IMPLEMENTATIONS AND VIOLATIONS OF POLITENESS

PRINCIPLES FOUND IN THE SHORT FILM “PEMEAN”: A

PRAGMATIC ANALYSIS
Dika Zakiya Handayani, Aria Rafid Amrullah, Nadiah Salsabila, Muvidatul Qikmah, Ach
Nobair, Aan Vera Andriana, Nico Maulana Setyohadi
English Literature Department, Universitas Islam Negeri Sunan Ampel Surabaya, Jl. Jend. A. Yani 117
Surabaya

Abstract: In consideration of pragmatics in English linguistics, this paper aims to study

Left indent: and analyze the use of Leech Politeness Principle in Javanese entertainment media through Right indent:
1,5 cm careful observation of the dialogue uttered in the short film “Pemean”. Qualitative is used 1,5 cm
to collect the data. The conduction of study concluded that in the short film “Pemean”,
there are found nine utterances that violate the maxim of modesty that dominate the short
film. The least dominating maxim is the implementation of the agreement maxim. The
implementation and violation of the maxim can be presented even in the medium of
entertainment that reflects the everyday lives of Javanese people where violations of the
modesty maxim can be unconsciously acted. In consideration of pragmatics in English
linguistics, this paper aims to study and analyze the use of the Leech Politeness Principle
in Javanese entertainment media through careful observation of the dialogue uttered in the
short film “Pemean”. Qualitative is used to collect the data. The conduction of the study
concluded that in the short film “Pemean”, there are found nine utterances that violate the
maxim of modesty that dominate the short film. The least dominating maxim is the
implementation of the agreement maxim. The implementation and violation of the maxim
can be presented even in the medium of entertainment that reflects the everyday lives of
Javanese people where violations of the modesty maxim can be unconsciously acted.

Keywords: pemean; maxim; implementation; violation; politeness principles

INTRODUCTION

Javanese short films are not quite popular among locals. “The lack of variety in local
film production has … contributed to the high interest in imported films for Indonesian
people” (UNAIR News 2019). However, “the film industry in Indonesia has grown very
rapidly in the last seven years. By mid-2022, the number of moviegoers in Indonesia had
surpassed the number of viewers in 2020 and 2021” (Jiwa Muda Indonesia 2022). This means
more and more local films are being alienated from possible viewing. Kurniawan (2019)
argues that “drama, comedy, and horror become the trinity of genres in the Indonesian film
industry. Through different eras, a consistent rise in the numbers of these 3 genres is flavored
with spikes of other genres in some years that denote social sentiments and conditions.”

In the short film “Pemean”, there is a plethora of politeness principles that are commonly
used by Javanese, especially in the villages. “Pemean” short film was uploaded in the
YouTube channel Paniradya Kaistimewan on November 15th, 2022. The short film is 11
minutes long and in 3 years, it reached 3.1 views. The appeal of the film revolves around the
two main characters: Mbak Sum and Asih.

Audiences can see clearly the environment and culture in Javanese in the short film
“Pemean”. “Culture is placed into a mixed interaction between our local and other’s culture”
(Puspitasari, Sabana, and Ahmad 2016). Furthermore, they argue that “film has not only
served as entertainment, but can also act as an instrument to reflect local values and
traditional perspective through the storytelling that has been presented by film director. This
role is a significant point to develop local insight and cultural value as the identity of
Indonesian film.”

Politeness principles becomes a topic that are debatable in pragmatic because

“sometimes there are still misunderstandings in interpreting politeness” (Isabella et al. 2022).
Nevertheless, they suggest “When we use the politeness strategy to communicate it means we
respect each other and decrease misunderstanding.” Politeness refers to the concept of
individuals’ attitudes in a social environment that is tied to a culture (Yule, 1996:60). Thus, if
an individual does not complete the social norms of how they should deliver their words in
the right way, they will get a negative reputation.

Although previous studies has used Javanese short films as the data source to conduct the
examination about politeness phenomenon, it is not in the field politeness principle.
Kusumastuti et al. (2021) held a research “Maintaining Politeness in Film Tilik: A Study of
Social Distance and Power Relations on Javanese Women” using the trichotomous politeness
systems by Yabuuchi. A year later, with the same film, Ulrikayanti (2022) conducted a
research entitled “Javanese Politeness Principle in Tilik Short Movie”.

Considering that there is no Javanese short film that is analyzed using politeness
principle approach, then the researchers conduct this study with the aim to analyze the most
used maxim used in the short film “Pemean” and the reason why it dominates the film.

