EXPRESSION OF POLITE REQUEST STRATEGY IN
STUDENTS’ CONVERSATION
AT SMP HIKMATUL
FADHILLAH ISLAMIC SCHOOL MEDAN
A Thesis
Submitted to the English Applied Linguistics Study Program in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of
Magister Humaniora By:
NURLAILI
Register Number: 8136112063
ENGLISH APPLIED LINGUISTICS STUDY PROGRAM
POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL
STATE UNIVERSITY OF MEDAN
MEDAN
i ABSTRACT
Laili, Nur. Expression of Polite Request Strategy in Students’ Conversation At SMP Hikmatul Fadhillah Islamic School Medan. English Applied Linguistics Study Program. Postgraduate School. State University of Medan. 2016
This thesis deals with Expression of Polite Request Strategy in Students’
Conversation At Hikmatul Fadhillah Medan. It especially focused on types of politeness strategies used by the students in conversation, how they expressed their strategies of polite request and why polite request strategies were realized the way they are in conversation. This study was conducted by descriptive qualitative research design. The data of the research are the utterances of request for information and request for action used by the students in conversation. The
source of the data was the students’ conversations in group discussion and presentation time. The data were the transcription of recorded observation and interview using audio recorder in classroom. The technique of data analysis by
using Bogdan and Biklen’ s technique following:: Working with data, organizing, breaking the data into manageable unit, synthesizing, searching for pattern, discovering what is important and what is to be learned, and deciding. The finding showed that firstly, three types of politeness strategies applied by the students in request for information, namely; bald on record, positive politeness and negative politeness. And four types of politeness strategies found in request for action, namely; bald on record, positive politeness, negative politeness and off
record in the students’ conversation. Secondly, it was found that five of nine types
ii ABSTRAK
Laili, Nur. Ekspresi Strategi Permintaan Yang Sopan Dalam Percakapan Siswa di SMP Hikmatul Fadhillah Islamic School Medan. Linguistik Terapan Bahasa Inggris. Sekolah Pascasarjana. Universitas Negeri Medan.2016.
iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First and foremost, the writer would like to praise and thank God for his never ending love in my life and his mercy in giving full patient and strength that has enable me to accomplish this thesis in order to fulfill one of requirements in obtaining the degree of Magister Humaniora from the English Applied Linguistics, Postgraduate Program from the State University of Medan.
The writer realizes that this thesis will not finished without support, motivation, guide, and contribution, and so on of others, therefore the writer would like to deliver her special thanks and appreciation to the persons who have mention below:
Special thanks are conveyed to her beloved husband, Al Azhar Koto, S.Pd. always support mentally and financially, motivation and endless praying. To her sons are Aqil Luthfi Azhar and Muazzam Dzikri Azhar, for his support and understanding. The deepest thanks are conveyed to her beloved parents, Rusli Nasution and Emmi Lubis for their support, motivation and endless praying. To her beloved all brothers and sisters for their endless praying and support during her study and finishing this thesis.
The writer would like to deliver a special thank, appreciation, and gratitude to the first advisor, Prof. Dr. Sri Minda Murni, M.S. and her second advisor Dr. Zainuddin, M. Hum. who have given her guidance, support and valuable input in process of writing this thesis, and also for their precious time in discussing, giving idea and suggestion since the beginning until completing this thesis.
The writer’ s great thank also to her reviewers or examiners, Prof. Dr.
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this thesis. The writer also would like to express her thanks for all lecturers who teach her during the academic years of LTBI.
She also would like to deliver her appreciation and gratitude to the Head of English Applied Linguistics Study Program, Dr. Rahmad Husein, M.Ed. and Dr. Anni Holila Pulungan, M. Hum. As the secretary of English Applied Linguistics Study Program, for their suggestion and administrative assistance during her study and completed this study and completed this thesis as well as complete her Master degree in English Applied Linguistic Study Program, Postgraduate School State University of Medan. And thank also dedicated to Bang Farid for his kindness at helping administration of LTBI.
