LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 22:3 March 2022
ISSN 1930-2940

Editors:
         Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
         B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         G. Baskaran, Ph.D.
         T. Deivasigamani, Ph.D.
         Pammi Pavan Kumar, Ph.D.
         Soibam Rebika Devi, M.Sc., Ph.D.

Managing Editor & Publisher: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.

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‘Please Advise Me’: Analysing the Appropriateness of Advice Given on Sister Sister, Facebook, Using Gricean Cooperative Principles

Regina Mensah, M.Phil.

Abstract

Gricean cooperative principles (CP) have been used as a framework to analyze speeches, coherence in essays etc. However, in this current study, it is used to judge the appropriateness of advice given on Sister, Sister, a Facebook community. The study considers the issue of face in the advice provided to advice seekers since the request for advice in itself poses threat to face. A total of 110 advice comments were analyzed using CP. The study revealed that there was a varying degree of violation of the maxims. Quantity was the most (85.5%) infringed maxim followed by quality (76.4%) and manner (65.5%). The least violated maxim was relevance (41%). Also, a content analyses revealed that about 55% of the politeness strategy employed was bald-on-record. It was confirmed that, advice givers interlace advice with impoliteness giving little regard to face. It could be said that the major reason for the infringement of the maxim of quantity was advice givers need to point out to the advice seekers their mistakes in the stories presented. This act also contributed to the infringement of all the other maxims: quality, relevance, and manner.

Keywords: Sister Sister, Advice, advice givers, advice seekers, Grice Cooperative Principle, face threatening acts.

1. Introduction

Advice is believed to be a beneficial response in interpersonal relationships. It could be defined as the opinions considered as either recommended or worthy to be followed. Often through human interaction, when people come together to interact with acquaintances, friends, and family, when they are uncomfortable or show that they are upset about a situation or life experiences, others may offer pieces of information that are meant to provide some kind of support, and sooth the person (MacGeorge, Feng & Thompson, 2008). People who receive advice can gain relevant information that could be insightful, motivational and can cause a reduction in stress experienced about a situation (Goldsmith & Fitch, 1997). Advice can be viewed as a kind of interpersonal supportive communication that could cause persuasion in the receiver.

Locher and Limberg (2012) mention that the common activity of giving advice does not only occur in traditional situations of face to face or in writeups but even through computer mediated forms of which social media is inclusive. This explains why in recent times, with the advent of the multiple social media platforms, people have found it convenient to seek advice from people on cyber space who are usually online friends or not but are connected through a particular group they are members of. Such pieces of advice are requested for by people who are comfortable with the anonymity such platforms provide. The anonymity measure considerably provides a kind of assurance to safety for the consequences of disclosing sensitive information about oneself (Rain, 2014).

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

Regina Mensah, M.Phil.
Department of Arts Education
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Education
University of Cape Coast, Ghana
mensahregina1660@gmail.com
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