An analysis of Politeness Strategies in Indonesian English Textbooks

Abstract

The research aimed explores politeness approaches in EFL textbooks, especially Indonesian English textbooks. There were two textbooks which analysed as the sample for this study. The textbooks entitled “Talk Active 1” and “Talk Active 2: Language and Culture Programme”. The researcher limited the analysis on the dialogs which provided as materials in the textbooks. Brown & Levinson's (1987) politeness strategies were applied to categorize the data. The researcher applied content analysis method proposed by Denscombe, (2010) as the research method. The results of the study revealed bald on-record, positive politeness, negative politeness, and off-record were reflected in the Indonesian English textbooks. Both types of bald on-record strategies were found in the Indonesian English textbooks. However, there were only three types of off-records strategies were reflected in the textbooks. The finding revealed 11 types of positive politeness as strategy follows: S1: Notice, attend to hearer; S2: Exaggerate, S3: Intensify interest to hearer; S4: Use in-group identity markers; S6: Avoid disagreement; S7: Presuppose/assert/raise common ground; S8: Joke; S10: Offer, promise; S12: Include both speaker and hearer in the activity; S13: Give (or ask for) reasons; S14: assume or assert reciprocity. The result also presented 8 types of negative politeness as follows: S1: Be conventionally indirect; S2: Question, hedge; S3: Be pessimistic; S4: Minimize the imposition; S5: Give deference; S6: Apologize; S7: Impersonalize speaker and hearer and S10: Go on record as incurring a debt, or as not indebting hearer. The analysis showed positive and negative politeness strategies were central strategies that reflected in the textbooks. It proved that Indonesian English textbooks have pragmatics input for the students.

Politeness in Thesis Consultation by WhatsApp: Do Lecturers and Students Apply Different Strategies?

“…Negative politeness is used to reduce the burden on the listeners and to demonstrate solidarity between the speaker and the hearer. When social interaction is awkward and distant, positive politeness is used to bring the speaker and the hearer closer together (Sapitri et al, 2020;Sembiring & Sianturi, 2019;Yusuf & Anwar, 2019;Meiratnasari et al, 2019),. The negative politeness strategy can be realized by following the acts: be conventionally indirect, do not assume that a hearer is able or willing to comply with any acts imposed on him, be pessimistic about hearer's ability or willingness to comply with any acts imposed on him, reduce the obligation, give difference, apologize and admit the impingement, impersonalize a speaker and a hearer, state the FTA as a general rule, nominalize to distance the actor and add formality, go on record as incurring debt or as not indebting a hearer.…”

Integrating Politeness Principles and Strategies in Counselling Technique: A Phenomenological Study

“…The results of their research showed that dominant strategy used is a negative politeness because negative politeness strategy because this strategy could give more respect to the people (Marlina & Sibarani, 2018;Nur & Rosa, 2019;Meiratnasari, et al, 2019;Mahmud, 2019;Kuzhevskaya, 2019). Another first finding was the obey of politeness principle by the students.…”

“…However the dominant part is depended on the form whether written or spoken (Safitri, Mujiono, Herawati, 2015;Ryabova, 2015;Rosari, 2016;Nailah, 2016;Eshghinejad & Moini, 2016;Kravchenk & Pasternak, 2016;Marlina & Selfia, 2016;Syah, et al, 2017;Kamlasi, 2017;Agbaglo, 2017;Putri, et al, 2018;Pratiwi, et al, 2018;Marlina & Sibarani, 2018;Nur & Rosa, 2019;Meiratnasari, et al, 2019;Mahmud, 2019;Kuzhevskaya, 2019).…”

Politeness Principles In “Persuasion” Movie

“…Showing the equivalent awareness when the other is socially close is often described in terms of friendliness, or solidarity. Politeness involves how one can make other feel more pleasant (Meiratnasari et al, 2019). It also includes the appropriate linguistic choice in accordance with a certain social and situational context.…”