Politeness strategies of Manobo students in a classroom in Kidapawan City, Philippines

Abstract

Awareness of the students in the pragmatics attached to language is crucial to communication success within classroom settings. Therefore, students might devise strategies to mitigate threats that can affect interlocutors’ engagement in communication. However, cultural and social factors can also influence how people communicate; hence, students from different backgrounds have nuances in the language used. This study is aimed at determining the politeness strategies utilized by Manobo students in their interaction in a classroom in a public school in Kidapawan City, Philippines. Using Brown and Levinson’s (1987) politeness strategy framework, the findings reveal that the politeness strategies used by Manobo students in the classroom with their Manobo and non-Manobo teachers were positive politeness, negative politeness, bald on-record, and off record. On the other hand, the politeness strategies among Manobo students were positive politeness, negative politeness, and bald-on record. Hence, the Manobo students have different politeness strategies depending on their relationship with the interlocutors in the classroom interaction. Politeness is relevant and essential in education, such as classroom teaching and learning practice. With a deeper understanding of its role in the academe, there could be more significant ways of improving the learning atmosphere.