THE REALIZATION OF POLITENESS IN “A DOLL’S HOUSE†SCRIPT

Abstract

Politeness is considered to be important in the communication. When the
people are communicating to one another, they are expected to keep the
social relationship and do not violate another face or called as face
threatening acts (FTAs). This research investigated the realization of
politeness in a drama script entitled “A Doll’s House†by Henrik Ibsen. It
aims to classify the drama conversation parts into some categorizations of
politeness and to analyze why they differ in the context. In its nature, the
research applied qualitative concepts. Two conversation parts in the first
act of the script were chosen to be the objects of the research. These
qualitative data were then analyzed and categorized using Goffman’s
categorizations of Face Threatening Act (FTA): FTA off record and FTA on
record (with sub-classes: FTA on-baldly, FTA on record-with negative
politeness, and FTA on record-with positive politeness). From the analyses,
it was concluded that there were some parts belonging to FTA off record
and some belonging to the FTA on record with positive politeness. The first
data analysis explained much about FTA off record. On the contrary, FTA
on record with positive politeness was portrayed in the second analysis. It
shows that people tend to save their inter-interlocutors’ face by using
indirect request, off record, as far as they understand what the speakers
want to. The on record will work if only the first one does not work.

Keywords: Politeness, FTA off-record, FTA-on record