October 2019
Beginner
272 pages
7h 19m
English

“Wanna make me?” The absence of “please” can prompt even the best-behaved team members to put their hands on their proverbial hips in adolescent-style protest. In linguists’ lingo, “please” is an illocutionary force indicating device, or IFID, which in plain English means that “please” signals a request rather than a demand. Bosses justify the absence of “please,” stating that being asked to do one’s job is not a request for a favor, but an expectation. That may be true, but it’s certainly not a helpful attitude.
Language experts report that the English “please” is short for “if you please” ...
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