Editing Phatic expression (section)

==Importance of context==
Many expressions generally considered to be phatic (''see below'') may be a genuine request for information in certain contexts. For example, in [[British English]], "How are you?" is a phatic expression used when greeting someone one knows, especially when a participant wants to initiate conversation. However, it can also be asked sincerely, inferrable from context, such as when a friend gives bad news, or tone, such falling intonation to show it as a genuine question (as is with [[Interrogative word|w/h-word questions]]), or speaking more quietly. Authenticity of the question can also be emphasised by the addition of the word "feeling" ("How are you feeling?").