phatic
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English
Etymology
From Ancient Greek φατός (phatós, “spoken”) - from φημί (phēmí, “I say”) - + -ic.
Probably formally influenced by emphatic, which predates this term.
Pronunciation
Adjective
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phatic (comparative more phatic, superlative most phatic)
- (linguistics) Pertaining to words used to convey any kind of social relationship.
- 1978, Anthony Burgess, 1985:
- Generally speaking, statements in WE are expected to be of a tautologous nature, thus fulfilling the essential phatic nature of speech.
- 2006, Thomas Pynchon, Against the Day, Vintage, published 2007, page 467:
- Dispensing with phatic chitchat, he began straightaway to tell the story of his “people.”
Derived terms
Translations
more polite than meaningful