Blurb:

Chunmei Hu and Rong Chen explore the interconnection between backchanneling and politeness in TV interviews aired in Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. They demonstrate that while the function of backchanneling varies a great deal in this particular genre, it is motivated by the speakers’ consideration for the dominant speakers’ positive face. Simply put, positive politeness undergirds almost all instances of backchanneling in Chinese TV interviews.