23 a Damage to the Hearer: An act that shows the speakers‟ expressions toward the
hearer‟s positive face. The speaker expresses his willingness to disregard the emotion of well-being to the hearer.
b Damage to the Speaker: An act that shows the speaker is unable to control himself and that would call for the need of apology and regret for doing an act.
Zena Moayad Najeeb 130
4.2. Politeness Strategy
According to Brown and Levinson, politeness strategies are used to save the hearer‟s face when face-threatening acts are desired or necessary 68. These
strategies are:
A. Bald On-record: doing act baldly, involves doing it in the most direct, clear,
unambiguous and concise way possible. It is mostly used where the danger to H‟s face is very small, as in offers, requests, and suggestions e.g. come in or
do sit down. Another example can be seen in instances of urgency: „Watch
out‟ or „Be careful‟ In instances of efficiency: „come in‟.69
B. Positive Politeness: oriented to reduce a threat to the hearer‟s positive face
and to ensure that the hearer is comfortable, such as: prevent disagreement and jokes, be optimistic, use of solidarity, make a promise, listen and attend
to the hearers‟ needs and wants. 70
Strategy 1: Notice, attend to H herhis interests, wants, needs, goods, etc. Example: Jim, you‟re really good at solving computer problems.
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Strategy 2: Exaggerate interest, approval, sympathy with H. Example:
Good old Jim. Just the man I wanted to see. I knew I‟d find you here. Strategy 3: Intensify interest to the hearer in the speaker’s contribution.
Example: You m never guess what Fred told me last night. This is right up
your street. →FTA [begins a narrative]
Strategy 4: Use in-group identity markers in speech
. Example: Here‟s my old mate Fred. How are you doing today, mate?
Strategy 5: Seek agreement in safe topics. Example: I agree. Right.
Manchester United played really badly last night, didn‟t they? Strategy 6: Avoid disagreement.
Example: Well, in a way, I suppose you‟re sort of right. But look at it like this…
Strategy 7: Presuppose, raise, and assert common ground . Example:
People like me and you, Bill, don‟t like being pushed around like that, do we?
Strategy 8: Joke to put the hearer at ease
. Example: Great summer we‟re
having. It‟s only rained five times a week on average.
Strategy 9: Assert or presuppose kn owledge of and concern for hearer’s
wants.
Example: I know you like marshmallows, so I‟ve brought you home a
whole box of them. Strategy 10: Offer, promise.
Example: I‟ll take you out to dinner on
Saturday.
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Strategy 11: Be optimistic that the hearer wants what the speaker wants,
i.e. that the FTA is slight:
