scholarly journals Context in Distinguishing between Overt and Actual Functions of Polite Speech Acts

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 95
Author(s):  
Mojde Yaqubi ◽  
Wan Rose Eliza Abdul Rahman ◽  
Asieh Hadavandkhani

Previous mono-cultural and interlanguage pragmatic studies in Persian mainly focused on the ‘strategy types’ used in the structures of speech acts. However, the functions of these elements were discussed by few of them. Polite speech acts have been reported to be used with both genuine and ostensible meanings. Nevertheless, few sporadic studies were conducted to help distinguishing these two series of speech acts in Persian. In this study, attempt is made to highlight the importance of context in distinguishing between overt (direct) and actual (indirect) functions of four speech acts namely offer, invitation, apology and refusal collected from the soundtracks of Iranian films. In this study we propose that while the overt and actual functions of the genuine speech acts are the same, there is discrepancy in the case of ostensible speech acts. The results of this study highlight the importance of context in working out the meaning of Persian speech acts.

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erica J. Yoon ◽  
Michael C. Frank ◽  
Michael Henry Tessler ◽  
Noah D. Goodman

Language is a remarkably efficient tool for transmitting information. Yet human speakers make statements that are inefficient, imprecise, or even contrary to their own beliefs, all in the service of being polite. What rational machinery underlies polite language use? Here, we show that polite speech emerges from the competition of three communicative goals: to convey information, to be kind, and to present oneself in a good light. We formalize this goal tradeoff using a probabilistic model of utterance production, which predicts human utterance choices in socially-sensitive situations with high quantitative accuracy, and we show that our full model is superior to its variants with subsets of the three goals. This utility-theoretic approach to speech acts takes a step towards explaining the richness and subtlety of social language use.


LOKABASA ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 223
Author(s):  
Siti Mulyani ◽  
Endang Nurhayati ◽  
Avi Meilawati

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengembangkan draf alat ukur kesantunan berbahasa Jawa dalam situasi bersemuka formal. Penelitian ini mempergunakan pendekatan research and development (R & D) berupa alat ukur kesantunan berbahasa Jawa sesuai dengan jenis tindak tuturnya. Subjek penelitian di tahun pertama ini meliputi para pendidik bahasa Jawa baik di tataran SLTP maupun tataran SLTA, maupun di perguruan tinggi yang diprediksi telah mempergunakan bahasa Jawa sebagai alat komunikasi secara santun. Lokasi penelitian adalah Yogyakarta.Pengumpulan data dilakukan dilakukan dengan survey-angket, observasi, dan dokumentasi. Analisis data dilakukan dengan teknik deskriptif kualitatif dan kuantitatif. Analisis  kualitatif diperguakan untuk mendeskripsikan jenis tindak tutur berbahasa Jawa dan aspek dalam alat ukur kesantunan tindak tuturnya, kuantitatif untuk mengetahuai skala kesantunannya. Berdasarkan jenisnya  tindak tuturnya yang terdapat dalam proses komunikasi bersemuka berbahasa Jawa pada proses pembelajaran dapat dibedakan menjadi lima jenis tidak tutur, yaitu: tindak tutur asertif, ekspresif, direktif, deklaratif dan komisif. Tindak tutur komisif merupakan tindak tutur yang tidak produktif. Suatu tuturan dapat dikategorikan menjadi suatu tuturan yang sangat santun, tuturan yang santun, agak santun, kurang santun , atau tuturan yang sangat tidak santun. Tingkat kesopanan suatu tuturan ditentukan oleh berbagai faktor yaitu mengandung maksim kesantunan atau tidak, sesuai tidak dengan tingkat tutur, ada tidaknya kinesik yang sesuai, nada suara yang sesuai, siap diri, tujuan dari pembicaraan, kesesuaian denga konteks, ada tidaknya sapaan, serta ada tidaknya penanda kesantunan.Abstract This study aims to develop a draft of Javanese politeness tools in a formal situation. This research uses research and development approach (R & D) in the form of measuring tools politeness of Javanese in accordance with the type of speech acts. Research subjects in this first year include the Javanese language educators both in junior high and high school level, as well as in universities that are predicted to have used the Java language as a means of polite communication. The research location is Yogyakarta. Data collection is done by survey-questionnaire, observation, and documentation. Data analysis was done by qualitative and quantitative descriptive technique. Qualitative analysis is used to describe the type of speech acts in Javanese language and aspects in the measuring tool of politeness of speech acts, quantitative to know the scale of politeness. Based on the type of speech acts contained in the process of communication in the language of Javanese learning process can be divided into five types of speechless, namely: assertive speech acts, expressive, directive, declarative and commissive. Commissive speech acts are unproductive speech acts. A speech can be categorized into a very polite speech, polite, somewhat polite, or polite speech. The level of decency of a speech is determined by various factors that contain the maxim of politeness or not, in accordance with not the level of speech, the presence or absence of the appropriate kinesik, the tone of the appropriate voice, ready yourself, the purpose of the conversation, conformity with the context, whether there is a greeting, markers of politeness.


