48 analysis, social distance is the main element of relevant circumstances that
influences a speaker in choosing a certain strategy. If the relationship between the participants of the conversation is close, the speaker tends to use positive
politeness strategy. On the contrary, if there is a distance between the participants, negative politeness strategy is preferable.
In this research, the least element of relevant circumstances which influence a speaker in choosing a certain strategy is relative power. It happens
since in Boyhood, there are only few participants who have different power in a same conversation. This research results reveal that if the addressee has more
power than the speaker, the speaker tends to use negative politeness to show respect and to maintain the distance. However, if the speaker has more power than
the addressee, heshe will use positive politeness to make the addressee feel as hisher friend.
B. Discussion
In this section, the researcher answers the research questions by giving deep explanations. In accordance with the research questions, the researcher
explains the kinds of positive and negative politeness strategies and the factors that influence the characters in Boyhood in delivering a certain kind of politeness
strategy. In addition, the researcher also presents some examples related to the data findings to make the explanation more detail.
49
. Positive and Negative Politeness Strategies of Refusals Employed by the Characters in Boyhood
a. Positive Politeness Strategy
According to Brown and Levinson in Goody, 1978:70, positive politeness can be described as a strategy whose orientation is on the hearer’s
positive face. Thus, the speaker has to be able to satisfy or to save the hearer’s positive face in order to minimize the possible face threatening act. There are 15
strategies of positive politeness, but in this movie, the characters only perform 8 strategies. Those strategies are: intensifying interest to hearer, using in-group
identity markers, avoiding disagreement, joking, being optimistic, including both speaker and hearer in the activity, giving or asking for reasons, and giving gifts to
hearer.
1 Intensifying Interest to Hearer
In this strategy, the speaker shows that heshe has the same common goal with the hearer by making the hearer intensify the interest towards the speaker.
The example of this strategy is presented in the conversation between Samantha and Dad below.
MR. EVANS : You do not have to go to the bathroom. Sit down, Mason Just... Just sit down. Whats the second way? Alright?
Has your mother talked to you guys about this stuff? SAMANTHA : Oh, Dad. Dad.
MR. EVANS : No come on. Has she talked to you about... contraception?
datum 17 The conversation above takes place in a cafeteria. Mr. Evans asks
Samantha about her boyfriend. At first, Mr. Evans asks Samantha to be careful
