The Politeness Strategies in English Classroom Interaction

Wartika Hartini1, Mohammad Febryanto2,

Ika Rahayu3, Gigin Ginanjar Sapari4
English Department, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education
Universitas Mandiri, Subang - West Java – Indonesia134
Politeknik Negeri Bandung – West Java – Indonesia2

warikahrt@gmail.com1, mohammadfebryanto@gmail.com2,
ikarahayu168@gmail.com3, ggsapari@gmail.com4

ABSTRACT
Politeness strategies is the speaker’s effort to express politeness in the form of language. The aims this
research to find out the types Politeness Strategies in English Classroom Interaction and describe
realization of Politeness Strategies in English Classroom Interaction. This study uses a qualitative
descriptive approach as methodology and the analysis content. The sources of data for this research is
transcript of audio from observation. Based on the reserach, there are 149 politeness strategies found.
There are 87 Bald on Record strategies, 57 Positive Politeness Strategies, 1 Negative Politeness
Strategies, and 4 Off Record Strategies. The realization of politeness strategies in sub-strategies of
politeness strategies there are Bald on Record. Strategy 1 (Notice, attend to H), strategy 4 (Use in-group
identity markers), strategy 5 (Seek agreement), strategy 8 (Joke), strategy 9 (Assert of presuppose
Speaker’s knowledge of and concern for Hearer’s wants), strategy 10 (Offer, promise), strategy 12
(Include both Speaker and Hearer in the activity), strategy 13 (Give (or ask for) reason), strategy 15 (
Give gifts to Hearer) of Positive Politeness Strategies. In strategy 3 (Be pesimistic) of negative
politeness. In strategy 10 (Use rhetorical questions) and strategy 11 (Be ambiguous) of Off Record
Strategies.

