Answer to Question #323362 in English for Taylor

Question

Do gender, status difference and age affect how you use the different forms of address, greetings, and/or gestures?

Answer 1

greetings serve important social functions, such as establishing interpersonal relationships, and opening conversations. The main argument here is that the performance of greetings, which constitutes politeness, is not universal among various groups, but is affected by such factors as age, gender and ethnicity. Basing on comparison of the greetings strategies of two Botswana ethnic groups; Bangwato of Serowe and Bangwaketse of Kanye, the performance of politeness differs not only from one society to another, but also within an ethnic group and it is affected by such factors as age and gender