THE ANALYSIS OF POLITENESS STRATEGIES IN THE MOVIE OF “PRINCESS’ DIARIES 2: ROYAL ENGAGEMENT”
Erna Dwinata, M.Pd
Dosen STKIP PGRI Tulungagung
ABSTRACT
The study is directed to discover the use of politeness strategies in the movie of “Princess’ Diaries 2: Royal Engagement”. In this occasion, the writer uses descriptive qualitative method to describe what kinds of politeness strategies used and to explain the most used strategies in the movie.
From politeness analysis, the writer found four types of politeness strategies comprise thirteen Positive Politeness strategies which is the most used strategies, seven Negative Politeness strategies as the second most used strategies six Bald on Record strategies as the third most used strategies , and finally, four Off record strategies as the rarest used strategies
Keywords: Politeness Strategies, Princess’ Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
Erna Dwinata : The Analysis of Politeness Strategies in The Movie of “Princess’ Diaries 2: Royal Engagement” / 153A. Background of the Study
Human being and language cannot be separated from each other. Human needs language to socialize with people around him. They interact to communicate and know each other, for it is improbable to live in the world without interaction. That is the function of language as the only device of communication.
Besides, people use language in almost of their activities, either they are routine activities, such as working, studying, and playing, or the particular one, such as wedding ceremony, general election and so on. Beside language, people life is entirely related to culture. Culture is the ideas, customs, skills, art, etc., of a people or group that are transferred, communicated, or passed along as in or to succeeding generation, therefore whatever people do continually from their ancestors can be named as a culture. Language is a product of people; accordingly it is a part of a culture. As a system of arbitrary vocal symbols language is not only for human communication, but also for expressing the cultural reality. Two people who meet for the first time may realize their different culture from their language. One of the cultural realities expressed through language is politeness.
Politeness is the way people preserve harmony by showing good intentions and consideration for the feelings of others. Politeness will create comfort and harmony between the speaker and the hearer. It is very important aspect of human social interaction for it is affecting linguistic and other social behaviors. If the speaker wants to get something done from the hearer he must be polite to him/her, unless he will impede the hearer wants or lose his face which is the public self image. Losing someone’s face in the other word is embarrassing or humiliating him. So it is a must to pay attention for people wants in order to keep social relationship well. Politeness is universal phenomenon because every society has the same sort of norms for the appropriate behavior, although these norms are varied. For instances, British shows politeness by using indirect speech in contrast with German, who considers direct speech as the more polite utterance than the indirect one. Japanese, who is always described as the extremely polite person uses negative politeness with the long utterance, the way French does. The longest the utterance, the more polite it would be.Being polite is not just saying “please”, “I am sorry” or “thank you” to the hearer as there are many strategies to express politeness, i.e., speaking directly, showing the solidarity, using indirect speech or giving hints. Even so, studying politeness is not only required understanding of the language but also of the culture and social values of community. Therefore the speaker must know whom he speaks to. The relationship between the speaker and the hearer affects very much in choosing the strategies, either they are close friend, the boss and the worker or two people who meet at the first time. He also must know the sociological factors consist of social distance (D) between the speaker and the hearer, relative power (P) of the hearer over the speaker and ranking of imposition (R) as they are the determinations of the level of politeness. By knowing those factors, the speaker will find the easiness in choosing the strategies then.
The explanation above shows that politeness is important in communication. Thus the writer is interested to make a study about it with the film of Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement as the subject. Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, a film by Garry Marshall, outlines Mia’s new life as the princess that no longer will substitute her grandmother’s role as a queen of Genovia. Yet, the parliaments insist her to be married before being crowned as it is the law for hundreds years. Therefore Mia tries to seek her husband to be to become a queen.
The film sets in kingdom that it contains many polite utterances like compliment, the use of deference, (i.e. Your Majesty, Your Highness, Lord, Ma’am, etc) and other politeness strategies. Thereby, the writer names the study as: The Analysis of Politeness Strategies in the Movie of “Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement”
B. Focus of the Study
In doing the research, the writer would like to limit the discussion on the politeness strategies used in the movie dialogue of Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement. The research is referred to the politeness theory of Brown and Levinson.
C. Research Question
In the research, the writer is eager to answer the questions as follows:
1. What are politeness strategies used in the movie Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement?
2. What is the most used strategies in the movie of Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement?
D. Significant of the Study
The writer expects the study as the addition of the repertoire of the pragmatic research. Besides, she hopes that the result of the study will be beneficial especially for her and generally for the readers. The benefits are the ability of understanding politeness strategies.
E. Research Methodology
1. Objective of the Study
The objectives of the study are to find out the kinds of politeness strategies used in the movie Princess Diaries 2 Royal Engagement.
2. Method of the Study
The method that will be used in the study is descriptive qualitative method. Through it the writer tries to describe and analyze politeness strategies used by every character in the movie.
3. Unit of Analysis
The unit of analysis of this research is the movie of Princess Diaries 2 Royal Engagement, and its screenplay, which is written by Sonda Rimes. The movie is published on 11th of August 2004 after its first movie in 2003.9
4. Data Analysis
The writer analyzes the data by using descriptive analysis technique. The collected data are compared with the relevant theories namely, politeness strategies. In this description, the writer notes and explains the relevant data related to the research object.
5. Research Instrument
The instrument in the study is the writer herself by watching the movie of Princess Diaries 2 Royal Engagement, reading the script, and coding the intended data related to politeness theory.
6. Times and Place of the Research
The research has been started from May 2007 to February 2008 in English Letters Department of Letters and Humanities Faculty of State Islamic University Syarif Hidayatullah of Jakarta.
