politeness

Brown’s and Levinson’s Politeness Strategies
In the First Debate of Senator John McCain and Barack Obana

Introduction
Since all of the human beings still exist or live in this world, they need significant tool to play their life. It is called a “language”. Human use it to transfer their ideas, thoughts, and messages. We can imagine how if there is no language or a tool to transfer an idea. Human can not develop their lives. Other wise, by transferring their ideas, thoughts, and messages, human can create a civilization. They can discuss what they think and feel through language.
However, not all of the languages can make our conversation (writers and readers, speakers and listeners) run smoothly. The speakers or writers should consider many things before they speak, such as, their words, to whom, how, what, when and where humans are speaking. In the other hand, humans should use the strategies. It is using politenes. (Wardhaugh : 258)

So that, this paper explores the politeness strategies used by Barack Obama and Mc Cain in debate on the campus of the University of Mississippi. The data is taken from the text of those debaters. To help analyze the data, politeness theory (Brown and Levinson, 1987) is employed.
Basically, Brown and Levinson stated that there are two kinds of politeness, deriving from Erving Goffman's concept of face: Those are Negative politeness: Making a request less infringing, such as "If you don't mind..." or "If it isn't too much trouble..."; respects a person's right to act freely. In other words, deference. There is a greater use of indirect speech acts. And the other is Positive politeness: Seeks to establish a positive relationship between parties; respects a person's need to be liked and understood. Direct speech acts, swearing and flouting Grice's maxims can be considered aspects of positive politeness
Forthermore, Brown and Levinson stated that there are four main types of politeness strategies: bald on record, negative politeness, positive politeness, and off-record or indirect strategy.
First, bald on record strategies do not attempt to minimize the threat to the hearer’s face. This strategy is most often utilized by speakers who closely know their audience. With the bald on record strategies there is a direct possibility that the audience will be shocked or embarrassed by the strategy. For example, a bald on record strategy might be to tell your sister to “do the dishes. It’s your turn.”
The second strategy is positive politeness and this strategy attempts to minimize the threat to the hearer's positive face. This strategy is most commonly used in situations where the audience knows each other fairly well. Quite often hedging and attempts to avoid conflict are used. For example, a positive politeness strategy might be the request “It would be great if you could do the dishes for me.”
The third strategy is negative politeness which presumes that the speaker will be imposing on the listener. The potential for awkwardness or embarrassment is greater than in bald on record strategies and positive politeness strategies. Negative face is the desire to remain autonomous. Thus, a request without consideration of the listener’s negative face might be uncomfortable: “I need $5” is awkward if five dollars is outside the listener’s financial capabilities. But if the speaker, knowing that the listener wants to maintain their autonomy, adds an out for the listener like “I know you’ve been kinda strapped for cash, but could I borrow $5?”, the listener is more likely to give them that money because the request showed a respect for their ability to maintain autonomy.
The final politeness strategy outlined by Brown and Levinson is the indirect strategy; This strategy uses indirect language and removes the speaker from the potential to being imposing. For example, a speaker using the indirect strategy might merely say “wow, it’s getting cold in here” insinuating that it would be nice if the listener would get up and turn up the thermostat without directly asking the listener to do so. Further more, the researcher will compare between them how they used the politeness strategies.








Findings
Following the Brown’s and Levinson’s politeness strategies, I found ten politeness strategies used by John McCain’s and Barack Obama’s in the first presidential debate.

Table 1: Distribution of Four Politeness Strategies

No Politeness Strategies Total
1. On-Record 4
2 Politeness Politeness Strategies 3
3 Negative Politeness Strategies 1
4 Off-Record 2
Total 10

Discussions
Data 1

No Debaters Utterances
1.1 Barrack Obama “Well, thank you very much, Jim, and thanks to the commission and the University of Mississippi, "Ole Miss," for hosting us tonight. I can't think of a more important time for us to talk about the future of the country”

1.2 John McCain “Well, thank you, Jim. And thanks to everybody”.


Analysis of Data (1)
1.1 Barrack Obama “Well, thank you very much, Jim, and thanks to the commission and the University of Mississippi, "Ole Miss," for hosting us tonight. I can't think of a more important time for us to talk about the future of the country”
This debate takes place on the campus of the University of Mississippi Friday night. And the moderator for the debate was Jim Lehrer of the NewsHour on PBS.
In the first utterances produced by Barack Obama are saying thank you. It indicated that Barack Obama is going to be polite and solidarity people. He tried to create the positive politeness or atmosphere during his debate. Barack Obama’s decision to call some body using his first name such as Jim, Ole Miss, and mentioning the name of institution has invited Barack Obama, commission and the University of Mississippi in this case indicates that Barack Obama is polite, because, following (Brown and Levinsion :1987), as showing the notice, attend to H (his interest, wants, needs, goods) he is going to respect some body else. According to Wardhaugh, in the American culture, if someone is going to address someone else, they should call addresses using their first, last, or nickname. Furthermore, Wardhaugh stated American will address someone by their title.
In addition, Barack Obama used positive face for he considered that all of the audiences attended that meeting are symmetrical relationship in terms of power and also he is going to whish phrasing his request as positive appeal.

