POLITENESS

Hanifa Rahmawati
Bella Stita R.
Firnantia Lara L.
Weni Agustiningrum
Dwi Esti J.N
DEFINITION OF POLITENESS

• Polite social behaviour

within a certain culture.

• The ability of participants

in a social interaction to
engage in interaction in an
atmosphere of relative
harmony (Geoff Leech).
 POLITENESS
• Politeness and face
• Politeness maxims
• Politeness and context
POLITENESS AND FACE
a) Off - record
b) On - record
c) Apology and Hesitation
d) Negative Politeness
e) Positive Politeness
a speaker's sense of linguistic and social
identity.

a) Off - record ask for help

indirectly, and say, in a voice loud enough
for your neighbor to hear.
Example:
“I forget where I put my car key. I wish I
could remember it.”

b) On - record a speaker makes a

suggestion request over or invitation in
an open and direct way.
Example:
“Put your jacket away.”
c) Apology and Hesitation a question
giving them the opportunity to say no.
Example:
1.“Sorry to bother you. I have been
looking for my car key three times
but I cannot find it. Do you mind to
help me looking for my car key if you
have nothing to do?”

-instead of-

2.“Would you mind to help me looking

for my car key?”
d)Negative Politeness
Speakers can minimize the
imposition by making it seems
smaller than it is, or by adding
devices such as hedges that
mitigate the imposition.

Example:
“Would you mind moving just
slightly? I can’t see the screen
very clearly.”
e)Positive Politeness
Strategies aim to save positive face, by
demonstrating closeness and solidarity,
appealing to friendship, making other
people feel good, and emphasizing that
both speakers have a common goal.

Example:
“I know you hate live music concert,
Anne, but, please come anyway. We’ll
all be there. Daniel and his girlfriend
are going to come too. Come on-can’t
wait for Dream Theater concert! Rock
the night!”
 POLITENESS MAXIMS
a) Tact and Generosity
b) Approbation and
Modesty
c) Agreement
d) Sympathy
e) Overlaps and Gaps
a) Tact and generosity :
maximize benefit to other; minimize
benefit to self.

Example :
“You relax and let me do the dishes.”

b) Approbation and modesty :

minimize dispraise of other; and
maximize praise of other.

Example :
“You’d better go with Daniel, his car
is more luxurious than mine.”
c) Agreement : “minimize disagreement
between self and other” and “maximize
agreement between self and other”

Example :
“Yes, yes, but if you do that it will make
her dissapointed.”

d) Sympathy : “minimize antipathy

between self and other” and “maximize
sympathy between self and other”

Example :
“I am sorry to hear that.”
e) Overlaps and Gaps : one
utterance can contain both
positive and negative
politeness.

Example :
“You may make a party
tonight in your room but
don’t be too noisy.”
POLITENESS AND CONTEXT

• Form and function

• Situational context
• Cultural context
• Form and Function
Politeness lies not in the form and the
words themselves but in their
function and intended social
meaning. The form is polite, but the
intention is not polite.

Example :
1. “So, if you’d be as kind as to shut
up, I’d appreciate it.”
2. “Wallet, would you please give
me some money for my dinner
tomorrow?”
• Situational context
1. “Hang on-I haven’t
finished!”
2. “I wonder if I might just say
finish what I’m trying to say.”

• Cultural context
1. “You should not use too
much media for your
presentation if it is useless.”
2. “Make it clearer so that
everyone here can see it.”
THANK
YOU