directly says to the requestee. The context is in the coffee shop, there are a guest and a waiter. A guest, as the requester, orders a cup of coffee, thus, a waiter, as the
requestee, should comply an order from the requester. This type can be applied in the three strategies such as statement of obligation and necessity, performatives,
and imperatives.
c. Strategies of Request
There are eight strategies of requesting stated by Trosborg 1995: 192. They are hints, questioning
hearer‘s abilitywillingness, suggestory formulae, statements of speaker‘s wishesdesires, statements of speaker‘s needsdemands,
statement of obligationnecessity, performatives, and imperatives. These strategies are explained below.
1 Hints
Trosborg 1995: 192 states that hints strategy is a request strategy which implicitly tells the
requester‘s utterance for the desired action. This strategy can be used for making a statement or asking a question. Thus, the requester can
express the needs to the requestee. According Achiba 2007:39, hints means that the utterances have certain references to the object of desires for conveying the
action. By applying this strategy, the requestee should find out the intention behind the requester utterances with certain references on the context or situation.
An example is The kitchen is a total mess. The example is clearly seen that the requester does not state the request explicitly. The requester asks the requestee to
clean the kitchen because the kitchen looks dirty.
This strategy involves some conditions; they are reasonableness, availability, and obviousness. Reasonableness indicates the reason of request
which implicitly expresses its purpose of request. To make a successful request, the requester should put a reason after the utterance of desiredemand is produced.
Availability is interpreted by questioning the availableexistence circumstances in request. Obviousness implies that the request is uttered through questioning an act
which has not already been performed. According to Blum Kulka in Jalilifar, 2009: 47, hint is divided into two
propositions. They are strong hints and mild hints. Strong hints mean the requester says hisher wish which contains partial reference to the object. Meanwhile, mild
hints mean the requester says hisher wish which is not containing reference to the object. The examples of mild and strong hints are I have to be at the airport in
half an hour. It shows that the requester only expresses the desired action in which the requester will be at the airport in half an hour. Thus, the requestee
interprets that heshe escorts the requester to the airport before boarding. In other examples, My car has broken down. Will you be using your car tonight? When
interpreting strong hints, a requester adds hisher wish partially by completing an utterance with Will you be using your car tonight?
2 Questioning hearer‘s abilitywillingness
Trosborg 1995: 197 explains that when a requester states hisher request, the requestee should consider that a question leads to hisher abilitywillingness is
a request in order to perform the desired action. This strategy expects the requestee to understand that the question belongs to hisher is a request. The
requestee can choose whether heshe wants to comply or not. When applying this strategy, the requester uses some intensification through lexical marking such as
kind, mind, and object can enlarge the willingness pre-condition, for example, Would you be so kind as to refrain from smoking. Here, the requester asks the
requestee not to smoke near himher. There are two conditions included in this strategy. The first is the
condition of ability; it refers to the requestee‘s ability to perform the request. In
order to indicate ability condition, there are two indicators; the inherent capacities of the requestee, both physical and mental, also the external circumstances related
to time, place, etc of the action. The second condition is willingness. It focuses on the
requestee‘s willingness as fulfillment to conduct the request. The example is, Can you reach the jar for me, please. By saying so, the requester asks the capacity
of the requestee whether the requestee can reach the jar or not. Another example is Will you do the shopping today? It is a question that indirectly asking to the
requestee in which the requester invites hisher to go shopping today. 3
Suggestory formulae Achiba 2003:38 states a suggestory formulae is the utterance which
contains a suggestion to perform an action. It implies that the requester does not ask a question directly to the requestee but heshe gives suggestion through a
question as an action of request towards the requestee. Therefore, the requester asks the
requestee‘s cooperation about certain conditions that influence the action. The requester employs this strategy to make the request suitable to hisher own
interests which has advantages for the action. However, the requester should
anticipate the refusal from requestee. An example is How about lending me some of your records? By presenting this example, the requester intends to be
cooperative to the requestee in borrowing the records by stating how about. This request does not force the requestee at all.
4 Statement of speaker‘s wishes and desires
As stated by Trosborg 1995:201, the statements of wishes uttered by a requester are commonly expressed in polite but in direct way. Therefore, the
requestee thinks that heshe should comply the wishesdesires, for example, I would like to have some more coffee. From the example, the requester orders to
get more coffee as hisher wish. 5
Statement of speaker‘s needs and demands In this strategy, the requester is the focal point of the interaction.
Statement of speaker‘s needs and demands strategy contains a high degree of impositions. Therefore, the requester expresses impolitely when requesting
something to the requestee. Trosborg 1995: 202 mentions that the direct request by the requester above the requestee is called as demand. Demand is the
requester‘s interest that wants to be done by the requestee. Then, the requestee feels burdened by the request, thus, it makes more difficult for the requestee to
refuse. An example of this strategy of the statement of needs and demands is I need a pen. By saying that heshe needs a pen, the word need is the main point of
the utterance. A requester states hisher need and demand indirectly. It seems impolite because the requestee cannot refuse it.
In addition, this strategy can be softened by adding please, excuse me or other mitigating devices, for example, I so much want to see that film, please let
me go. By stating the utterance, a requester asks to leave the requestee because heshe wants to watch a movie. The requester makes the request more polite
because it adds please as the mitigating device. 6
Statements of obligations and necessities In this strategy, the authority is the important point to conduct the request.
According to Trosborg 1995: 202, the requester employs hisher own authority or authority from the outside such as institution. In addition, Blum Kulka in
Jalilifar, 2009:47 says that the utterance consist of obligation statement to perform an action. To show the request clearly, the strategy uses auxiliary verbs
such as should, ought to, have to, and must. To indicate moral obligation, it needs to use the verbs should and ought to, for example, You shouldought to leave now.
In this sentence, the requester imposes hisher authority to the requestee since heshe has a higher position than the requestee. Moreover, to show obligation
which delegated to the requester is using must, for example, You must leave now because I want you to. By saying so, the requester asks the requestee to leave
immediately and also it is as the requester‘s wish. Thus, the requester obliges the
requestee to comply the request. Furthermore, by applying have to, it needs to involve few obligations from outside of the requester.
7 Performative
Performative implies the illocutionary force of the utterance that is explicitly stated Jalilifar, 2009: 47. By presenting a requestive intention through
a performative, it obviously shows an utterance as a request. The requestive intents are asking, requesting, ordering, demanding, and commanding, etc. The
performatives is directly and usually authoritative. It seems impolite since the authoritative element is used for requesting, for example, I request you to leave.
Here, the requester asks directly to the requestee to leave as soon as possible. However, the requester is possible to hedge the illocutionary force which is called
as hedged performatives Jalilifar, 2009: 47. Hedged perfomatives is used to soften the utterance such as would, for example, I would like to ask you to leave
me alone. The utterance intention is to request the requestee to leave. With the use of would, it sounds more polite.
8 Imperative
When employing imperative as a strategy, a requester directly shows that the utterance is an order Trosborg, 1995: 204. It seems authoritative since order
cannot be refused. The requestee must perform the requester desired to obey an order because the requester has authority over the requestee, for example, Get out
of here. It interprets that the requester demands to leave the place immediately to the requestee.
By adding tags or please and will you marker, it may softened the utterances and seems less authoritative, for example, Open the door, please. By
telling so, the requestee obviously says to open the door for himher. It sounds less authoritative.
d. The Purpose of Request