1.2 John McCain “Well, thank you, Jim. And thanks to everybody”.
Here, McCain in the first utterances said thank you too but he used the simpler words than Barack Obama, McCain just said thank you to Jim who handled this debate and to everybody attended this program. McCain, unfortunately, did not say thank to Ole Miss who has invited McCain to that program. Also McCain did not say thank to the commission and the University of Mississippi that conducted that program. It indicated that McCain keep the distance and power. He thought that he and all of the audiences also the hosting are a power imbalance. However, he tried to be polite and solidarity people because, following (Wardhaugh :2001) he addressed somebody calling his first name such Jim.
Furthermore, McCain used the negative face because he considered that the only him had power and he wanted to be free to act and not to be involved with or unimpeded or he wanted his act was not bothered.
Now let me compare two examples of this utterances uttered by two debaters (Barack Obama and John McCain). Barack Obama is more polite and solidarity than McCain because Barrack Obama tried not to keep the distance by appreciating all of the audiences and mentioning their first name. While McCain kept the power and distance because he did not appreciate to the hosting and the institution that has invited him.



Data 2

No Debaters Utterances
2.1 Barrack Obama “Well, I think Senator McCain's absolutely right that we need more responsibility, but we need it not just when there's a crisis”

2.2 John McCain “ No, I -- look, we've got to fix the system. We've got fundamental problems in the system. And Main Street is paying a penalty for the excesses and greed in Washington, D.C., and on Wall Street.”


Analysis of Data (2)
Barrack Obama “Well, I think Senator McCain's absolutely right that we need more responsibility, but we need it not just when there's a crisis”
A strategy employed by Barrack Obama to avoid disagreement was using Positive politeness because Barrack Obama was very sure that all of the audiences had to be respected moreover McCain as rival of Barack Obama and also Barrack tried to be more polite and solidarity. Furthermore, Barrack has exaggerated the McCain’s statement saying absolutely right.
This case indicated that Barrack Obama agreed with McCain’s statement about the need of responsibility. However, Barrack Obama, actually, disagreed about McCain’s statement because he used the word but… indicated that there is something contradictory with the first utterances. It means that Barrack Obama used the hidden disagreement. He is, actually, going to say that we have to be responsible people not only when we are having crisis but more than this. Meaning that we have to be responsible people wherever, whenever we are in.

John McCain “ No, I -- look, we've got to fix the system. We've got fundamental problems in the system. And Main Street is paying a penalty for the excesses and greed in Washington, D.C., and on Wall Street.”
It is very different from Barrack Obama. When Jim Lehrer as moderator asked to McCain whether he agreed or not with Barrack Obama’s statement about we have to be fair to everybody and we are not allowed to discriminate the all the citizens. To avoid disagreement McCain used bald on record strategy he directly answered by saying “no”. McCain had no effort to minimize the impact of the face-threatening act. In other word, McCain refused the Barrack Obama’s opinion directly. In short, McCain make the negative atmosphere or politeness. But Barrack Obama used the hidden disagreement.
And now let me compare two debaters Barrack and McCain. In this case when Barrack wanted to object to McCain’s statement, Barrack used the hidden disagreement. He did not refuse it baldly. He tried to respect to McCain’s statement saying “Well, I think Senator McCain's absolutely right…. But not McCain, he avoid the disagreement badly, he directly said no. In short, Barrack is more polite than McCain although they are from America and McCain is elder than Barrack.

Data 3

No Debaters Utterances
3.1 Barrack Obama “Well, Senator McCain is absolutely right that the earmarks process has been abused, which is why I suspended any requests for my home state, whether it was for senior centers or what have you, until we cleaned it up.
And he's also right that oftentimes lobbyists and special interests are the ones that are introducing these kinds of requests, although that wasn't the case with me.
But let's be clear: Earmarks account for $18 billion in last year's budget. Senator McCain is proposing -- and this is a fundamental difference between us -- $300 billion in tax cuts to some of the wealthiest corporations and individuals in the country, $300 billion.
Now, $18 billion is important; $300 billion is really important”.

3.2 John McCain Senator Obama suspended those requests for pork-barrel projects after he was running for president of the United States. He didn't happen to see that light during the first three years as a member of the United States Senate, $932 million in requests.



