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The impoliteness metadiscourse about a public apology

Evidence from Twitter/X

ORCiD logo with link | Federal University of Minas Gerais
 | Federal University of Minas Gerais
Published online: 3 June 2025
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/prag.22057.oli
Abstract
Public apologies seek moral reconciliation with the victim and the broader audience. When published online, they also become the focus of impoliteness metadiscourse, particularly on Twitter/X. Drawing on the pragmatic approaches to apologies as moral acts and on impoliteness theory, we aim to analyze how users reacted to a public apology, issued by Formula One driver Nelson Piquet after he deployed the term “neguinho/nigger” to refer to Lewis Hamilton. Given the controversy about the term, we examined if users classified it as a racist slur or as a neutral form of address, as Piquet framed it. Our data comes from 469 tweets, published as replies to the apology. The findings show that 84.5% of the users classified the term as a racist insult and judged the apology as insincere. Processes of online public shaming were also identified in the posts, aiming at exposing Piquet for his misconduct.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Apologies in the public scenario
    • 2.1Impoliteness metadiscourse and the social norm
    • 2.2Impoliteness and public online shaming on Twitter/X
    • 2.3Interpersonal provocations and sarcastic expressions
  • 3.Methodology
  • 4.Nelson Piquet’s public apology
    • 4.1Hamilton’s reaction to Piquet’s apology
  • 5.Quantitative analysis
  • 6.The reactions of users to Piquet’s public apology
    • 6.1Rejecting the apology and sanctioning the term “neguinho”
    • 6.2Accepting the apology and supporting Piquet
  • 7.Final remarks
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
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