Keywords: Politeness Strategies, English Classroom Interaction

INTRODUCTION
In people’s daily life, humans utilize conversation to communicate with each other. Based on
(Pridham, 2001) cited in (Rahmat, 2020:1) stated that any interactive spoken discussion
between two or more persons is referred to as a conversation. These exchanges can be private,
like family conversations at home, or public and ritualized, like classroom discussion or
question period in the House of Parliament. Conversation can also be conducted over the
phone, broadcast media like a live television discussion show or radio phone-in.
From conversation, verbal communication will be formed. Verbal communication is carried
out by two or more participants, consisting of speakers and listeners. In the opinion (Rahmat,
2020:1) the speakers meant for the listeners to understand particular meaning, and the listeners
work to decipher what the speakers is trying to express through their utterances. The thoughts,
feelings and desires of the speakers and listeners should be communicated and understood by
both parties. By doing this, people can establish good communication. To this study, in
linguistics there was a field of study called pragmatics.
One of the main concepts in pragmatics is politeness. Politeness in communicating is very
important, especially when faced with an interlocutor who really needs to be respected; the lack
of politeness when communicating sometimes makes listeners offended. Being able to
condition well and knowing who to talk to is also very important. And based on (Yule, 1996:60)
politeness is used to demonstrate awareness of another person’s face.
In the opinion (Brown & Levinson, 1988) cited in (Ningsih, 2016:351) stated there are moments
when a speaker utilizes speech that causes another to lose face during the communication
process. The notion or nosi of “face” is so important to them that a speaker of speech at a given
time feels the need to use a particular strategy to minimize the threat of the face contained in
their speech. Meanwhile, (Mujino & Ula, 2020:230) stated a politeness strategy is another name
for this strategy. It is employed by both the speaker and the addressees to keep the peace
throughout a conversation. They must be aware of the politeness strategies in order to have
effective communication; it is a way for them to demonstrate appropriate behavior to one
another.
Politeness strategies can be present in both written and verbal communication. In written
language, such as a novel, short tale, or theatre, people can use politeness strategies. In addition,
politeness strategies can be seen in everyday communication and every place such as bank,
hospital, hotel, house, and school. For example in the school, when the teacher asks the students
to help erase the writing on the blackboard “Leader in this class, please help me for erase the
writing on the blackboard” the use of the word “please” is used politeness strategies, asking
someone to do something. Or when a student wants to go to the toilet, the student does not go
straight away but asks the teacher for permission first by saying “sorry ma’am, I am permission
to go to the toilet”. The use of the word “sorry” is used politeness strategies to excuse me. There
are some strategies that must be considered to make harmonious in education especially in
classroom. So, politeness strategies is needed. According to (Brown & Levinson, 1988:68) there
are four main types of politeness strategies in Face Threatening Act (FTA): bald on-record,
positive politeness, negative politeness, and off the record.
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
Pragmatic
In the opinion (Yule, 1996:3), there are four pragmatics definitions: (1) areas that discuss the
speakers meaning, (2) areas that look at the context meaning, (3) areas that go beyond the study
of the spoken meanings, review meaning that is communicated or communicated by the
speaker, (4) and areas that look at a forms of expression at social distance that limit participants
in certain conversation. Meanwhile (Thomas, 1995:2) stated two tendencies in pragmatics, (1)
using a social point of view, connecting pragmatics to speaker meaning. And (2) using a
cognitive point of view, connecting pragmatics to utterance interpretation. (Thomas, 1995:22)
also stated definition of pragmatics as meaning in interaction. Making sense is a dynamic
process that involves the negotiating of meaning between speaker and hearer, the context of the
utterance (physical, social, and linguistic) and the meaning that could be conveyed by the
utterance. And there are several topics in pragmatics, including the following:
First is Deixis, based on (Yule, 1996:9) deixis is a technical name for one of the most
fundamental things we perform with utterances, which refers to language. Deixis classifies into
three categories, there are person deixis, spatial Deixis and temporal deixis. Person deixis
relates to the pronouns in an utterance, spatial deixis relates to the location relevant in an
utterance, and temporal deixis relates to the time involved in an utterance.
Second is Presupposition, in the opinion (Yule, 1996:25) presupposition is something the
speaker believes to be true before speaking. The utterance must be understood or assumed to
be appropriate in context by both the speaker and addressee. There are seven types of
presupposition, namely potential, extential, factive, non-factive, lexical, structural, and
counterfactual. Potential presupposition is a presumption that can only become true in situation
where there are speakers. Extential presupposition is a supposition that suggests the existence
of the mentioned entities. Factive presupposition is a presumption that reveals a truth. Non-
factive presupposition is a presumption that something will be impossible. Lexical
presupposition is a belief that the speaker has the authority to act as though another meaning
will be understood. Structural presupposition is a presumption connected to the use of particular
words and phrases. And counterfactual is a belief that what is presupposed is not only false, but
also the complete opposite of what is true or is untrue in light of the facts.
