Title only T Discussions
the parent uses T to respect the police officer. On the other hand, the police officer also uses T to address the parent. Although the
officer has higher status and power than the parent, T is still used to show that they are least intimate to each other, besides to show
respect to his client. Respect here should be maintained by the police officer regardless who his clients are, because a police
station is a place where the idea of respecting each other is highly upheld by every single person there to keep the image of an
apparatus with authority. The use of T in the context of the above data is appropriate,
because T is the type which the participants are supposed to use. It will be inappropriate for them to use TLN, since they do not now
each other, even they do no know each other‟s names. It will be inappropriate also if they use FN to address, since they are in a
context in which the respect should be upheld, whereas FN always indicates the intimate context and informal situation.
4.15 Mr Ahmad: Are you ready?
Students: Yes, sir. Mr Ahmad: Run quickly.
TVIIU7180a The dialogue above happens in a sport field in the middle
of a sport class where Mr Ahmad, as the sport teacher, orders the students to run quickly. Before ordering the students to run, Mr
Ahmad checks whether the students are ready or not. The students answer by using T to address Mr Ahmad in order to respect their
teacher, since teacher is superior than the students, as well as to maintain politeness from students to their teacher. In short, the use
of T here has a function to show respect with social status as its factor behind its choice.
4.16 Nurul: Excuse me, where is the nearest post office? Police officer: It‟s over there, on the right.
Nurul: thank you, sir.
SFIXU4114 The conversation happens on the road between a student
named Nurul and a police officer. Nurul asks the police officer where the nearest post office is. Here, Nurul uses T to address the
police officer. The reason behind this choice is because there is a different social status between them. Police, as a country apparatus
to protect the society, has higher social status in the society than the civil society. Nurul uses T to show her inferiority upon the
officer as well as to respect him. T used in the above conversation is already appropriate
form, since T is used to show respect towards someone with higher power or social status. Moreover, the addresser in the conversation
is younger than the police officer, thus T is the most appropriate form to address.