The Bathroom Formula: A corpus-based study of a speech act in American and British English

• Published in: Journal of pragmatics Vol. 64; no. Apr; pp. 1 - 16
• Main Author: Levin, Magnus
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01.04.2014; Elsevier
• Subjects: Bathroom Formula; Descriptive studies and applied theories; Dysphemism; Engelsk språkvetenskap; English; Euphemism; Formulaic language; Lexicalized sentence stem; Linguistics; Semantics and pragmatics; Unobtrusiveness; Bathroom Formula; Dysphemism; Formulaic language; Euphemism; Lexicalized sentence stem; Unobtrusiveness; Speech act; British English; Pragmatics; American English

•There is little creativity when speakers express their need to go to the bathroom.•There is little sociolinguistic variation.•Unobtrusiveness is an important aim.•The formula usually receives minimal responses. This paper is a corpus-based study of the Bathroom Formula, a speech act that refers to...