17 in different social settings. Politeness is not about the rules or protocols which are
applied in the society, but it is more about how people perform the behavior which does not harm the listeners. Holtgraves 2002 add that politeness is a technical
term, a theoretical construct invoked as a mean of explaining the link between language use and the social context. In short, politeness is the act of making the
link between the language use and the social context. Thus, it is important to see and understand the social context before using the language, so that the addressee
will not misunderstand in taking the assumption of the communication. The matter of applying proper language and performing behavior as well as the social
context is related to the theory from Brown and Levinson 1987 about politeness
strategies.
Brown and Levinson 1987 propose a theory about politeness strategies which consist of Bald on Record, Off Record, Positive Politeness, and Negative
Politeness.
a. Bald-on-Record
Brown and Levinson 1987 state that bald-on-record is a set of principle for achieving maximally efficient communication. In order to achieve the efficient
communication, the utterances which are expressed through this strategy are clear and direct. In this strategy, FTA is performed with maximum efficiency more
than the speaker wants in order to satisfy the hearer‟s face. According to Brown and Levinson 1987, there are two kinds of bald on record strategy in different
circumstances. The first kind of bald on record strategy is where the face is not minimized, where the face is ignored or is irrelevant. The second kind of bald on
18 record strategy is where the speaker minimizes face threats by implication. Direct
imperatives are the clear example of bald on record usage where the utterances are stated clearly and directly to the hearer Brown Levinson, 1987. The example
of direct imperative is “Lend me a hand here.”
b. Positive Politeness
Brown and Levinson 1987 state that “Positive politeness is a redress
directed to the addressee‟s positive face, his her perennial desire that he she wants
– or the actions, acquisitions, values resulting from them – should be thought as of desirable
” p. 101. If a speaker applies positive politeness into hisher utterances, it indicates that the speaker wants to get closer with the hearers.
The speaker will produce utterances which are aimed to attract the he arer‟s
interest in order to satisfy the hearer‟s positive face by sharing wants and knowledge. Brown and Levinson 1987 state that the only thing that makes
positive politeness is different with other strategies is the element of exaggeration. The speaker will use the element of exaggeration in their utterance in order to
satisfy the hearer‟s positive face such as, “He built the house terrifyingly” Brown Levinson, 1987. When the speaker performs positive politeness strategy, it
means that the speaker is maintaining a closer relationship with the hearer. The speaker will do so through the utterances which contain the elements of
exaggeration.
c. Negative Politeness
According to Brown and Levinson 1987 “Negative politeness is
redressive action addressed to the addressee‟s negative face: his want to have his PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