Third is Cooperative Principle, in the opinion (Yule, 1997:37) cooperative principle is a
fundamental assumption of conversation that each person will make an effort to correctly
contribute at the appropriate time to the current exchange of talk. Based on Grice’s opinion
(Watts, 2003:37) cited in (Supriadi, 2019:9) cooperative principle in a conversation can be
explain in term of four conversational maxims, there are maxim of quantity, maxim of quality,
maxim of relation, and maxim of manner. Maxim of quantity means the speakers should
provide the necessary information. Maxim of quality refers to the expectation that speakers will
communicate honestly. Maxim of relation means presumed that the speakers will make a point
that is related to what has already been said. And maxim of manner means the speaker should
be succinct and clear.
Fourth is Implicature. Based on (Yule, 1996:44) the listener must presume that the speaker is
cooperative and trying to communicate when she hears the expression of utterance, and that
something must be more than just what the words mean. There are two types of implicature,
namely conversational implicature and conventional implicature. Conversational implicature is
the phenomena in which a speaker states one thing while inferring another, and conversational
implicature is the use of some term has an additional connotation.
Fifth is Speech Act. Speech act generally refer to actions carried out through utterances in
communicate (Yule, 1996:47). There are three categories of speech act, namely locutionary act,
illocutionary act, and perlocutionary act. Locutionary act is the act of speaking or making a
meaningful language expression. Illocutionary act is accomplished through the persuasive
power of a spoken word. And perlocutionary is depending on the situation, the speaker will say
anything assuming that the listener will understand the meaning.
Meanwhile, the last is Politeness. In the opinion (Thomas, 1996:157) cited in (Supriadi,
2019:11) stated a speaker may use politeness as a strategy to accomplish a number of objectives,
including fostering or preserving harmonious relationships. And (Brown & Levinson 1988:68)
mentioned there are four main types of politeness strategies: bald on-record, positive politeness,
negative politeness, and off the record.
So, based on the explanation above. Pragmatics is a field that discusses the use of language, the
meaning of language based on the context, and the social relationships of the utterance
participants. And politeness is one topic of pragmatics.
Politeness
In the opinion (Yule, 1996:60), politeness is used to demonstrate awareness of another person’s
face, and according to (Lakoff,1990) cited in (Ibnus & Mujiyanto, 2018:77) defined politeness
as a strategy for facilitating social relation by lowering the risk of conflict and confrontation in
human interaction. And politeness serves as a set of norms for cooperative behavior. Therefore,
politeness is used by the speaker to show respect for the listener through language, so that social
relations are harmonious. Meanwhle according to (Leech, 2014:12) cited in (Bernadet & Safitri,
2016:117) politeness is a communicative habit that is quite common in human languages and
cultures; in addition, it has been asserted that politeness is a universal characteristic of human
society. Usually, languages develop their own rules of politeness. This relates to the social and
culture values of community. According to (Watts, 2003) cited in (Fitriyani & Andriyanti,
2020:262) stated Politeness as a communication strategy develops positive relationships among
society's participants and avoids potential conflict or differences of opinion. But, the discussion
of politeness cannot be separated from the discussion of the face, the both are connected each
other.
METHOD
This research was aimed to investigated the types and the realization of politeness strategies in
English Classroom interaction through applying qualitative descriptive method in accordance
with the purpose of this research. According to (Creswell, 2018:41) qualitative research is
delving into and comprehending the significance that individuals or groups attach to a social or
human issue. Emerging questions and technique, as well as data acquired in the participant’s
setting, are all part of the research process. Data analysis is done inductively, with the researcher
developing interpretations of the data as it progresses from specifics to broad themes. The
structure of the final written report is customizable. Those who engange in this type of research
promote an approach to research those values an inducive approach, an emphasis on individual
meaning, and the necessity of rendering situations complexity.
This research employs a descriptive qualitative method for collecting and analyzing data, the
data of this research are in the form of transcribed utterances from English Classroom
Interaction, and the data was collected are analyzed based on theory of politeness strategies by
(Brown & Levinson, 1988). And then, this research used descriptive method to easier the
process of interpreting data. So, this research described politeness strategies in English
Clasroom Interaction.
Futhermore, the researcher used content analysis as a type of qualitative research. According to
(Kawulich, 2004:49) stated analyzing data with qualitative content analysis Reading and
rereading transcripts several times will help the researcher identify themes and categories by
pointing out differences and similarities. This type is relevant to the research purpose, which is
to collect data from transcript recording audio of English classroom interaction and draw
conclusions systematically. As a result, because this method is relevant to the research, the
researcher would use qualitative content analysis to analyze the types and realization of
politeness strategies.
RESULT AND DISCUSSION
The data is Politeness strategies taken from 1st October until 31st October 2022. observation
were made 4 times, during English lessons, one times meetings in a week. And in the one
meeting, 180 minutes. Based on types of politeness strategies there are bald on record, positive
politeness, negative politeness, and off record.
 Table 1. Types of politeness strategies

