Politeness Phenomena as a Source of Pragmatic Failure in English as a Second Language

Aridah Aridah ( Universitas Mulawarman, Balikpapan)

TEFLIN Journal: A publication on the teaching and learning of English
Vol 12, No 2 (2001)

Abstract: Language should be learned in the cultural context of its speak­ers. This is because the speakers bring an intention in performing a linguistic act. Failure in understanding the intention of the speakers will lead to failure in responding to the intended message and, thus, failure in using the language. The study of how language is used in a particular context or situation is the focus of pragmatics. An important pragmatic issue concerns with politeness, i.e. showing awareness of another persons public self-image. This article highlights the politeness phe­nomena and the degree of success in learning English. The issues dis­cussed include the definition of politeness, strategies of politeness, po­liteness in the Oriental cultures, politeness in the context of Indonesian cultures, and the implication of politeness phenomena in the teaching of English.