52 Senator Finistirre feels uncomfortable with Nick’s comments and arguments.
He feels intruded so that he even could not convey much explanation or argument toward Nick’s comments. Actually, it is all due to the existence of
some social distance between Nick and Senator Finistirre. They have a contrary background. Nick is from the Academy of Tobacco Studies, while Senator
Finistirre is from Health and Human Services. Consequently, they are always involved in debates. Besides, it is also obvious that Nick neglects the age
distance or even relative power or status between himself and Senator Finistirre.
2. The Use of Positive Politeness
Positive Politeness is considered as the most frequently used strategy by the main characters after Bald on Record. This strategy is well known as
solidarity strategy, which means a strategy that seeks to minimize the threat to the hearer’s positive face. It is used to make the hearer feel good about himself,
his interests or possessions, and most usually used in situations where the audience knows each other fairly well. In addition to hedging and attempts to
avoid conflict, some strategies of Positive Politeness include statements of friendship, solidarity, compliments, avoid disagreement, or assert knowledge of
hearer’s want. The use of in-group identity markers, such as nicknames, abusive terms, shared dialect or slang expressions, and inclusive terms such as
“we” and “let’s” is very common in this strategy. In this movie, these kinds of strategies frequently happen in the conversation particularly between Nick and
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53 his best friend, Polly Bailey and between Nick and his beloved son, Joey. It
could be noticed in the following dialogue, Speech Act 3. Setting
: Dinner at Bert’s cafe Situation
: They are sharing their experience and opinion each other Participants : Nick and Polly Bailey
SPEECH ACT 3 POLLY BAILEY:
So, my days ruined.
NICK: Why?
POLLY BAILEY: Datelines doing a segment on fetal alcohol syndrome.
Thank you. Were gonna get creamed. Any ideas? PP 4
NICK: I dont know.
Deformed kids are tough. PP 6 Im lucky my product only makes them bald before it kills them. PP 8
NICK: Whos doing the segment, Donaldson or Sawyer? PP 8
POLLY BAILEY :
Sawyer, probably. PP 8 POLLY BAILEY:
Maybe we should change our campaign to If You Must Drink and Drive, Suck Charcoal. PP 8
NICK: Yeah, but dont the police wonder why youre sucking on charcoal? PP 8
It is obviously observed that the conversation occurring between two best friends, namely Nick and Polly, really reveals the application of Positive
Politeness strategies. Most of them are Positive Politeness strategy number 8
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54 that is Joke. Firstly, this conversation is started with Polly Bailey’s complaint
of her bad day, and then she revealed, “Datelines doing a segment on fetal alcohol syndrome. Thank you.” The way Polly revealing her problem seems
uncommon or weird a bit for daily conversation. She tells to Nick as if she is declaring something in front of audiences. Here, actually Polly is trying to keep
maintaining a comfortable atmosphere in their meeting when talking about a serious problem. Accordingly, Polly applies Positive Politeness strategy
number 8 that is Joke. Then, in her next sentence, “Were gonna get creamed”, it really indicates that Polly also applies Positive Politeness strategy number 4
that is the use of in-group identity markers, specifically the use of slang terms “gonna” and get “creamed”. Slang is said as special kinds ‘intimate’ or in-
group speech used to claim solidarity Spolsky, 1998: 35. Thus, the use of slang terms with close friends in particular is one of the characteristics of
Positive Politeness strategy in order to establish intimacy. In addition, it also implies that Polly and Nick have so close relationship that they always try to
create comfortable atmosphere. Put it briefly, there is no social distance or awkwardness between them.
Furthermore, from Nick’s response toward Polly’s complaint, it could be seen that Nick applies two kinds of Positive Politeness strategies all at once,
namely Positive Politeness strategy number 6 and 8. The former is a kind of avoiding disagreement. By using the word “I don’t know....” instead of saying
directly “Yes..deformed kids are tough”, Nick tries to avoid disagreement with Polly because he realizes that Polly is not in a good mood, so he tries to
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55 understand Polly’s feeling, as well as maintain a positive and comfortable
relationship. The latter is a kind of joke strategy. Nick also responds to Polly’s complaint with creating joke by saying, “Im lucky my product only makes them
bald before it kills them”, and it works well. The conversation keeps going smoothly until the last. Their following conversation bursts into joking.
In addition to applying Positive Politeness strategies to his best friend, Polly Bailey, Nick always applies Positive Politeness strategies to his son, Joey
as well. It could be seen from this following dialogue; in Speech Act 4. Setting
: at Nick’s home Situation
: Nick is helping Joey to accomplish his assignment Participants : Nick and Joey
SPEECH ACT 4 .................
JOEY: So what am I supposed to write?
NICK: You can write whatever you want.
Okay. Write about........ Write about Americas amazing ability to make profit by breaking down
trading tariffs and bringing American jobs to Third World countries. Or how good we are at executing felons. Theyre all correct answers. PP 15
JOEY: I can do that?
NICK: See, Joey, thats the beauty of argument.
