Journal of Language and Pragmatics Studies
Vol. 4 No. 3 (2025): Dec 2025

Politeness strategies and power relations in Zendaya and Nicole Kidman youtube channel interviews

Farah, Daniah (Unknown)
Akmal, Hilmi (Unknown)
Suriadi, Muhammad Agus (Unknown)



Article Info

Publish Date
05 Dec 2025

Abstract

This research was conducted to examine the politeness strategies and power relations found in the “Actors on Actors” interview between Zendaya and Nicole Kidman on the Variety YouTube channel. The analysis was based on Brown and Levinson’s (1987) politeness strategies theory and Brown and Gilman’s (1960) power and solidarity theory. The objectives of the study were: (1) To identify the politeness strategies employed by Zendaya and Nicole Kidman in interviews on the Variety YouTube channel (2) To analyze how the power relations influenced politeness strategies in interviews with Zendaya and Nicole Kidman on the Variety YouTube channel. A qualitative method was applied, with data collected through purposive sampling. A total of 47 politeness strategies were identified in the interview between Nicole Kidman and Zendaya. Positive politeness appeared most frequently (34 times), followed by negative politeness (7), bald on-record (4), and off-record strategies (2), with no instances of don’t do the FTA. The dominance of positive politeness indicates that the interaction is primarily characterized by solidarity, warmth, and mutual respect. Despite differences in age and experience, both speakers maintained an equal and friendly atmosphere. Their shared identity as professional actors enabled them to connect through a mutual understanding of the industry, the artistic process, and the emotional demands of their work, which in turn strengthened the solidarity expressed throughout the interaction.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

JLPS

Publisher

Subject

Humanities Languange, Linguistic, Communication & Media Social Sciences

Description

The journal covers emerging issues in Language studies, Pragmatics and Discourse Analysis. Preference is given to well-researched papers that expand the frontiers of theoretical or empirical knowledge in these disciplines. It is interested in harnessing top-notched research in these fields worldwide ...