Pragmatics
I focus on ‘face maintenance’ pioneered by Goffman, and later Brown and Levinson. I have come to believe that, theoretically, it is impossible for one, when involved in contact with others, to avoid exercising or maintaining ‘face’ (not only one’s own but also that of other co-participants). Topics of my interest include how participants establish mutual understandings, handle conflicts, solve problems, or reach a final conclusion; the activities where face and face maintenance are in jeopardy. These areas remain under investigation, especially when variables are whether the participants are 1) acquainted with each other, 2) whether they share language and culture, or 3) whether their power and status are equal. The second area has developed my research paradigm to cover pragmatic competence of nonnative speakers, either in a formal setting or everyday encounters.