PRAGMATIC ANALYSIS OF IMPOLITENESS STRATEGIES IN BRITISH TV-SERIES SHERLOCK

Abstract

This research investigates impolite acts performed in British TV-series Sherlock using pragmatic approach. It is aimed at describing the types and functions of impoliteness strategies, and identifying the characters’ responses toward the impoliteness strategies performed in Sherlock.

This research employed descriptive qualitative method. The data were in the form of utterances, while the context of the data was the dialogues spoken by the characters in the TV-series. The sources of the data were three episodes of the first season of Sherlock and the transcript. In this research, inductive approach was used in analyzing the data. To enhance trustworthiness as well as obtaining credibility and reliability of the data, triangulation was used.

The results of this research are stated as follows. (1) All types of impoliteness strategies are used by the characters in Sherlock. They are bald on record impoliteness, positive impoliteness, negative impoliteness, off-record impoliteness, and withhold politeness. Negative impoliteness is the most dominant type of impoliteness strategy while withhold politeness is the least strategy to occur in this research. Negative impoliteness strategy becomes the most frequently used type of impoliteness strategies in Sherlock because the characters in Sherlock tend to use it as a means to make other characters follow their order by attacking the negative face wants. (2) The characters in Sherlock frequently employed impoliteness strategy with coercive impoliteness function. By employing coercive impoliteness, the speakers want to gain more benefits or get their current benefits protected. (3) In Sherlock, countering face attack by defensive strategy is the most frequently used response by the characters. The characters choose to use this response because they tend to defend their faces from the face attack.

Kata Kunci
impoliteness, strategy, types, functions, responses, Sherlock