REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
B: I work at Antara
Instead of claiming the mistake, the speaker answers by avoiding disagreement.
[7] “You haven’t learned it, have you?”
The speaker states his belief of something before it is proven and uses tag question.
[8] “I will help you doing your assignment.”
Promise is the other example of positive politeness strategy. The speaker promises the hearer by considering the hearer‟s want.
[9] “Let’s start the lesson now.”
In the example [9], the speaker includes both speaker and hearer in the activity. Including the hearer in an activity can show the cooperation among them.
c.) Negative Politeness Strategies
Brown and Levinson (1987) define Negative Politeness strategy as the redressive action towards the hearer‟s negative face. This strategy is used to minimize particular imposition from the FTA. The speaker can respect the hearer`s basic want to maintain claims of territory and self-determination. Thus, the hearer will have freedom of action. Negative Politeness strategy focuses on
minimizing the imposition by attempting to soften it. This strategy can be used to show politeness and formality. The main point is that negative politeness is able to show that the speaker gives freedom of action to the hearer. In other words, the hearer will have the freedom of action. In addition, this strategy can also show the social distance between the speaker and hearer. The following section discusses the sub strategies of Negative Politeness strategy.
[10] “Could I ask you a question?”
This strategy uses indirect request. The word ‘could’ indicates that the speaker asks for the hearer‟s permission first before he asks the intended question.
[11] “Would it be very wrong if I asked you for your number?”
By choosing words showing the minimum state of a matter, the speaker can minimize the imposition.
[12] “Excuse me sir, could I get the handout?”
The speaker may give deference to show formality. The speaker realizes that the hearer has more power than him and wants to show it in order to give respect.
[13] “I’m sorry for interrupting you but I need to talk to you now.”
The speaker apologizes for the FTA to the hearer‟s face. It shows that the speaker does not want to impinge on the hearer‟s face.
d.) Off Record Strategy
Off Record strategy is also known as indirect strategy. Brown and Levinson (1987) explain that off record is “a communicative act which contains not only one particular intention” (p. 211). The speaker will give an utterance which has more than one meaning. In order to know the real meaning, the hearer has to interpret the speaker`s utterance. If the speaker decides to avoid the responsibility of doing FTA, he can apply Off Record strategy and let the addressee decide how to interpret it. The following section discusses the sub strategies of Off Record strategy.
[14] “Are you going to market tomorrow?” (p. 216)
The speaker gives an utterance related to the act required of the hearer based on the precedent in the speaker-hearer‟s experience or by their mutual knowledge. The speaker actually asks for a ride to the market.
[15] “Well, you are listening to me and you are not listening to me.”
The speaker gives two contradictive things in order to show that he cannot tell the truth. Thus, he let the hearer interpret it. From the example, the speaker actually asks the hearer to listen carefully.
[16] “This party is like a living hell.”
The hearer should interpret the intended meaning by analysing the situation since the speaker uses metaphors in his utterance. The utterance actually means that the party is uninteresting or boring.
[17] “How many times do I have to tell you?” (p. 223)
The speaker asks a question without intention of receiving an answer. He let the hearer interpret the meaning.
7. Factors Affecting the Characters’ Politeness
This research also analyses the factors which affect the characters`
politeness in About Time movie. This research employed the theory of Spolsky (1998) about the factors which affect the characters‟ politeness. According to Spolsky (1998), there are language style, register and domain, slang and solidarity, and language and gender which will determine the use of language in speaking politeness. The explanation of each factor is described as follows.
a.) Language Style
In communication, people are usually aware with the hearer. They can choose whether to speak formally or informally according to the person they are talking to. Spolsky (1998) states that people can consciously choose how to use language by applying formal or informal expressions to people that they address.
Further, he states that people are engaged in a favoured and educated norm of their society when they speak formally since they are able to speak appropriately.
b.) Register and Domain
Spolsky (1998) emphasizes that people with particular occupation may create terms for new concepts. People who work at hospital will be different from people who work at market in terms of language. Each occupation will develop
the terms which may not be familiar for people who do not work in the same place. Thus, register is a variety of language involving roles and statuses, which is used in certain situation. The other key to determine politeness in speaking is social situation. Spolsky (1998) says that there is a typical domain which defines the way people speak in terms of social situation. Further, he states that domains are named usually for a place or an activity in it. Two common domains are home and work.
c.) Slang and Solidarity
Spolsky (1998) mentions that slang is used as special kinds of intimate or in-group speech. Slang has social functions as a sign of identity membership and solidarity among people who use it. Further, Spolsky (1998) explains that solidarity has a major impact on language. People tend to show group solidarity to others by applying the same language use, such as accent or word choice. This factor has the goal to intimate both the speaker and the hearer.
The importance of language in establishing social identity is also shown in the case of slang. Slang is a kind of jargon marked by its rejections of formal rules and its marked use to claim solidarity. Slang regularly transgresses other social norms, making free use of taboo expressions.
d.) Language and Gender
Spolsky (1998) states that both men and women share differences in vocabulary. As for children, they tend to pick women‟s and men‟s talk as social stereotypes. They assume women‟s talk has something to do with home and
domestic activities, whereas men‟s talk is associated with the outside world and economic activities.
8. Constrution
This research uses the construction classifications in order to find the types of politeness expressions based on the construction. The politeness expressions are categorized into three types. They are lexical, phrasal, and clausal construction. Lexical construction is a single word or a chain of words. Phrasal construction is a related group of words. It consists of two or more words without a verb. Clausal construction is a group of words. It consists of a subject and a verb. The utterances in the construction classifications table are only the utterances which imply the politeness expressions, not all the utterances.