Unspoken evaluation of impoliteness: The Javanese linguistic interaction example

Unspoken evaluation of impoliteness: The Javanese linguistic interaction example
Norwanto Norwanto | Universitas Islam Negeri Salatiga

This study aims at examining the evaluation of impoliteness not manifested in utterances or actions. The focus is on how speaker-hearers conceal their negative evaluation and the reasons underlying their behavior. The data were collected from a WhatsApp group conversation, from a Focus Group discussion with WhatsApp group members, and through questionnaires. The study approaches the data using relational work and rapport management theories. The study shows that hearers conceal the evaluation of impoliteness by affiliating with the topics evaluated positively instead of negatively evaluated utterances. The behavior can cause contested meanings of unmarked utterances between the hearers and the speakers. Although speakers perceive their utterances as politic or appropriate, the hearers observe them negatively. Furthermore, the Focus Group discussion showed that the WhatsApp Group members conducted the unspoken evaluation of impoliteness to maintain the equanimity of social relationships. The questionnaires indicated that concealing negative evaluation is a recurrent action of native speakers of Javanese.

Keywords: unmarked utterances/actions, relational work, im/politeness, rapport management, Javanese language

Politeness and Camaraderie: How Types of Form Matter in Indonesian Context

 Politeness and Camaraderie: How Types of Form Matter in Indonesian Context

Jumanto

Abstract

This article is about politeness and camaraderie through pragmatic viewpoints within Indonesian context. A language, the writer argues, should be directed to politeness (distant language) and camaraderie (close language), the two varieties of language use in some diglossic speech situation. The writer’s arguments are, among others, that distant language is formal, indirect, and non-literal, and that close language is informal, direct, and literal. Distant language is spoken to hearers with power factor, while close language is spoken to hearers with solidarity factor. Ignorance or incompetence of this may cause impoliteness, i.e. rude situations or awkward situations in interpersonal interactions. This tendency elaborates pragmatic viewpointsfrom Goffman’spositive and negative face [1], Brown and Levinson’s positive and negative politeness strategies[2], Renkema’s solidarity and respect politeness[3],Jumanto’s friendship and politeness[4],[5], and types of hearer elaborated by Brown and Gilman[6]and advocated by Jumanto[5]. Examples in the Indonesian language, based on a simple emic research, are given to support the everyday-use-of-Indonesian-language arguments. 

Keywords: Politeness; camaraderie; impoliteness; distant language; close language; rude situation; awkward situation

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