<![CDATA[Politeness in language is a crucial aspect of academic interaction as it reflects communication ethics, pragmatic awareness, and an individual’s ability to maintain harmonious social relationships. In the context of higher education, the use of polite language constitutes an essential component of students’ communicative competence, both in formal and informal situations. This study aims to describe the forms of compliance with and violations of politeness principles among students at the Shared Lecture Building of the University of Bengkulu and to identify the factors influencing these phenomena. This research employed a descriptive method with a qualitative approach. The data consisted of students’ spoken utterances collected through observation, recording, and note-taking techniques. The collected data were transcribed and analyzed based on Leech’s politeness principles, which include the tact maxim, generosity maxim, approbation maxim, modesty maxim, agreement maxim, and sympathy maxim. The analysis was conducted contextually by considering speech situations, social relationships, and communicative purposes. The findings reveal that compliance with politeness principles is more dominant than violations. The highest level of compliance was observed in the approbation maxim, modesty maxim, and agreement maxim, as reflected in appreciative expressions, respectful utterances, and efforts to maintain conversational harmony. Violations of politeness principles predominantly occurred in informal situations and were influenced by several factors, including social relationships among speakers, situational context, emotional conditions, language habits, and students’ levels of pragmatic awareness. These findings indicate that students’ language politeness is dynamic and context-dependent. Therefore, strengthening pragmatic awareness and academic communication ethics remains essential within the university environment.]]>
