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expression of this entreaty also can refer to the assessment of the friendship or the good relationship between the speaker and hearer. Like other types of bald on-
record strategy, this strategy also uses imperative or direct form. In this movie, Melvin B. Tolson uses this strategy once. He performs it
when he has a lunch in his dining room with his wife and his students joining the debate team, Samantha Booke, Hamilton Burgess, Henry Lowe, and James
Farmer Jr. Melvin B. Tolson
: I have an announcement to make. Excuse me.
Recently, I…uh, we— Ruth Tolson
: Mm-hmm. Melvin B. Tolson
: …sent some letters to some major universities. Told them all about us, our team, what we’ve been
doing, and, uh, yesterday we got response. From Oklahoma City University
Datum number 28 The metaphorical entreaty performed is actually addressed to the students,
not his wife. Melvin breaks the silence when they are all enjoying the foods because he wants to make an announcement that recently he gets a response of his
letter from Oklahoma City University telling that they can debate against them. Before making the announcement, he begs them by the expression “Excuse me”
to get their attention, meaning he wants them to care for him or at least concern on his talks. It indicates Melvin’s assessment that he and his students have a good
relationship and he wants them to notice that.
d. Task-oriented
Melvin B. Tolson uses task-oriented strategy mostly to his students since he frequently gives instruction to them to do something, especially which are
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related to the academic task. He performs it baldly on record because he wants a direct response from the hearer. This kind of bald on-record strategy more or less
gives constraint to their freedom of action or utterance. However, although his utterance pos
ing threat to his students’ faces, Melvin feels that in giving the task, face redress is inappropriate to be used. It is because face redress will only
decrease the degree of obligation for doing the task. One example of task-oriented strategy is in the dialogue between Melvin
and Samantha Booke on the day of the debate team tryout. Samantha Booke
: Samantha Booke. Melvin B. Tolson
: Book? Samantha Booke
: With an “e”. Melvin B. Tolson
:
Arise, Miss Booke. With an “e”. Into the hot spot, Miss Booke
with an “e”.
Datum number 13 After Dunbar Reed who is chosen firstly to stand into the hot spot, it comes to
Samantha’s turn to give a try. Melvin comes close to where Samantha sits down. He does not know her name yet, thus he asks it. After getting her name, he gives
an instruction to her to stand up and then to stand into the hot spot to give a try for the tryout. It is implied in his utterance
“Arise, Miss Booke. With an “e”. Into the hot spot, Miss Booke with an “e”. The utterance shows that Melvin asks her in
direct and clear way since his focus of interaction is the task. Therefore, the communication of the task can be delivered effectively. In performing this
utterance orienting to the task, he also includes Samantha’s name to refer that the task is addressed to her.
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e. Sympathetic AdviceWarning
Another bald on-record realization performed by Melvin B. Tolson is sympathetic advice or warning. He performs this strategy twice in which both of
them are addressed to his students, Samantha Booke and Hamilton Burgess. In this strategy, he performs FTAs which actually concern on their interests. It has
meaning that Melvin does care about them although what he performed threats their positive faces. He realizes it by giving some advices in a direct form as the
evaluation to what his students have done or said. An example of this strategy performed by Melvin is when he has a
conversation with Hamilton Burgess where the setting of the conversation is in lecture hall. The debate students are in training as the preparation before joining
into debate competition. Hamilton Burgess
: Well, I have to admit I’ve always wanted to be quiet, mysterious type, only I couldn’t keep my
mouth shut long enough. Melvin B. Tolson
: Would you punch yourself in a street fight, Mr. Burgess?
Hamilton Burgess : No, Sir.
Melvin B. Tolson :
Then don’t punch yourself in a word fight. You don’t have to make fun of yourself. Use your
humor against your opponent.
Datum number 22 The expression in bold above is seemingly quite rude for Hamilton Burgess since
his positive face is being threaten. Ironically, the expression is used by Melvin as the way of showing that he cares to Hamilton. He gives advice to him that in
debating he should not embarrass himself. Hamilton says that he likes to talk a lot and he cannot keep his mouth shut long enough. Then Melvin suggests to
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Hamilton that instead of embarrassing himself by talking so much, he better uses his humor to make the audiences impressed.
f. FTA-oriented Bald-on-record Usage
