The Analysis of Character Dialog Using Politeness Theory in The Wise Maiden Story

Abstract

 Language is a system communication used by people to interaction with other people. But whether an interaction succeed or not depend on the speaker and the addressee understand the meaning of their language. For those reason, the researcher want to analyze the story titled The Wise Maiden. The purposes of this analysis are describe about one of pragmatic theory, that is politeness. The researcher begin this article with discussion about definition sociolinguistic and pragmatic by many expert in that study. Then continue with definition and kinds of politeness. This research use literature review method with qualitative approach by using literature analysis. This story tell about an old man willing who want make her daughter happy. Because of that he ask to the King some gold coins, but the King not give it directly. The oldman should solve his challenge The source of data is transcription of video  accessed from Youtube on July 9^th 2019. The result of this research, the researcher find five expressions that indicate politeness strategy.
Keyword : Politeness, pragmatic, story

Background

Based on Cambridge Dictionary, language is a system of communication consisting of sounds, words and grammar used by the people of a particular country or profession . While Wibowo (2001:3) stated that language is system of symbol that meaningful and it can be pronounce that use for communicate by people. From those two definition, we can conclude that language is a system communication used by people to interaction with other people. By language someone can know culture, social, and world.

A study that discuss about relationship between  language and society named Sociolinguistic. Holmes (2013:1) explain that sociolinguistic concern on the reason of people speak differently in different social contexts, and it is concerned with identifying the social functions of language and the ways it is used to convey social meaning. Examining the way people use language in different social contexts provides a wealth of information about the way language works. Because different society has different culture. To understand them, we have to know their culture by using language. But whether an interaction succeed or not depend on the speaker and the addressee understand the meaning of their language.

Yule (2006:112) explain that communication clearly depends on not only recognizing the meaning of words in an utterance, but recognizing what speakers mean by their utterances. The study of what speakers mean is called pragmatics. There are many discussion in pragmatic, those are : anaphora, presupposition, speech act, politeness, negative and positive face, and many other. Then in this analysis, the researcher use politeness to analyse among characters in the story titled The Wise Maiden.

Theoritical Review

1.             Sociolinguistic

Holmes (2013:1) explain that sociolinguistic concern on the reason of people speak differently in different social contexts, and it is concerned with identifying the social functions of language and the ways it is used to convey social meaning. Examining the way people use language in different social contexts provides a wealth of information about the way language works. Because different society has different culture. Yule (2016:205) also explain about sociolinguistic. He said that sociolinguistic has strong connections with anthropology through the study of language and culture, and with sociology through the investigation of the role language plays in the organization of social groups and institutions. Based on those two explanation, sociolinguistic is a science that related between people’s communication and society.

2.             Pragmatic

One of branch study of sociolinguistic is pragmatic. Yule (2006:112) stated that pragmatic is a science to recognizing what speakers mean by their utterances. Holmes (2013:365) explain his opinion about pragmatic. He explain that pragmatics extends the analysis of meaning beyond grammar and word meaning to the relationship between the participants and the background knowledge they bring to a situation. Based on those statements, we can conclude that  pragmatic is one of language study branch that concern in speaker meaning.

3.             Politeness

In the pragmatic divided into many kinds of theory and politenes is one of them. Yule (2006:119) explain that is showing awareness of and consideration for another person’s face. Face in pragmatics, is your public self-image. This is the emotional and social sense of self that everyone has and expects everyone else to recognize. Brown and Levinson (1978:96) stated that politeness strategy divided into 4 kinds, those are: bald on record, positive face, negative face, and off record.

Further they explain what are they, someone use bald on record when they want to do something with maximum efficiency more than they want to satisfy addressee’s face. Direct imperative is expression that involved in bald on record. For example, Put your book! That expression indicate that someone ask addressee wants to do something directly.

While positive face is redress directed to the addressee’s positive face, their perennial desire to their action acquisition, values resulting for them should be thought of desirable. It usually seen in group of friend or in people who know each other. For example, you must be hungry, it’s a long time since breakfast. How about some lunch? That expression indicate the intimate between speaker and addressee indicated from they long time to not going eat eat together.

Then negative politeness is redressive action addressed to the addressee’s negative face. It is specific and focus to minimize the particular imposition that the FTA(Face Threatening Act) effect. It usually seen in the group of people who they are not know each other. For example when somone say Could you lend me a pen? In that expression indicate that the speaker and addresse do not have intimate between them.

While off record is when someone want to ask something to do but they are not saying directly. For example when someone say it is hot in here. That expression indicate that the speaker want to ask someone to open the window on turn the air conditioner on.

Research Method

For methodology, the reseacher use literature review. The data from dialog or transcription of the story titled “The Wise Maiden” that taken from Youtube. The researcher analyse the dialog by using politeness strategy.

Data Analysis

The resecher find some expressions that indicate politeness strategy that will be shown in the table below :

No	Expression	Meaning	Politeness strategy
1	Old man: “my dear child I am very sorry that you must suffer such a hard life. I wish I could  have given you more”	This expression shows an intimate between speaker and addressee that showed by word “my dear child”	Positive politeness
2	Old man: “my sweet.. what shall we do? this is the basket of eggs the King has given us.”	This expression shows an intimate between speaker and addressee that showed by word “my sweet”	Positive politeness
3	Old man: “your highness, it is an honor to be in your presence. I have come here to ask if your Majesty would spare me a few gold coins just for today and I shall never ask for anything again.	By word “your highness” it shows that the old man and the king there is close relationship, so there is no intimate between them.	Negative politeness
4	Layla: “do not worry papa go and rest for now and I will surely find an answer to this.”	This expressions tell that layla (female character) ask to her father to sleep. It shows that layla’s utterance is direct imperative.	Bald on record
5	King: “then let me test how clever she is.Take these eggs to your daughter and ask her to hatch chickens from them if she succeeds you will be rewarded however if you do not get the hatched eggs you will be punished.”	From that expression tell that actually King just want to meet Layla(old man’s daughter) by give her challenge that impossible to resolved.	Off record

Conclusion

The study about relationship between language and society is called sociolinguistic. In the sociolinguistic discuss about pragmatic that concern in speaker meaning. Pragmatic has many discussions and politeness is on of them. Politenes is showing awareness of and consideration for another person’s face. Politeness divided into 4 kinds, those are: bald on record, positive politeness, negative politeness, and off record. From those theory, the researcher analyze politeness strategy that use in  character’s dialog in the story titled “The Wise Maiden”. The researcher use literature review method to analyze this story. From that story, the researcher find 5 expression that indicate politeness. There is an expression that indicate bald on record, off record, negative record, and there are two expression that indicate positive politeness.

References

Brown, Penelope and Stephen C. Levinson. 1978. Politeness: Some Universals in Language usage. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Holmes, J. (2013). An introduction to sociolinguistics. London, England: Routledge.

My Pingu tv. Published on July 7^th 2019.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKULhMUnG8o&t=5s accessed on July 9^th 2019

Setiawan, Parta. 2019. 15 Definisi Bahasa Menurut Para Ahli. https://www.gurupendidikan.co.id/15-definisi-bahasa-menurut-para-ahli/ (accessed on July 15^th 2019)

Yule, George. 2006. The Study of Language (third edition). New York: Cambridge University Press.