Bald on Record Politeness Strategies
16 conversation. The example is proposed by Brown and Levinson 1987 in the
dialogue: A: I had a flat tyre on the way home.
B: Oh God, a flat tyre
It can be seen that hearer B repeats the part of what the preceding speaker A has said in the
conversation as the response to speaker A‘s safe topic. Sub-strategy 6 is done by avoiding disagreement. There are four
mechanisms of avoiding disagreement according to Brown and Levinson 1987. The mechanisms are token agreement that leads the speaker to twist his utterances
to hide disagreement, pseudo-agreement which is the use of ‘then’
as a conclusory marker, white lies, and hedging opinions. This sub-strategy is exemplified with
the utterances ―I‘ll be seeing you then.‖
Sub-strategy 7 is presupposing common ground. Brown and Levinson 1987 state that gossiping or having small talk is the example of presupposing or
asserting common ground. This is an act of believing something happens before it is proven. The example is in the utterance
―I really had a hard time learning to dive
, you know.‖ Sub-strategy 8 is using joke. Brown and Levinson 1987 explain that
joking is a basic positive-politeness technique. In this way, jokes can be used to stress mutual background knowledge and values that are shared by the speaker
and hearer. The example is in the utterance ―OK if I tackle those cookies now?‖
Brown Levinson, 1987, p. 124. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
17
2 Conveying that Speaker and Hearer are Co-operators
The second mechanism is conveying that the speaker and hearer are co- operators. It means that the speaker and hearer have the same goal and same wants
in particular way. Brown and Levinson 1987 divide this strategy into six sub- strategies that will be explained in the following paragraphs.
Sub-strategy 1 is asserting speaker‘s knowledge of and concern for
hearer‘s wants. Brown and Levinson 1987 note that this sub-strategy purposes to assert the
hearer‘s wants and willingness based on the speaker‘s knowledge to fit one‘s own wants within them. The example that is proposed by Brown and
Levinson 1987 is in the utterance ―I know you can‘t bear parties, but this one
will really be good – do come‖ p. 125.
Sub-strategy 2 is offering or promising. Brown and Levinson 1987 state that offers and promises demonstrate speaker‘s good intention to satisfy the
hearer‘s wants. The intention of satisfying the hearer‘s wants claims that the speaker will obtain whatever the
hearer‘s wants. This sub-strategy is exemplified with the utterance
―I‘ll drop by sometime next week.‖ Sub-strategy 3 is being optimistic. Brown and Levinson 1987 explain that
this is the act of assuming that speaker‘s wants is also wanted by hearer and that the hearer will help the speaker to obtain them. Thus, the speaker presumptuously
assumes that hearer will cooperate with him because both of them share mutual interest. The example of the utterance is
―You‘ll lend me your lawnmower for the weekend, won‘t you?‖ Brown Levinson, 1987, p. 126.
18 Sub-strategy 4 is including the speaker and hearer in a particular activity.
This sub-strategy is done by using an inclusive ‗we‘ form, when the speaker really
means ‗you‘ or ‗me‘. By using ‗we‘ form, the speaker wants the hearer to be involved in the activity and eventually become cooperators. The example is in the
utterance ―Let‘s get on with dinner, eh?‖ i.e. you.
Sub-strategy 5 is giving or asking for reasons. Brown and Levinson 1987 state that giving or asking for reason is a way of assuming cooperation between
the speaker and the hearer H wants S‘s desires. This sub-strategy shows that
help is needed as in a way of implying ‗I can help you‘ or ‗you can help me‘. The example is in utterance
―Why don‘t I help you with that suitcase?‖ Sub-strategy six is assuming or asserting reciprocity. This sub-strategy is
done by giving evidence of reciprocal rights or obligations which are obtained between speaker and hearer Brown Levinson, 1987. It is an act when the
speaker and hearer create mutual advantages. The sub-strategy is exemplified with the utterance
―I‘ll give you pizza if you win the competition.‖
3 Fulfilling Hearer’s Want
The third mechanism is fulfilling hearer‘s wants. It means that the speaker wants the
hearer‘s desire for hearer himself. The speaker can satisfy the hearer‘s positive face by making the hearer satisfy about positive face he wants. Hence,
Brown and Levinson 1987 state that satisfying hea rer‘s wants is done by the act
of gift-giving. The gift itself is not only in a form of tangible gift, but it also in the form of intangible gift, such as goods, sympathy, understanding, and cooperation
that is done among the speaker and the hearer. This sub-strategy is exemplified PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI