Silence of Thai Students as a Face-Saving Politeness Strategy in a Multicultural University Context

Abstract

Silence as a communicative act in face-to-face spontaneous interaction has been underinvestigated in linguistic politeness research in Thailand. With the recent increase in the influx of foreign students gaining admission into Thai universities yearly, the result is that such universities will be a coexistence of cultures. This study therefore aims to investigate the situational face-threat contexts where Thai students use silence as a politeness strategy. This aim is guided by the main research question of what different situational face-threat contexts could lead to the use of silence by Thai students in their foreign-peer interactions in a Thai multicultural university context. Twenty students' interactions were sampled using micro-socio-ethnographic technique, with data from observation, interview, and questionnaire. The main findings revealed that: uncertainty of language proficiency, expected hurting words from interlocutor, and unexpected negative change in hearer's mood, amongst others, were the main circumstances where Thai students use silence as a face-saving politeness strategy. The findings imply better intercultural awareness in multicultural university contexts.

“We Participate, Silently”: Explicating Thai University Students’ Perceptions of Their Classroom Participation and Communication

“…Socio-cultural norms practiced in Thailand clearly indicate that Thai people place importance in harmonizing society: they focus on caring for others and strive for better quality of life as seen in many other collectivist societies (Loh & Teo, 2017;Deveney, 2005). Therefore, rather than being direct and vocal about their opinions, they tend to prefer implicit communication as a way to be 'face conscious', not to attract attention, and to show their respect to others (Ambele & Boonsuk, 2018). Loh and Teo (2017) state that by graciously practicing this socio-cultural custom, Thai people make effort to 'preserve the status quo and tradition, hence stability as a virtue ' (p. 197).…”

Malaysian Fresh Graduates’ Performance in Job Interviews: Politeness Strategies

“…This leads to having respectful communications that consequently materializes in a meaningful teaching and learning process. Ambele and Boonsuk (2018) highlighted that the use of politeness strategy is influenced by one's culture. They indicated that poor language proficiency and uncertainty in word usage from an interlocutor can cause a change in hearer's mood.…”

Community Multicultural Integration Pattern in Environment-Based Learning

“…Then, a teacher should teach by avoiding fanaticism in the class room. Not only in the class room, multicultural in university setting, has potential implication for sociocultural awareness (Ambele & Boonsuk, 2018) and avoiding fanaticism and its need in the community of learning. The multicultural education movement in Freire's opinion, that the flow of education has begun to open to the principles of understanding and acceptance, not just tolerance but rather leads to a form of respect for diversity, based on the need for educators teaching approaches shows a description of the support of the features of race, class, and gender in learning settings.…”

“…Building good relations with parents/guardians of students can accelerate the achievement of school goals, both related to academic aspects and environmental aspects, and school culture. In many ways, the involvement of parents/guardians as the results of a study conducted by Kholis et al (2014) shows that the involvement of parents/guardians can accelerate the achievement of school goals, interacting with all element of schools (Ambele & Boonsuk, 2018). Schools have a variety of targets and objectives within a certain period of time.…”

“…A bazaar on the school grounds, which is attended by all student guardians, teachers, officials, and the public in general. How over study in multicultural based education should have potential implication for sociocultural awareness, thus, avoidance of such face-threat circumstances for better social interactions (Ambele & Boonsuk, 2018).…”