POLITENESS AND INTERACTION
PAPER
Submitted to fulfill the requirements of Pragmatics final exam
By
Name : Yunita Wulansari
NIM : 157835465
Class : P2TK 2015
ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION
POST GRADUATE PROGRAM
STATE UNIVERSITY OF SURABAYA
2016
POLITENESS AND INTERACTION
1. Introduction
Our communication is determined by our social relationship with
others. Everything we say to a certain person is influenced by our
relationship with that person. The way we speak to different persons will
not be similar. Our closeness or distance to the person we are talking to
affects the speaking style we use. There are some factors relate to social
distance and closeness that should be considered before we interact with
others. Most of them are external factors that involve the relative status
of the participants, based on social values tied to such things like age
and power.
However, there are other factors like degree of friendliness which
are often negotiated during an interaction. These factors are internal, that
can cause the distance changing between people, when the social
relationship is in the process of being worked out. For example, two
persons can move from the title plus last name to first name to
address each other.
The factors mentioned above influence not only the way we say, but
also the way we are interpreted and evaluated by others. We can be
considered as rude or thoughtful for the way we communicate with other
people.
2. The Concept of Face
Face is public self image of a person. It also can be said that face is
the emotional and social sense that everybody show to others to be
recognized.
2.1 Face wants
2.1.1 Positive face
Positive face is face or impression shown when somebody wants to
be accepted as a part of certain group or community. Positive face can
also be described as ones desire to be considered as a good person by
others.
2.1.2 Negative face
Negative face is the opposite of positive face. Negative face is a
persons desire for freedom. A person shows negative face when he/she
doesnt want to join with or to be connected to others.
2.2 Face Threatening Act and Face Saving Act
In expressing our intention to others, there are two ways that we
might use. They are face threatening act and face saving act. People
are expecting their "face" to be appreciated by others. A person performs
a face threatening act if he/she doesnt appreciate other persons face
in communicating his/her purposes. On the other hand, a person
performs a face saving act when in expressing his/her intention to other
person, he/she tries to appreciate other persons face. To make it
clearer, we can see the illustration below.
A next-door neighbor is playing a loud music at 11 pm. We want to
tell him to stop the music because it is bed time. We can say Dont you
have a clock? Stop that noise right now! We perform a face threatening
act by saying this. We can soften that expression using a face saving
act like, Im sorry, but I have to work early tomorrow. Please turn down
the volume.
3. Politeness
Politeness in an interaction can be defined as the means employed
to show awareness to other persons face. Politeness can be
accomplished in situations of social distance or closeness. Showing
awareness for another persons face that is socially distant is seen as
respect or deference. Showing awareness for those who are close is
seen as friendliness or solidarity.
4. Self and Others
4.1 Say nothing
Say nothing is a way of communicating or expressing intention, so
someone can get what he/she wants from somebody else without saying
a word. To understand this way of communication, we can look at the
following example.
A student needs to take note in a lecture held in classroom, but he
forgot to bring his pen. Every student in the classroom is busy taking
note. This frustrated student wishes to borrow a pen from his classmate
sitting beside him. He tries to draw attention by searching in the bags,
causing a low but disturbing noise. A moment later, his classmate
realizes that he needs a pen and lends him one.
4.2 Say something
Sometimes, using say nothing strategy is not quite successful to
make other person understand our intention. When it happens, we use
the strategy of say something. This strategy can be conducted in two
ways, off record and on record.
Off record means we dont say directly our purpose, like in this
expression, Oh, I forgot my pen. By saying this we wish that the hearer
realizes our intention and lend us one.
On the contrary, we say our purpose directly in on record strategy. It
can be expressed through an imperative form like, Lend me your pen. It
is known as a bald on record. A bald on record can be considered as
rude, so we use a mitigating device like adding please or make it into
interrogative to soften the expression.
Not all bald on record is considered as rude, for example when
someone is offering something like have some more cake, or offering
help like in give me that wet umbrella. Another exception in which bald
on record is acceptable is in emergency situation, such as dont touch
that! (Maybe the hearer is about to touch a hot iron).
5. Positive and Negative Politeness
5.1 Positive Politeness Strategy
Positive politeness is used to make the hearer feel good about
himself, his interests or possessions, and is most usually used in
situations where the audience knows each other fairly well (Brown &
Levinson), for example, Hey, buddy, I'd appreciate it if you'd let me use
your pen.
5.2 Negative Politeness Strategy
Negative politeness strategies are oriented towards the hearers
negative face and emphasize avoidance of imposition on the hearer. It is
often expressed through distancing styles like apologies (Brown &
Levinson). Negative politeness is a face saving act. It is the more
commonly used. The example is I know you're busy, but might I ask you
if - em if you happen to have an extra pen that I could you know - eh
may be borrow?
6. Strategies
6.1 Solidarity strategy
This strategy is used when speaker and hearer are quiet close.
Sometimes it uses personal information that involve a certain nickname,
slang expressions, even abusive terms (often used by men),
6.2 Deference strategy
A deference strategy is the tendency to use negative politeness
forms, emphasizing the hearers right to freedom. It uses formal
politeness which is more impersonal, and include expressions that refer
to neither the speaker nor the hearer, emphasizing the hearer's and the
speaker's independence. For example, Customers may not smoke here,
Sir and There's going to be a party, if you can make it. It will be fun.
7. Pre-sequence
Pre-sequence is one way of avoiding risk by providing an
opportunity for the other to halt the potentially risky act. Before making a
request, speakers will often use a pre-request, like in:
A : Are you busy? (pre-request)
B : Not really (go ahead)
A : Check this memo (request)
The respond of a pre-request can be a go ahead or stop, as in:
A : Are you busy? (pre-request)
B : Oh, sorry. (stop)
A stop response allows the speaker to avoid making a request.
Pre-sequences are also used in making invitation, as in:
A :What are you doing this Friday? (pre invitation)
B : Hmm, nothing so far. (go ahead)
A : Come over for dinner. (invitation)
OR
A :What are you doing this Friday? (pre invitation)
B : Oh, Im very busy. (stop)
Children use pre-announcements to check if their parents are willing
to pay attention, as in:
Child : Mom, guess what happened? (pre-announcement)
Mother : What? (go ahead)
OR
Child : Mom, guess what happened? (pre-announcement)
Mother : Not now, Jacy. Im busy. (stop)
Throughout this discussion, we now understand politeness and how
people maintain a good relationship with others.
References
Brown, Penelope, and Stephen C. Levinson. Politeness: Some
Universals in Language Usage. Vol. 4. Cambridge University Press,
Cambridge. 1987
Yule, George. Pragmatics. Oxford University Press. Oxford. 1996
