A cultural comparison of impoliteness strategies in Chinese and English on Taobao and Amazon

Abstract

This study investigates the underexplored influence of cultural differences on impoliteness strategies within negative online consumer reviews (OCRs). Conducting a comparative analysis of 300 low-rated reviews from Taobao (Chinese) and Amazon (English), the research examines how Chinese and English consumers strategically use language to express dissatisfaction. The findings reveal that while both groups exhibit a strong preference for direct, on-record impoliteness, qualitative differences in rhetorical style persist, reflecting deeper cultural-communicative norms. The study contributes to cross-cultural pragmatics and offers practical insights for managing global e-commerce communication by highlighting the interplay between genre conventions and cultural specificity in online discourse.