Then, her gratitude goes to her friends as well (Suriati, Susilaningsih, Nurhamdiah Sipahutar, Umroh, Rafiqa Purba, Khairunnisa Siregar, Jamil Reza Naibaho, Miranda, Sumarni and Ahmad Ripai Rangkuti), and all friends in LTBI B3 XXII who had given encouragement in writing this thesis. And specially thank
to my cousin’ s Nur Azizah Parinduri who had accompany me to finish this thesis.
The writer would like to thanks to Head Master of SMP Hikmatul Fadhillah Islamic School Medan, Budianto who has given opportunity to observe the students during they are in process learning in classroom.
Finally, this thesis is still far from being perfect in spite of fact that the writer has done her best in completing her work. For this reason, it is suggested for other researchers to make further study related to this topic and subject.
Medan, June, 2016 The writer
NURLAILI
viii
LIST OF TABLE
Table 3.1 ... 32
Table 3.2 ... 32
Table 4.1... 37
Table 4.2... 48
Table4.3 ... 48
Table 4.4... 50
Table 4.5... 56
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LIST OF GRAPHICS
x
LIST OF APPENDICES
Appendix I... 71
Appendix II ... 79
Appendix III ... 80
Appendix IV... 81
Appendix V ... 89
Appendix VI... 90
Appendix VII ... 91
1 CHAPTEPR I
INTRODUCTION
1.1 The Background of the Study
Being polite is important in people’ s life because someone’ s personality
can be judged and seen through the way he or she constructs politeness strategy. Therefore, learning about politeness strategy is considered as important. The term politeness is a term equal to the term linguistic politeness. However, the term politeness is more commonly used in the general public, while the term linguistic politeness is more use in the academic world. Politeness is one of the values upheld in every society in the world. The characteristic of politeness is universal.
According to Watt (2005) stated that there is not a human society that does not utilize the communication strategy to avoid friction interpersonal, to avoid conflict, minimizing conflict, as well as to improve comfort and understanding. The politeness will reflect and universal in the way to communicate. In addition, the nature of the universality of politeness also meaningful in any society, there are forms of social behavior which is classified as a partnership. Where, Watt called ita cooperative social interactionanddisplaying considerationfor others.
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In conclude, politeness linguistics are pursue a strategy or system to communicate with each individual to smooth interaction of communication and making others feel comfortable in communicating with one another. Politeness strategy was also used in making request. In communication, both of speaker and hearer used politeness in requesting. Request was one of the classifications of speech act that concern with the act of asked for something or asked someone to do something.
Request is a speech act expression the speaker’ s desire for the hearer to do
something with the added proviso that the hearer takes this expressed desire as the reason to act, Bach and Harnish (1984: 48). Based on Bach and Harnish’ s
definition, Kuang et al. (2006) redefined request as verbal instruction performed by the speaker expression a desire for the addressee to do a particular thing and usually aim for the addressee to intend to do it and actually to do it.
According to Reiter (2000: 35), a request is prevented act that expresses a
speaker’ s expectation about some prospective action. There are categorized the request. The goals of a request include action (e.g., “can you open the door?”), goods (e.g., “can you pass me the sugar?”), information (e.g., “do you know who our teacher is going to be this semester?”), and permission (e.g., “may I leave early?”), and the appropriateness of a particular goal is determine by social norms of the society in which the speech act is made.
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subcategories grouped into three broad categories of request strategies depending on the degree of directness.
In Sukamto (2012), in his research “Polite Request byKorean Learners of
Indonesian”, he found that the cross-culture as aspect different between Korean learners and Indonesian learners in used polite request. The Indonesian learners more polite in use polite request than the Korean Learners in campus interaction. And the Korean learners of Indonesian are that they do not have adequate knowledge in using politeness strategy in the target language. And the Korean learners more used negative face to hearer while the Indonesian learners use positive face depends on the situation. It can be that the use politeness in polite request depends of situation and culture has every nation.
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to ask the hearer to get information. The speaker tried to use politeness strategies when she/ he want to get information so that the harmony situation can they keep during conversation. And in the request for action, for instance;Bisa kita translate sama-sama yuk artinya ini?. It showed that the speaker used include both S and H in the activity strategy. The speaker has efforted to use politeness strategy when the speaker asked the hearer to do or to act something.
