LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 15:1 January 2015
ISSN 1930-2940

Managing Editor: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.
Editors: B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
         B. A. Sharada, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         Lakhan Gusain, Ph.D.
         Jennifer Marie Bayer, Ph.D.
         S. M. Ravichandran, Ph.D.
         G. Baskaran, Ph.D.
         L. Ramamoorthy, Ph.D.
         C. Subburaman, Ph.D. (Economics)
         N. Nadaraja Pillai, Ph.D.
Assistant Managing Editor: Swarna Thirumalai, M.A.

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Politeness Strategies and Address Forms Used by Filipino Domestic Helpers
in Addressing Their Malaysian Employers

Aries Dahan Gan, MESL
Maya Khemlani David, Ph.D.
Francisco Perlas Dumanig, Ph.D.

Abstract

Politeness is important in any interaction and is considered sensitive in interactions between interlocutors who have different role relationships. In interactions between employers and employees, role and power relations come into play. In most conversations, it can be observed that both interlocutors particularly between employee and employers maintain their face. However, employees may struggle to maintain politeness in order to mitigate face-threatening acts (FTA). In this research, politeness strategies used by Filipino domestic helpers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia are examined. More specifically this research focuses on politeness as seen in the use of address forms. Twenty (20) Filipino domestic helpers participated in an interview. The findings show that Filipino domestic helpers use certain patterns when communicating with their Malaysian employers. It shows that the use of Title (T), Title and First Name (TFN), Title and Last Name (TLN), and First Name (FN) are used as politeness strategies. It reveals that role relationship, social distance and age influence to such use of address forms. Moreover, the findings also reveal that the address forms used by the Filipino domestic helpers are influenced by the Filipino, Malaysian and Western cultures.

Keywords: Politeness, politeness strategies and address forms.

1. Introduction

Politeness is viewed differently in various cultures although Brown and Levinson (1978) claim it to be universal. It can be seen in social interactions across cultures and manifests itself in the language used. Politeness can be seen as a social phenomenon and understood to be culturally bound where people from different cultures may perceive an action or statement as polite or impolite. Consequently, sometimes an act or statement can be considered polite in one culture but impolite in another. Watts (2003:8) explains a discursive dispute of what is polite or impolite is predominantly dependent on how behavior is interpreted and perceived in the entire social interaction and not merely at the level of language usage. This means that politeness is observed in the linguistics, pragmatic and non-linguistic features such as gestures and other movements of the body. As a result, politeness can be considered discursive. The discursive feature refers to the varying interpretations in evaluating behavior as polite or impolite.

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Aries Dahan Gan, MESL
Visiting Language Teacher
University of Malaya
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
aries_gan@yahoo.com

Maya Khemlani David, Ph.D.
Professor
Former Member of University of Malaya
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
mayadavid@yahoo.com

Francisco Perlas Dumanig, Ph.D.
Senior Lecturer
University of Malaya
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
fdumanig@yahoo.com

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