Observation Observation Observation Observation

Types 1 2 3 4 Total
BR 44 14 11 18 87
PP 29 16 5 7 57
NP 1 - - - 1
OFR 3 - - 1 4
Total politeness strategies 149

Bald on record strategies

Bald-on record strategy is a strategy of doing the Face Threatening Act (FTA) to state
something clearly, and the main reason for choosing this strategy is that speaker wants to
perform Face Threatening Acts (FTAs) with maximum efficiency. And these types of strategies
are frequently used by individuals who have a close relationship and are at peace in their
surroundings, such as a close friend and family.
The researcher found 87 utterance that contain bald on record, and bellow example of utterance:
Example 1
T : Gimana kemarin ulangannya? Gampang?
(How was yesterday’s test? Easy?)
Based on the utterance above , the teacher used bald on record. The teacher asks the students
about the test one week ago, because it is something important to ask after the test.
Example 2
T : Coba semuanya duduk dulu duduk. ku ibu mau di jelasin. Kalian pusing dimana nya? (Let's
all sit down first. I want to explain to you. Are you confused about which part?)
S : Ini nya. (This is it.)
T : Ngirim nya? (Sent it?)
S : Iya (Yes)
Based on the utterance, the teacher used bald on record, Because students approached the
teacher to question the task, the situation became chaotic. Therefore the teacher asked students
to sit and listen to explanations related to the part of the task that still made students confused.
Positive Politeness Strategies
Positive politeness strategies are commonly used in social situations where people know well
each other or in groups of friends. By showing kindness and caring in the hearers' demand for
respect, this strategy helps to reduce the distance between them. But, this strategy is sometimes
applied to interlocutors who are not near to the speaker in order to demonstrate intimacy.
The researcher found 57 utterance that contain positive politeness strategies, and bellow
example of utterance :
Example 1
T : Hmm.. Ulan.. lan share lan ke grup lan
Based on the utterance above, the teacher used positive politeness strategies, and used strategy
4 (Used identity mark), because the teacher calls a student named Wulan as Ulan. The teacher
gave the nickname to the student named Wulan so that the teacher and students were more
familiar. And from there, it can be seen that students do not mind when called by that nickname.
The relationship between teachers and students also looks more friendly and not awkward.
Example 2
T : Tinggal no 5.? Pinter (Not yet number 5? Smart)
Based on the utterance above, the teacher used positive politeness strategies, and used strategy
15 (Give gift to Hearer), because the teacher gave tasks from points 1-4, and the students
worked quickly. Then, the teacher complimented the students. The teacher gives compliments
because it appreciates students who have worked hard to do the assignment, and the teacher
gives the compliment so that students are more eager to learn. Motivate students is excellent
when in the classroom,
Negative Politeness Strategies
The important aim of this negative politeness strategy is to make the assumption that the speaker
will most likely burden or bother the interlocutor because he has entered the opposite speech
area. The foundation of the valuing conduct in negative politeness, which is also found in
positive politeness strategies. The distinction is that this strategy is more specific and more
focused because the speaker delivers possible factor to reduce some burdens as something the
listener cannot avoid.
The researcher found 1 utterance that contain negative politeness strategies, and bellow
example of utterance :
Example 1
S : Yes Ms.
T : Kabayang teu? Ngke ku ibu dikasih contohna berarti minggu depan weh nya (Can you
imagine? I will give you an example next week).
Based on utterance above, the teacher used negative politeness, used strategy 3 (Be pesimistic),
the sentence of “Can you imagine?” In the situation that occurred in the classroom, after the
teacher explained the material about the application letter teacher was still hesitant because
some students looked confused. Therefore, when the teacher asked the students whether they
could imagine, the teacher was hesitant and pessimistic. Then, the teacher told them she would
give an example at the next meeting.
Off Record Strategies
Off record strategy is realized in covert manner and without a distinct communicative goal.
