“With all due respect, Mr. Chairman”

Abstract

This paper advances politeness theory, where the examination of polite and impolite acts is not realised as a straightforward interaction but as a means where expressions that contain features that point towards a polite interpretation are mixed with features that point towards an impolite interpretation. This study adopts mixed messaging (Culpeper et al. 2017) as an analytical framework to examine how surface-level politeness co-occurs with implicit hostility in Ghanaian parliamentary discourse. Specifically, the study investigates the strategic use of polite address forms and expressions as a means of tension management by Members of Parliament (MPs) when, in a practical sense, they are being hostile to an opponent. Additionally, the interpersonal deictic function that exists between the interlocutors is examined. Findings indicate that MPs use polite expressions as deference markers, strategic courtesy, familiarity/solidarity, and indirect address as a means to mask hostility. This study contributes to the broader understanding of discourse communities by illustrating how shared linguistic practices, such as im/politeness, regulate interactions in highly polarized environments.