper aims to address.
METHODOLOGY
This qualitative study draws on 20 anonymized message exchanges collected from
Telegram and Instagram between March and April 2025. Participants included 10 male
and 10 female Uzbek university students aged 18–25. All participants gave consent for
their messages to be included in the study with identities removed.
Data Collection and Ethics
Screenshots were selected based on their relevance to politeness and tact
strategies, including emoji use, indirectness, refusal, and code-switching. All identifying
features (names, photos, handles) were blurred or replaced with pseudonyms.
Xorijiy lingvistika va lingvodidaktika – Зарубежная лингвистика
и лингводидактика – Foreign Linguistics and Linguodidactics
Special Issue – 5 (2025) / ISSN 2181-3701
515
Coding Procedure
Data were categorized by pragmatic strategy: (a) positive politeness, (b) negative
politeness, (c) tact/maxim-based indirectness, (d) code-switching, and (e) emoji or visual
cue use. Each sample was analyzed for intent, tone, and pragmatic effect.
FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
Positive Politeness in Social Media
Expressions like “Barakalla!
👏
” or “Qoyil!” are frequently used. Emojis and GIFs
serve as digital equivalents of face-enhancing gestures. This aligns with Brown &
Levinson’s positive politeness strategies.
Example:
“Zo‘r!
👏👏
Endi dam olishing mumkin
😊
” – signals solidarity, approval, and
celebration.
4.2 Indirectness and Tact
Participants used indirect refusals to avoid confrontation.
Example:
“Bugun vaqtim ozroq… balki ertaga ko‘risharmiz?
😅
” – A tactful refusal using
softened tone and ambiguity.
This shows how Leech’s Tact Maxim is applied to maintain social cohesion.
4.3 Code-Switching to Mitigate FTAs
Mixing Uzbek and English helped soften tone or appear less direct. For instance:
Example:
"Okay, I get it, lekin biroz vaqtida yozsang yaxshi bo‘lardi…"
This approach allows criticism while reducing confrontation.
Emojis and Punctuation as Pragmatic Tools
Emojis (
😊
,
😅
,
🙏
) and punctuations (… , !!!) carry tone and mitigate possible
misinterpretations. Delayed replies were also interpreted by participants as face-
threatening unless softened by an apology or emoji.
Gendered Patterns and Observations
While both male and female participants employed politeness strategies, females
were more likely to use emoji and indirectness, while males often used humor or sarcasm
to convey the same intent. This may reflect broader gender norms in Uzbek society.
CONCLUSION
This study confirms that Uzbek youth use a blend of traditional politeness norms
and modern digital conventions to maintain respectful online interaction. Strategies such
as positive and negative politeness, tactful refusals, code-switching, and emoji use all play
roles in pragmatic face-work.
CMC offers unique challenges and opportunities for expressing politeness. Uzbek
youth demonstrate an adaptive competence in navigating these spaces, maintaining
cultural expectations while leveraging the tools of digital media.
IMPLICATIONS AND FUTURE RESEARCH
These findings support the integration of pragmatic awareness in language
education and digital literacy curricula. Understanding the subtleties of CMC interaction
can enhance interpersonal skills, especially in cross-cultural or multilingual contexts.
Future research might explore how these patterns evolve with AI chatbots, or how
youth pragmatics differ in professional vs informal CMC settings. A comparative study
with youth in other Central Asian countries could also be insightful.
Xorijiy lingvistika va lingvodidaktika – Зарубежная лингвистика
и лингводидактика – Foreign Linguistics and Linguodidactics
Special Issue – 5 (2025) / ISSN 2181-3701
516
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