AN ANALYSIS OF POLITENESS STRATEGIES EMPLOYED BY JAVANESE STUDENTS IN REFUSAL SPEECH ACTS: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF SECOND SEMESTER AND SIXTH SEMESTER STUDENTS

Abstract

This research article investigates the politeness strategies employed by Javanese students in performing the speech act of refusal. The purpose of this research is to explore the cultural and linguistic factors that influence the use of politeness strategies among Javanese students when they are engaged in the speech act of refusal. This descriptive qualitative research includes a Discourse Completion Test (DCT) to gather the required data. The participants of this research are ten undergraduate students in the second and sixth semester majoring English literature in State Islamic University of Malang. The data collected from the DCT were analyzed using Brown and Levinson's (1987) politeness theory as a framework. The findings indicate that Javanese students use a variety of politeness strategies, such as positive politeness, negative politeness, and bald-on-record, depending on the social status of the interlocutor, the level of refusal imposition, and the context of speech act. In addition, the findings also reveal that Javanese students prefer to use indirect strategies in refusal speech acts. This preference is reflective of the cultural norms of indirectness and politeness that are prevalent in Javanese society. Implications of the findings for language instruction and intercultural communication are discussed in the article's conclusion. This discussion emphasizes the significance of raising awareness of cultural and linguistic differences that may arise in communication.

Keywords: Speech act, Refusal strategies, Javanese students