It has been known for a long time that the German Abtönungspartikeln (like ja, denn, doch wohl, eigentlich, mal) make the utterances in which they appear more friendly, smoother, less rigid, more human. It is, further, a well known fact, pointed out in many comparative studies, that German and some historically related and unrelated languages are particularly rich in particles, in the inventory and in frequency (as types?andas types and as tokens). These particles tend to appear frequently in oral, partner-oriented speech. It is on this basis that I start my reflections.

Is it right to say that the main and immediate function of Abtönungspartikeln is to produce effects like smoothness, friendliness, kindness of speech? Do the speakers use them for this purpose?

Any analysis considering this solution has to take into account the confusing fact that none of the Abtönungspartikeln has in itself a semantic feature expressing 'friendliness' or the like, and that Abtönungspartikeln can well be used in order to express the contrary. For instance, they can even sharpen the insulting intention of an utterance. What, then, are the meanings of the particles? How can the transition from the particle meanings to the aforementioned effects be explained? In other words: how is the over-summative, friendly character of particle bearing texts being brought about? We will discuss some representative examples. Can the courteous character that Abtönungspartikeln convey to their verbal context be grasped with the explanatory instruments developed by recent linguistic politeness research or can it be linked to it?

Our deliberations open up perspectives for language comparison. The question of how the effects that Abtönungspartikeln have on texts are brought about in non-particle languages, is a question bringing a new tertium comparationis into the discussion.