Face has become a key-concept in current socio-pragmatics. By virtue of its metaphorical force, it enables researchers to explain universal
processes of human communication mostly re ected in language use. Yet being an English construct, in intercultural comparison, face
provokes critical debates putting in doubt namely its relation to im/politeness-theories. The 8 articles in this volume tie on these issues
putting face under linguistic scrutiny: With diferent approaches and methods, some re-consider the notion of face comparing labels and
expressions in lingua-cultures other than English; others explore the verbal enactment of face in selected speech acts, conversational moves
and interactional settings.