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
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
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.
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.
Busmin Gurning, M.Pd., Prof. Amrin Saragih, M.A., Ph.D., and Dr. Rahmad
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
TABLES OF CONTENTS
ABSTRACT ... i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS...iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS... V CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION... 1
1.1 The Background of Study... 1
1.2 The Problem Of the Study... 6
1.3 Objectives of Study ... 6
1.4 Scope of the Study ... 6
1.5 Significance of the Study ... 7
CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF LITERATURE ... 8
2.1 Politeness ... 8
2.1.1 Politeness Strategies ... 9
2.1.2 The Types of Politeness Strategies ... 10
2.1.2.1 Bald on-Record Strategy ... 10
2.1.2.2 Positive Politeness Strategy ... 10
2.1.2.3 Negative Politeness Strategy... 14
2.1.2.4 Off Record Politeness Strategy ... 18
2.1.3 The Reasons of Politeness Strategies Usage ... 19
2.1.3.1 The Reasons of Bald Record Usage... 19
2.1.3.2 The Reasons of Positive Politeness Usage... 19
2.1.3.3 The Reason of Negative Politeness Usage... 20
2.1.3.4 The Reasons of Off Record Usage... 20
2.3 Request Strategies ... 22
2.4 Expression of Polite Request Strategy in Students’ Conversation... 24
2.5 Relevant Studies... 25
2.6 Conceptual Framework ... 28
CHAPTER III: RESEARCH METHOD... 30
3.1 Research Design... 31
3.2 The Data and Source of the Data ... 31
3.3 Instrument of Data Collection... 31
3.4 Procedure of Data Collection ... 31
3.5 Technique of Data Analysis ... 32
3.6 Trustworthiness of the Study ... 34
CHAPTER IV: DATA ANALYSIS, FINDING AND DISCUSSION ... 36
4.1 The Data Analysis ... 36
4.1.1 Types of Politeness Strategies Applied by Students ... 36
4.1.1.1 Types of Politeness Strategies of Request for Information... 36
4.1.1.2 Types of Politeness Strategies of Request for Action ... 42
4.1.2 The Expression of Polite Request Strategies Used The Students in Conversation ... 49
4.1.2.1 The Expression of Polite Request Strategies for Information... 49
4.1.2.2 The Expression of Polite Request Strategies for Action ... 52
4.1.3 The Reasons of Polite Request Strategies Used by The Students... 57
4.2 Findings... 61
4.3 Discussion ... 64
5.1 Conclusions ... 67
5.2 Suggestions ... 68
REFERENCES... 69
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
LIST OF APPENDICES
Appendix I... 71
Appendix II ... 79
Appendix III ... 80
Appendix IV... 81
Appendix V ... 89
Appendix VI... 90
Appendix VII ... 91
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.
According to Brown and Levinson's explanation that defines that linguistic
politeness is a communication strategy to avoid the threatening advance of others
in an effort to meet the positive face and negative face communication of
individual participants (Brown and Levinson: 1992). It means, the politeness was
really needed to avoid any misunderstandings, to build a good relationship and
2
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.
Politeness is a way to request politely by using appropriate utterances or
strategy in society. Brown and Levinson divide four types of politeness strategy,
and Blum-Kulka, House and Kasper (1989) developed a scale in the Cross Culture
3
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.
SMP Hikmatul Fadhillah Islamic School is one of Islamic school in
Medan if where the students are classified to adolescence still need guidance and
direction as to speak to others. An interesting aspect of adolescence is that people
in this age tend to detach themselves from childhood, and at the same time they do
not consider themselves as adults. They are neither an adult nor a child; they are
something in between, teenagers, which is important issue to show the society. In
finding their role in society, and creating an adult identity, they express their
group belongings through their speech, appearance and behavior. From the data
obtained, the students can polish their request in action rather than in information
which is in line with their age who still emotional and also their level of politeness
in asking can be seen from the upbringing of their parents (family social norms).
For instance;Bagaiaman ya kalimat yang mudah kita buat?. It showed the request
4
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
5
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
classroom interaction to know whether the students of junior high school in
especially in SMP Hikmatul Fadhillah Islamic School Medan use the four types of
politeness strategies and also use request strategies in polite request when they
6
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
This main aspect of this study is to investigate the expression of polite
request strategy used the students in conversation. In other works, the scope of the
study is limited to the use of expression of polite request for information and
polite request for action in conversation by the students in SMP Hikmatul
7
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.
Practically, the research findings were gave some contributions to
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
information, namely; Mood Derivable (61%) is highest, and hedge
performative (1%) is lowest, while Explixitly Performative (13%),
Suggestory Formulae (15%), and Query Preparatory (10%). While in the
request for action their expression found eight strategies and the number of
the types are different, namely: Query Preparatory (60%) is highest, mid
hints (1%) and Suggestory Formulae (1%). Mood Derivable (7%), Hedge
Performative (19%), Explicitly Performative (3%), Wants Statements
68
(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
expression of polite request strategies in the adolescence’ s conversation in
school area and in outside school area can applied the polite request
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