Politeness becomes one of important issues in Indonesian education recently. Nuh (2012), the education minister of Indonesia, assert that politeness of Indonesia students is in a state of decline. Most students speak impolitely and they prefer to use slang or informal language at school. Therefore, most of teacher has a responsibility to teach their students how to speak politely and admonish them if they speak impolitely at school especially during classroom interaction. However, there are still many students are still less polite in talking.
This study focuses on the expression of polite request strategy where the students can express their strategies to polish their language in polite request for actionand alsopolite request for informationin conversation. The student’ s effort
to polish their utterances and the Face Threatening Act (FTA) they used among them in conversation. When the speaker asks something to the hearer she/he efforts use the request that the hearers does not get angry, offended and ashamed. Whether they can polish their request depended on the topic and situation conversation.
Examples below show us some polite request for action and request for
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Request for action: “Friends, tolong kumpulkan tugasnya kedepan sekarang ya?” (Friends, please submit your task, now?). This utterance is Use in group identity marker and it shows the polite request strategy that the students used address form to convey in group membership. The address form use is generic name kawan-kawan (friends). And “kita pindahkan kursi ini sama-sama yuk?” (let’ s move the chairs together?). This utterance is, include both S and H in the activity and it shows that the students use an inclusive weform to soften their polite request in conversation that he/ she do the action together.
Request for information: “bagaimana kamu bisa menulis kesimpulan seperti itu?” this utterance is, assert S’ knowledge and concern for H’ s wants. It shows
that the students use strategy to get information of the answer.
All of examples show the polite request that express ability, wish or desire
in students’ conversation in classroom where FTA is an act that threatens the listener’ s face. ‘ Face’ means the public self-image that everyone wants to claim
for himself. Thus, politeness is needed to create a good environment in students’
conversation including harmony, solidarity among students, and comfortable atmosphere in the classroom.
The fact above motivate researcher to conduct a study dealing with
politeness strategies use in polite request strategy in students’ conversation in
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1.2 The Problems Of the Study
Based on the background of study the problems of the study formulated as the following:
1. What types of politeness strategies are applied by students in using polite request in conversation?
2. How do they express their strategies of polite request in conversation? 3. Why are polite request strategies realized the way they are?
1.3 Objectives of Study
The objective of this study referring to the three problems above:
1. to elaborate the types of politeness strategies by students in using polite request in conversation.
2. to describe the expression strategies of the students in using polite request in conversation.
3. to explain the reason for using of polite request strategies in conversation.
1.4 Scope of the Study
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1.5 Significance of the Study
The findings are expected to be significant theoretically and practically. Theoretically, the research findings are expected to be able to apply the theories of linguistic politeness strategies, especially the spoken language is spoken medium
by certain community, mainly the students’ conversation. This study is considered being useful initially to provide the information of what politeness strategies used by students when they are expressed their oral communication in polite request context of situation. Consequently, it was gave better understanding and new insight of how politeness strategies are related to the aspect of pragmatic study. This contribution was in turn give tentative framework for a comprehensive analysis of politeness.
67 CHAPTER V
CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTION 1.1 Conclusions
After analyzing the data in the students’ conversation of SMP Hikmatul
Fadhillah Islamic School Medan, some conclusions are drawn as the following: (1) All types of politeness strategies were applied by the students in their
conversation, but the proportion of their occurance was not in the same
number. In request for information didn’ t find off record (0%) while Bald
on record is the highest percentage (55%) and positive politeness (38%) and negative politeness (7%) and in the request for action all types of
politeness strategies were applied in the students’ conversation, but the
proportion of their occurance was not in the same number. Bald on record just found (11%), the positive politeness is the highest (47%), negative politeness just found (40%) and the lowest is off record (1%).
(2) And there are five of nine types of request strategies in the theory by
House and Kasper in the students’ conversation found in the request for
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(3) The reasons were follows; first, the participants used their expression is Bald on resord because of the limited vocabulary. Second, their habit used politeness strategies because they feel relaxed and comprotable in conversation. Third, mood and also environment school as the reasons can make them more polite in speaking each other.
1.2 Suggestion
In relation to the conclusion above, suggestion are stated as the following. 1. It is suggested to students to introduce the theory of politeness strategies in
the conversation in classroom or in outside when they have communication each other that the students can apply the strategies to all people.
2. It is also important for other researchers to investigate wheather the
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