Politeness strategies used by the main character in Spiderman 2 Movie

ABSTRACT

This study focuses on politeness strategy by the main character in Spiderman 2 movie using Brown and Levinson theory. Politeness Strategy is one of communication strategy that emphasizes on the polite words and actions. Spiderman 2 is one of those popular American Hollywood films, which was released in June, 2004 that was produced by Columbia Pictures. Spiderman 2 is a comic-book film with the soul and tang of a funny-sad first-love story, mostly spectators are teenage people. Therefore the politeness strategy of its language needs to notize.

This research is aimed to know the kinds of politeness strategy using Brown and Levinson theory. The data are the utterances of the main character in spiderman 2 movie (Peter Parker/Spiderman) in the forms of transcript of the dialogues, which are then analyzed using descriptive qualitative method.

The results of the research show that politeness strategies used by the main character of spiderman 2 movie are bald on record, positive politeness strategy, negative politeness strategy and off record strategy. The strategies found are mostly positive politeness. Positive politeness here includes using given name (in-group identity makers); noticing to the hearer’s wants/needs, exaggerating sympathy or approval with the hearer; intensifying interest words; avoiding disagreement by token agreement, hedging opinion, pseudo agreement, burring the speaker’s intent; asserting or presupposing common ground; giving empathy, offer, promise, small talk, safe topic and repetition agreement, being optimistic; including both the speaker and the hearer in the activity; and giving reasons. Negative politeness strategy includes conventionally indirect; being pessimistic; minimizing the imposition; giving deference; apologizing; impersonalising speaker and hearer (avoiding the T’ and you’ pronouns), question, nominalizing. Bald on record strategy used when the speaker is in an urgent situation, commanding, explaining or giving instruction. In this movie, the use of this strategy was in huge account because of much suspense and urgent situation. So, they have to talk clearly and briefly. But, the use of bald on record strategy is seldom being expressed in this movie since the main character is a little bit quiet. Off record found are give hints and give association clues.