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Melvin B. Tolson : Mr. Lowe Tell us about your father.
Henry Lowe :
Why don’t you tell us something about your father?
Melvin B. Tolson :
We’re trying to get to know each other, Mr. Lowe.
Datum number 23 The conversation above takes place in the lecture hall where the four
debate team students are in the training under Melvin’s coaching. Each of the students has a chance to speak with Melvin in turns. Then, it comes to Henry
Lowe’s turn. Melvin asks him to tell about his father. However, Henry is being uncooperative by not answering what Melvin asked. Melvin is aware of it, so
therefore he softens his previous request by using the inclusive pronoun we in his next utterance, “We’re trying to know each other, Mr. Lowe”.
The inclusive we form used by Melvin actually only refers to the pronoun me for Melvin himself. It is because Melvin is the one who wants to know more
about Henry Lowe. In spite of this, Melvin chooses to use the inclusive pronoun we to convey that they both are cooperators involved in the same activity to get to
know each other. In short, it indicates that Melvin tries to save Henry’s positive face by claiming reflexivity in which if speaker wants something, then the hearer
wants it to, or conversely.
n. Be Conventionally Indirect
One out of three realizations of negative politeness strategy used by Melvin B. Tolson in The Great Debaters movie is to be conventionally indirect.
To be conventionally indirect is usually performed by indirect speech act in which the intention is communicated indirectly although the speaker speaks on record
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with the hearer. Indirect speech act can be made by asserting or questioning the felicity condition or the particular condition of the communicative event.
Three utterances of Melvin are detected as the realizations of this strategy. One of which is in the following.
Melvin B. Tolson : I want you to come by my house tonight, 7.30.
Corner of June and Campus.
Henry Lowe : Why would I do that?
Melvin B. Tolson : Holding tryouts for the debate team.
Datum number 4 The conversation happens on the first day of the new academic year. Right after
the class is over, Melvin asks Henry Lowe to meet him outside. Melvin is quite impressed by Henry who seems interested in the poem. Besides, he wants to know
why he left school couple of years ago and then came back again. Henry answers that he left of absence and came back again because he thinks school is the only
place he can read all day except prison. Melvin is in silent for a moment after hearing Henry’s answer. Then, he asks Henry to come to his house to join tryouts
for the debate team of Wiley College, Wiley Forensic Society. Melvin performs indirect speech act in requesting to Henry. He uses an
assertion in the request utterance, “I want you to come by my house tonight,
7.30”, although basically it is used to state a fact. In the utterance, he asserts the felicity condition, particularly the sincerity condition in which he sincerely
intends to carry out the future action of Henry to come to his house. At the same time, it is the intended meaning of Melvin which has gone off record in his
utterance which has gone on record. In short, this strategy of to be conventionally
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indirect can redress the FTA of requ est, and as a result can save Henry’s negative
face.
o. Question, Hedge