Cause if you argue correctly, youre never wrong. PP 15
JOEY: Dad, if I finish this essay within an hour, can we stay up all night? PP 14
NICK: Thats a negotiation, not an argument PP 6
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56 In this dialogue, Joey gets confused with his writing assignment about
American government. He is not confident to convey his ideas into writing. Hence, as a father, Nick helps Joey to overcome his difficulty. It prominently
appears through Nick’s suggestive and encouraging utterances, by saying “You can write whatever you want. Okay. Write about........ Write about Americas
amazing ability to make profit by breaking down trading tariffs and bringing American jobs to Third World countries. Or how good we are at executing
felons. Theyre all correct answers.” Then, when Joey still feels hesitant, Nick remains to encourage Joey, by saying “See, Joey, thats the beauty of
argument.’ Cause if you argue correctly, youre never wrong” According to Brown and Levinson theory 1987, these utterances are considered as Positive
Politeness strategy number 15, that is Give gifts to H goods, sympathy, understanding, cooperation. It is because here Nick is indeed giving gifts to
the hearer, Joey, namely understanding and sympathy in the case. In this movie, Nick often gives gifts to his son, Joey because he is the only child he
has. Most of gifts are not kind of goods toys, money, food, or clothes, but in the form of sympathy and understanding. By giving such sympathy and
understanding, besides Nick wants to express his solid interest toward Joey, he is in effort of satisfying the hearer’s positive face. In this case, it is Joey’s
desire to be understood and paid attention. The other satisfaction of hearer’s positive face also occurs between Nick
and his boss, BR. Here, the satisfaction of hearer’s positive face is committed by BR toward Nick. BR gives compliments to Nick due to Nick’s success at
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57 Finistrre’s subcommittee congress. Let’s notice the following dialogue, Speech
Act 33. Setting
: in a House of Parliament Situation
: BR is approaching Nick, then giving him compliments of his success at Finistrre’s subcommittee congress
Participants : Nick and BR
SPEECH ACT 33 BOSS:
Great. Well done, my boy. PP 1
NICK: Were you in the same room as me?
BOSS: The whole personal choice thing?
They ate that shit up. laughing PP 8 Just checked the whip count. That bill is going down in flames.
Your speech was unorthodox, but you did it, boy. PP 2 You crushed the fucker.
NICK: Thats good news for you guys.
BOSS: Oh. Whoa, whoa....
Were still a team, right?
NICK: What about damage control? PP 4
BOSS: Look, Nick. Winston-Salem is ready to do whatever it takes to keep you
onboard. crowd clamoring PP 10
After observing this dialogue, the writer finds some other kinds of Positive Politeness strategies appearing in this dialogue. According to Brown and
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58 Levinson theory 1987, there are Positive Politeness strategies number 1, 2, 4,
and 10. Firstly, the dialogue is begun with BR’s compliment toward Nick, by saying “Great. Well done, my boy.” Apparently, here, BR notices Nick’s
positive face, particularly Nick’s wants or desire to be approved of, noticed, or appreciated by others. Hence, BR commits Positive Politeness strategy number
1 toward Nick, that is Notice or attend to H herhis interests, wants, needs, goods due to Nick’s success of answering all the questions and defending his
arguments, dignity, and freedom against the Finistrre’s subcommittees at Finistrre’s subcommittee congress in a House of Parliament. The intention of
compliment here is such a device to express solidarity between the speaker and the hearer. Giving compliments indeed could make others feel good or
comfortable and increase positive relationship. Secondly, BR applies Positive Politeness strategy number 2 and 8 all at
once. The former is Exaggerate interest, approval, sympathy with H. BR truly realizes that Nick’s positive face needs satisfying more because Nick’s success
at congress is such a wonderful turn of Nick’s life. Therefore, BR exaggerates his interest and sympathy with the hearer, Nick, by saying, “Your speech was
unorthodox, but you did it, boy. You crushed the fucker.” The latter is Joke strategy. Indeed, this strategy frequently appears in the movie. BR also reveals
his interest or sympathy by creating jokes, such as “The whole personal choice thing? They ate that shit up”. BR is apt to apply the word “ate” here instead of
applying more refined words, such as admit, approve, or accept; and apt to apply the word that “shit” instead of that “thing”. Joking is a basic Positive
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59 Politeness technique, for putting the hearer “at ease”. Hence, usually, it is
certainly successful to maintain friendly relationship or create comfortable atmosphere, and minimize the distance, in this case between the employer, BR
and his employee, Nick. Thirdly, Nick also contributes the application of Positive Politeness
strategy in this part. Nick said, “What about damage control?” It is considered as Positive Politeness strategy number 4, specifically the use of ellipsis that
means removing one or more than one words in sentence. Based on politeness strategy theory of Brown and Levinson 1987, the use of ellipsis is associated
with Positive Politeness, and therefore the presence of ellipsis may mark an utterance as being positively polite.
Lastly, in order to respond to Nick’s question, BR applies Positive Politeness strategy number 10 that is Offer, promise. He said, “Look, Nick.
Winston-Salem is ready to do whatever it takes to keep you onboard.” This utterance implies two kinds of things that are offer and promise. BR chooses to
stress his cooperation with the hearer, Nick, another way by promising as well as offering cooperation toward Nick. Actually, it could be indicated as an
indirect request of BR in which asks Nick to keep staying in his company. BR chooses this strategy in order to redress the potential threat of some FTAs.
Consequently, offer and promises are the natural outcome of choosing this strategy; even if they are false, they demonstrate S’s good intention in
satisfying H’s positive-face wants.
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60
3. The Use of Off Record
