Off record politeness strategy
contradiction by employing the question too, and it is a way to give a negative opinion in a polite way by violating the maxim of relation between two
interlocutors.
8 Be ironic
Holtgraves 2002 : 44 defines that be ironic is a strategy when the speaker says the opposite thing of the truth to the hearer. An example of be ironic can be
seen in Holtgraves’s book 2004 : 44 is in the expression, “That’s briliant”. In the example, the speaker states That’s briliant in the idea or something which is
not briliant and it indicates on how be ironic works in the strategy.
9 Use metaphor
Holtgraves 2002 : 44 states that using metaphor in the strategy is used to violate what the truth and it can be seen in the example, “My job is a jail”. The
statement employs the words a jail that is classified as metaphor in which jail in the expression refers to the the speaker who is feeling that she or he does not like
their job because she or he is not comfort with the job and so on. The word jail in the context is a metapor that is not jail in the literal meaning called a prison.
10 Use rhetorical questions
Based on Holtgraves 2002 : 44, he believes that the strategy happens to infringe what is true. In other words, it can be said that the speaker intentionally
uses the strategy in a purpose to make an unclear or hanging answer. It is proved in the example that given by Holtgraves 2002 : 44 in the utterance, “Did
someone leave the light on?”. The example is categorized as rhetorical question
because the speaker leaves the question to the hearer by an unpredictable and hanging answer so it can be named as a rhetorical question.
11 Be ambigious
Goody 1978 : 225 states that the realization works on how the speaker says the ambigious statement to the hearer in order to make the conversation be
polite, and sometimes the speaker uses metaphor. An example of the strategy shown by Goody 1978 : 225 is in the utterance, “John’s a pretty sharp cookie”.
The example means that what the speaker says about John could be a compliment or an insult and it is based on the conotation or the meaning in
metaphor like a pretty sharp cookie.
12 Be vague
Goody 1978 : 226 emphasizes that the strategy happens when the speaker states the expression vaguely so that the hearer can get the meaning of the
statement by the expression. An example of be vague in Goody 1978 : 226 is “I’m going you-know-where”. It has the meaning that the speaker wants to go to
a place but she or he does not say directly where the place is. In addition, without mentioning the place, the hearer can get the meaning where the place is.
13 Over-generalize
Based on Goody 1978 : 226, he defines that the strategy happens when the speaker gives the statement without addressing the name of the hearer. An
example of over generalize shown in Goody’s book 1978 is in the utterance, “Mature people sometimes help do the dishes”. The statement means that the
speaker needs a help to the hearer as a mature or adult person to help doing the
dishes. It could be said that the speaker generalize the people yet she or he points a person around her or him.
14 Displace the hearer
Goody 1978 : 226 believes that the strategy occurs on how the speaker wants the hearer to do something, but in the situation where there is a person
who is nearer than the hearer from something that the speaker wants. An example of displace the hearer is in the utterance, “The secretary, give me a pen,
please”. In this context, the speaker wants the hearer for example secretary to give her or him a pen, but the pen is located on someone who is nearer than the
hearer, then someone gives the pen to the speaker and the hearer does not do nothing to the speaker.
15 Be incomplete, use ellipsis
In the idea of Goody 1978 : 227, he states that the realization occurs by using elliptical utterances in the context of the statement. An example of the
realization that performed by Goody 1978 : 227 is in the expression, “Ohh sir, a headache”. The context of the expression is that the speaker says to the hearer
that the speaker is now has a headache and she or he needs the advice from the hearer related to a headache.
4 .
Sociological Factors
Goody 1978 states that sociological variables involve the use of politeness strategy. In addition, there are three sociological variables that stated in the
following section.
a The social distance D a symmetric relation
Goody 1978 : 77 defines that this variable is focused on how the speaker and the hearer have their own goal to do the act or give the statement. In
addition, that thing is involved by the frequency of the interaction between two interlocutors, social attributes, and also the closeness in the relation. An example
of this factor is shown in a conversation between a student and a professor in which the context of the conversation was in the class when the professor points
and asks the student to explain the diagram. Professor : You, explain the diagram
Student : Yes, Sir.
In the conversation, there is a degree of social distance between the student and his or her professor that the professor says directly you without
mentioning the name but the student gives the respect to the professor by employing the use of Sir.
b The relative power P an asymmetric relation
According to Goody 1978 : 77, the factor occurs when there is the
existence of relative power. The variable of power usually happens between two persons where in one is a higher level than the other or it can be called as a
status. The example of the factor is shown in the conversation between a manager and his secretary where the secretary gives the information to his or her
manager about the meeting. Secretary
: Excuse me, Sir. There is a meeting at 1 p.m. in the second floor.
Manager : Okay.
The example shows that there is the existence of power where the secretary speaks politely by using permission such “Excuse me, Sir” but the manager just
answers “Okay” without giving the explanation, and of course it is reflected how the social power exists in the conversation.
c The absolute ranking R of imposition
Based on Goody’s opinion related to the factor 1978 : 77, he believes that the absolute ranking of imposition is deliberated to interfere the speaker’s wants
of self determination and of approval. The component that involve the use of rank of imposition is the imposition from the speaker. In addition, rank order of
imposition is divided into rank order of imposition requiring services and rank order of imposition requiring goods. The example of the factor is shown in the
utterance, “You must write the essay in the topic of Indonesia election as the final exam of the subject” in the context that the speaker asks the hearer to write
the essay and then the hearer has to obligate what the speaker said. That is of course an evidence on how rank of imposition works in the expression.