with this strategy the speaker takes himself out of action by letting the listener to interpret an
action himself.
The researcher found 4 utterance that contain bald on record, and bellow example of utterance:
Example 1
S : Iya bu jadi kayak... kayak...bla bla bla (Yes miss it's like... like... blah blah blah)
Based on the utterance above, the student use the off record strategies, strategy 11 (Be
ambiguous). When the teacher asks students about the explanation of the format of the
application letter, students answer the question unclearly and convolutedly. And this confused
the teacher with what the students meant.
Example 2
S : Bu nanti di tulis ke kertas portofolio? (Miss, later written to the portfolio paper?)
Based on the utterance above, the student use the off record strategies, strategy 10 (Use
rhetorical question). When the teacher informs students about the assignment and discussion
for the next meeting, namely writing a CV and Application Letter on portfolio paper. Some
students ask, "Miss, later written to the portfolio?" the question becomes rhetorical because the
teacher has previously told, and the answer is clear: CV and Application Letter are written on
portfolio paper.
This research is related to one of the previous study used as a reference in this research, there
are similarities is discuss about politeness strategies, and the object is the same in the previous
study focused on classroom interaction. There are some differences in the result between this
study and previous study. This research question about ‘what are the types of politeness
strategies in English Classroom Interaction and how are the realization of politeness strategies
in English Classroom Interaction’. In this research found 4 types politeness strategies in 4
observation the data show 149 politiness strategies contain are BR 87, PP 57, NP 1, OFR 4. The
difference with previous study by Santi Fitriyani & Erna Andriyani (2020), in the research about
‘What the use of politeness strategies which occur in EFL classroom interaction’ data by Santi
Fitriyani & Erna Andriyani (2020) consist of 13 excerpts, BR 1, PP 4, NP 8, OFR 0. And the
research by Santi Fitriyani & Erna Andriyani (2020) not found Off Record Strategies.
The result in this research is related based on (Brown & Levinson, 1988) theory of politeness
strategies, and there are four main types of politeness strategies: bald on-record, positive
politeness, negative politeness, and off the record. And the realization in sub-strategies from
four types of politeness strategies. In this research found all types of politeness strategies, there
are bald on record strategies, positive politeness strategies, negative politeness strategies, and
off record strategies. The most frequenly strategies are bald on record strategies and positive
politeness strategies, and the rarely strategies are negative politeness strategies and off record
strategies. From several observations made by researchers, researchers saw the closeness
between teachers and students at SMKS Terpadu Lampang, teachers were friendly to students,
and students were close to teachers.
CONCLUSION
It was shown that from 4 observation there are 149 politeness startegies, 87 are BR is strategy
occurs when speakers say something directly, as it is, blatantly due to the situation (e.g.
emergencies), 57 are PP is strategies used to show friendliness, 1 is NP is strategies used to pay
attention to the Negative Face by applying distance between speakers and addressees and not
interfering with each other, 4 are OFR strategies are expressed indirectly or non-transparently,
resulting in different interpretations of the interlocutor. The realization of politeness strategies
are used in English Classroom Interaction by the teacher and students. The realization in sub-
strategies. In show that realization of politeness strategies to Bald on Record. Strategy 1 (Notice,
attend to H), strategy 4 (Use in-group identity markers), strategy 5 (Seek agreement), strategy 8
(Joke), strategy 9 (Assert of presuppose Speaker’s knowledge of and concern for Hearer’s
wants), strategy 10 (Offer, promise), strategy 12 (Include both Speaker and Hearer in the
activity), strategy 13 (Give (or ask for) reason), strategy 15 ( Give gifts to Hearer) of Positive
Politeness Strategies. In strategy 3 (Be pesimistic) of negative politeness. In strategy 10 (Use
rhetorical questions) and strategy 11 (Be ambiguous) of Off Record Strategies.

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