2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shafqat Hussain ◽  
Ameer Ali ◽  
Maya Khemlani David

This study investigates speech acts of insult in speeches made by members of Provincial Assembly of Sindh, Pakistan using Austin’s (1962) and Searle’s (1969) Speech Acts Theory. This theory implies that language is used to perform acts, such as commanding, requesting, complaining, admiring, apologizing, insulting, and many others. However, in this research, researchers explore why speech acts of insult are performed by the members of Provincial Assembly of Sindh belonging to different political parties. Qualitative analysis of purposively sampled data collected from eleven participants’ speeches, has been conducted to demonstrate how politicians enact speech acts of insult against each other. Findings reveal that the politicians performed speech acts of insult (expressive) when issues related to administration of Sindh and management of its resources (water distribution) were discussed. It is argued that members of the assembly are people’s representatives, and they should behave in a civilized manner and perform civic, polite speech acts.


Twejer ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-68
Author(s):  
Qais Kakl Tawfiq ◽  
◽  
Chiya Ali Mustafa ◽  

Apart from the introduction and conclusion the research consists of two parts. The first part is the theoretical aspects of the research, which consists of two sections. The first section identifies the two concepts of violence and politeness/tenderness in terms of language with their semantic features and levels. The second section is dedicated to the speech act theory with identifying violent and polite acts within the speech act theory. the rest of the section deals with discourse, political discourse and election discourse. The second part represents the practical side of the research, which identifies violent and polite speech acts in the discourse of the elected lists including the analysis of the Kurdistani and Goran ( the Change Movement) lists. The research ends with the conclusion, list of references and the abstract in both Arabic and English languages.


Author(s):  
Mojde Yaqubi

Abstract Speech acts used in doing ta’ārof (Iranian system of politeness) have been conceptualized in terms of both positive (i.e. sincere or genuine) and negative (i.e. ritual or ostensible) meanings. This study aimed to revisit the interpretation of the negative meaning by concentrating on ta’ārof (ritual) offers produced by characters in Iranian films. First, these items were identified and distinguished from their genuine counterparts based on the strategies used in their structures and analysing their contextual features respectively. Then, the researcher proposed a model in which she adopted the notion of Leech’s (1983) meta-implicature (indirect implicature) to explicate the negative meaning of ta’ārof offers. She grouped a series of effective factors in working out these meta-implicatures. Finally, a tentative hierarchy of stages for identification and interpretation of ta’ārof offers in Iranian films were proposed.


Open Mind ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 71-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erica J. Yoon ◽  
Michael Henry Tessler ◽  
Noah D. Goodman ◽  
Michael C. Frank

Language is a remarkably efficient tool for transmitting information. Yet human speakers make statements that are inefficient, imprecise, or even contrary to their own beliefs, all in the service of being polite. What rational machinery underlies polite language use? Here, we show that polite speech emerges from the competition of three communicative goals: to convey information, to be kind, and to present oneself in a good light. We formalize this goal tradeoff using a probabilistic model of utterance production, which predicts human utterance choices in socially sensitive situations with high quantitative accuracy, and we show that our full model is superior to its variants with subsets of the three goals. This utility-theoretic approach to speech acts takes a step toward explaining the richness and subtlety of social language use.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erica J. Yoon ◽  
Michael Henry Tessler ◽  
Noah D. Goodman ◽  
Michael C. Frank

(Find newer version of preprint here: https://psyarxiv.com/67ne8) Language is a remarkably efficient tool for transmitting information. Yet human speakers make statements that are inefficient, imprecise, or even contrary to their own beliefs, all in the service of being polite. What rational machinery underlies polite language use? Here, we show that polite speech emerges from the competition of three communicative goals: to convey information, to be kind, and to present oneself in a good light. We formalize this goal tradeoff using a probabilistic model of utterance production, which predicts human utterance choices in socially-sensitive situations with high quantitative accuracy, and we show that our full model is superior to its variants with subsets of the three goals. This utility-theoretic approach to speech acts takes a step towards explaining the richness and subtlety of social language use.


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