국제한국언어문화학회

This study aims to explore the micro-level factors influencing politeness judgments in individual communication situations. By expansively presenting a drama scene that features directive speech acts to native Korean speakers in their 20s, this study inductively analyzed how information related to the interlocutor, sociocultural knowledge, and nonverbal expressions affect politeness judgments. The results showed that in individual communication situations, micro-level politeness determinants such as past situations and information related to the interlocutors, sociocultural knowledge acquired through socialization, and semi-verbal or nonverbal expressions such as voice tone, facial expressions, and behavior can be more important than general and universal factors such as hierarchy and kinship. Thus, sociocultural factors must be considered in politeness research. By emphasizing the situational specificity of politeness judgments, the findings highlight the need to explore micro-politeness determinants based on more realistic and complex interactions.