2. Theoretical Framework
A. Politeness Concept
Politeness is one of skills that every member has to possess in interaction. Person is considered good from the way he behaves and speaks. The way people behave politely named as polite behaviour. Meanwhile, the way they speak politely named as polite language. Based on these two politenesses the writer finds two concepts of politeness proposed by Richard J. Watts.
In accordance with Watts in his Politeness, there are two concepts of politeness, to wit, the first order politeness or politeness1 and the second order politeness or politeness2. Politeness1 is a socio-psychological concept, referring to the various ways in which members of sociocultural groups talk about polite behaviour.10 In the other word, politeness1 involves the appropriate behaviours related to social rules that show politeness like self effacing behaviour, respecting the old, speaking with lower voice with them, etc, which may be also called as etiquette or manner. Whereas, politeness2 is linguistic, scientific concept, a more technical notion which can only have a value within an overall theory of social interaction.11 This politeness refers to the choices that are made in language use, the linguistic expressions that give people space and show a friendly attitude to them,12 or the language which displays respect towards or consideration for others in the study of verbal interaction; accordingly it is called linguistic theory.
B. Brown and Levinson’s politeness
As paraphrased by William Turnbull in Language in Action, Brown and Levinson assume in their politeness concept that every individual can carry out means – ends reasoning (i.e. indviduals are rational) and have a desire to protect their identity.13 To be rational which means to achieve transactional goals, individuals must achieve interpersonal goals or protect their identities by appropriate language choices. The term identity refers to Goffman’s face (1967) that is the image that a person projects in his social contacts with other.14 Whereas, in accordance with them, face is something that is emotionally invested, and that can be lost, maintained, enhanced, and must be constantly attended to in interaction.15 They said that in order to enter into social relationships, the interlocutors have to acknowledge and show an awareness of the face. In general, people cooperate in maintaining face in interaction not to be threatened.
The face consists of two kinds, positive face and negative face. The positive face is the positive consistent self-image that people have and their desire to be appreciated and approved of by at least some other. This desire includes the desire to be understood, praised, ratified, liked or admired. For example, when a student got excellent score in his examination he must want his friends or teacher to admire him to satisfy his positive face. Meanwhile, the negative face is the wants not to be impeded, which include the rights to territories, freedom of action and freedom from imposition.16 In the other word, this face includes the wants to do something freely without the others’ coerce. For example, asking someone to do something will impose his negative face. Still, the certain kinds of acts intrinsically threaten face, namely those acts that by their nature run contrary to the face wants of the addressee and/or of the speaker.17 These acts are called Face Threatening Acts (FTAs) including criticism, orders, request, expressions of disagreement, and many more. FTAs impinge on the interlocutors needed to maintain his/her self-esteem, and are respected, accordingly such threats generally require a migitating statement or some verbal repair which is politeness, and otherwise a breakdown of communication will ensue.
B. Politeness Strategies
In order to deal with the FTA, Brown and Levinson developed politeness with five strategies in accordance with the greater of FTA risk. The first strategy is doing the FTA without redressive action or bald on record, which deals with the minimal FTA. The next strategy is doing the FTA with redressive action with positive politeness, and negative politeness aimed to deal FTA in medium level. Further, there is off record for dealing high level of FTA.
1. Bald on record
Bald on record is the strategy where an FTA is presented in unmigitated form. The speaker (S) usually speaks directly, clearly without resulting ambiguous interpretation for the hearer (H). Consequently the strategy is tied up with Grice’s maxims.
Paul H. Grice20 these rules assumed as guidelines for achieving maximally efficient communication. It consists of four maxims, to wit:
a. Maxim of Quantity
- Make your contribution as informative as is required (for the current purposes of the exchange).
- Do not make your contribution more informative than is required.
b. Maxim of Quality
Try to make your contribution one that is true
- Do not say what you believe to be false.
- Do not say that for which you lack adequate evidence.
c. Maxim of Relation
Be relevant
d. Maxim of Manner
Be perspicuous
- Avoid obscurity of expression
- Avoid ambiguity
- Be brief
- Be orderly
2. Positive Politeness
Positive politeness is the strategy that directs to redress H’s positive face, which is the desire to be approved. This strategy satisfies the face of the addressee by indicating that in some respects, S wants H’s wants, or by treating him as a member of an in group, a friend, a person whose wants and personality traits are known and liked. These mechanisms aimed to minimize social distance between S and H.
a. Claim Common Ground
The output consists of positive politeness strategies 1 to 8.
Strategy 1: Notice; attend to H (his interest, wants, needs, goods)
Strategy 2: Exaggerate (interest, approval, sympathy with H)
Strategy 3: Intensify interest to H
Strategy 4: Use in-group identity markers
Strategy 5: Seek agreement
Strategy 6: Avoid disagreement
Strategy 7: Presuppose/raise/assert common ground
Strategy 8: Joke
b. Convey that S and H are cooperators
The next mechanism of positive politeness is indication that S and H are cooperators in the relevant activity. S’s indicating his knowledge of and sensitivity to H’s wants may stress the cooperation that yields strategy 9.
Strategy 9: Assert or presuppose S’s knowledge of and concern for H’s wants
Strategy 10: Offer, promise
Strategy 11: Be optimistic
Strategy 12: Include both S and H in the activity
Strategy 13: Give or ask for reason
Strategy 14: Assume or assert reciprocity
c. Fulfill H’s want for some X
It involves S deciding to redress H’s face directly by fulfilling some of H’s wants, thereby showing that he wants H’s wants for H, in some particular respects.
Strategy 15: Give gifts to H (goods, sympathy understanding, and cooperation)
3. Negative politeness
Negative politeness is oriented mainly toward partially satisfying or redresssing H’s negative face. It is realized without interfering with H’s freedom and action. Hence, negative politeness is characterized by self-effacement, formality, and restraint, with attention to very restricted aspects of H’s self image, centring on his want to be unimpeded.