Analysis of Data (3)
3.1. Barrack Obama “Well, Senator McCain is absolutely right that the earmarks process has been abused, which is why I suspended any requests for my home state, whether it was for senior centers or what have you, until we cleaned it up.
And he's also right that oftentimes lobbyists and special interests are the ones that are introducing these kinds of requests, although that wasn't the case with me.
But let's be clear: Earmarks account for $18 billion in last year's budget. Senator McCain is proposing -- and this is a fundamental difference between us -- $300 billion in tax cuts to some of the wealthiest corporations and individuals in the country, $300 billion.
Now, $18 billion is important; $300 billion is really important”.
Wherever and whenever Barrack Obama is, he always appreciates his interlocutor and also he always makes positive atmosphere. It is replaced the way how to avoid disagreement. In the first sentence of Barrack Obama, he said that he was really proud of McCain’s opinion. Obama was pretending 100% he agreed with McCain’s opinion by exaggerating McCain (absolutely). Actually, in this case signals that 100% Barrack Obama disagreed about that. But he used the hidden disagreement. It was shown […] but let me clear [...] indicated that there was something missing that Obama disagreed about it. It is about the fundamental difference between Barrack and McCain. Barrack said that $300 billion in tax cuts to some of the wealthiest corporations and individuals in the country, while McCain stated that ear markers accounted for $18 billion in last year’s budget.

3.2 John McCain “Senator Obama suspended those requests for pork-barrel projects after he was running for president of the United States. He didn't happen to see that light during the first three years as a member of the United States Senate, $932 million in requests.”
Senator John McCain had his own style how to attach to the Barrack Obama’s statement. John, directly, attached the Barrack Obama’s opinion. “Senator Obama suspended those requests for pork-barrel projects after he was running for president of the United States. It means that McCain used on record, baldly because McCain expressed his idea unambiguously. In the other hand John McCain always made negative atmosphere or politeness, he seldom respected his interlocutors.
Let me compare between two speakers Barack obama and John McCain. When Barack Obama is going to attach McCain’s statement, Barrack used positive politeness strategy for he pretend agree with McCain statement using repetition and exaggeration of the words.

Data 4

No Debaters Utterances
4.1 Barrack Obama That's not true, John. That's not true.

4.2 John McCain And that's just a fact. Again, you can look it up.


Analysis of Data (4)
4.1 Barrack Obama “That's not true, John. That's not true”.
According to McCain that Obama has shifted on a number of occasion, it means that Obama did something wrong. However, in this debate Obama used off record to defend his statement that he never said that he did do not yet. One reason why Obama used off record to defend his mistake because Obama will appeal that he will avoid the losing face.

4.2 John. McCain “And that's just a fact. Again, you can look it up”.
In this statement, McCain used on record, baldly to attach Barrack Obama’s opinion for McCain did not have effort to minimize the impact of FTA. McCain considered that he himself had biggest power than Obama.
In addition, McCain used negative face for he considered that all of the audiences attended that meeting are asymmetrical relationship in terms of power and also Barrack assumes that he is negatively impacting the McCain in some way, and tries to rectify this with an apology.
Here, when Barrack Obama is going to defend his opinion he used off record. Other wise, McCain said his statement directly. It means that McCain used On-record.

Data 5

No Debaters Utterances
5.1 John McCain I think the lessons of Iraq are very clear that you cannot have a failed strategy that will then cause you to nearly lose a conflict
5.2 Barrack Obama .
Well, this is an area where Senator McCain and I have a fundamental difference because I think the first question is whether we should have gone into the war in the first place.


Analysis of Data (5)
5.1 John McCain “I think the lessons of Iraq are very clear that you cannot have a failed strategy that will then cause you to nearly lose a conflict”. When the moderator Lehrer asked to McCain about how John McCain see the lesson of Iraq. Explicitly, McCain was happy because his state was winner. It means that he used on record baldly because McCain did not care to the other States. McCain felt proud of being the highest State in this world. In short, McCain wanted to do the FTA with maximum efficiency more than he wanted to satisfy the audiences’ face.
5.2 Barrack Obama “Well, this is an area where Senator McCain and I have a fundamental difference because I think the first question is whether we should have gone into the war in the first place”. Here, responding Lehrer’s question about how Barrack Obama sees the lesson of Iraq. He used off record because he made deference statement from McCain. It means that he said something which is not explicitly relevance with what McCain said. Actually, he was very happy too because his State was winner, but he Barrack did not want to do FTA.
When moderator Lehrer requested John McCain’s and Barack Obama’s opinion about something happened in the past, and it was caused by USA, John McCain answered it directly, using on record. But not Barack Obama, he used off record.

Distribution of Politeness Strategies

Politeness Strategies Obama McCain Total
On-Record - 4 4
Politeness Politeness Strategies 3 - 3
Negative Politeness Strategies - 1 1
Off-Record 2 - 2
Total 10



















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