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

Pragmatics theory

There are some definitions of pragmatics to help researchers conducting this

research. Basically, pragmatics studies the communication meaning through its context.
According to (Stephen C. Levinson, 1983) pragmatics is defined as a branch of
linguistics that concern with what speaker’s meaning through his sentence. To know the
meaning of utterances is necessary because speakers do not always say what they really
mean. Sometimes speakers hide the actual meaning of their utterances in purpose in
certain context. “A pragmatic theory that approaches the rigor and predictive power of
formal semantics would presuppose a theory of the linguistic structures (syntactic,
morphological, prosodic) of an utterance” (Horn & Ward, 2004). Pragmatics focus on
explications of utterances contextually (Birner, 2013).

Politeness Principles theory

The term polite language is considered as what is beneficial for the hearers and
minimizes the benefits for the speakers. While a language is considered an impolite

language if it gives minimal benefits for the hearers and gives more benefits for the
speakers (Leech, 1983). It can be said that what is believed polite by the speakers, can
be believed as impolite by the hearers. Thereafter, Leech used six maxims of politeness:
tact maxim, approbation maxim, modesty maxim, generosity maxim, agreement maxim,
sympathy maxim.

METHOD

The sample used is a short film made by Paniradya Kaistimewaan entitled

Pemean (2020). The use of entertainment media as a medium of research can be
justified because the film represents human interaction albeit exaggerated. Each of the
film's dialogues was transcribed and analyzed. As depicted in the film, this research
involves two Javanese women interacting with each other in a laundry setting. The
utterances were classified by the researchers which put them in a category by the
implementations and the violations of the Principle of Courtesy maxim.

In examining the implementation and violation of the Politeness Principle, the

method used to collect the data is a qualitative approach. Researchers watched the short
film in the close examination. Compared to field research, the conduct of the research
was relatively short. Conclusively, researchers used three courses of data acquirement.
The details of the courses are as follows:

1. Researchers watch the “Pemean” (2020) online, comprehending the contents

and dialogue uttered by the characters in the film and its pragmatics.
 2. Selectively categorizing which utterances belong in the implementations
and violations of the Politeness Principles maxim.
3. Transcribe the Javanese dialogue and translate the selected dialogues into English.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

From the script of the short film “Pemean,” researchers analyzed the data according to
the Politeness Principle proposed by Leech. The data is then categorized into implementing
and violating. Below is the table of the existing findings.

Table 1. Implementations of the Politeness Principle

Implementations of
Occurrence Percentages
Maxim

Tact - -

Approbation - -

Modesty 3 15%

Agreement 2 10%

Sympathy - -

Generosity - -

The table above shows the percentages of the result for implementation in the short film
“Pemean”. Implementations of the Maxim of Modesty were found in 3 utterances or 15% of
the total dialogue, followed by the Maxim of Agreement in 2 utterances, or 10%.

Table 2. Violations of the Politeness Principle

Violations of Maxim Occurrence Percentages
Tact - -
Approbation 3 15%
Modesty 9 45%
Agreement 3 15%
Sympathy - -
Generosity - -
Table 2 displays the percentages of the violations in the short film “Pemean”.
Violations of the Maxim of Modesty were found in 9 utterances or 45%, followed by the
Maxim of Agreement in 3 utterances, or 15%. Similarly, violations of Approbation Maxim
occurred in 3 utterances.

Maxim of Approbation
Data I
Speech context: Mbak Sum’s husband calls her to which she deduces that he wants her to
make him coffee. Mbak Sum then tells Asih that his husband is not accustomed to drinking
coffee that is not pricey.

00:02:42: (Mbak Sum’s husband calling from inside her house)

00:02:46-00:03:01 MBAK SUM: “Sek, sek, sek. Adu iki mesti, bojoku iki pasti njaluk
kopi Dek Asih. Bapak’e kuwi njaluk ombe, ora gelem kopi-kopi sing sachet. Gelem e iku
kopi-kopi sing larang kuwi, lho, Dek Asih.
“Wait, wait, wait. My husband must want coffee, Asih. If he wants to
drink coffee, he doesn’t want sachet coffee. He only wants those high-
priced ones, Asih.
00:03:02-00:03:07 MBAK SUM: “Ngerti ora kowe, anu, kopi-kopi sing larang iku,
ngerti ora? Hayo ngertine sing ndi? Alah ngertine mung sing sachetan tok ya?”

“Do you know those expensive coffee Asih? I bet you don't, you
only know the sachet ones, do you?”

The utterance above violated the Approbation Maxim because the speaker, Mbak
Sum asked questions about the type of coffee intending to belittle other people and
praise herself that she could afford expensive coffee. In conclusion, she multiplies
insults to other people which means breaking one of Leech's maxims, which is
Approbation.

Data II
Speech context: Mbak Sum asked Asih if her husband, Barjo, was shopping for rice. Asih
does not confirm the correctness of this assumption. Mbak Asih then asked to confirm her
assumption that Asih is using coupon rice.

00:04:42-00:04:46 MBAK SUM: “Dek Asih, wingi mas Barjo bar mipik to?
“Asih, yesterday Barjo just shopped, right?”
 00:04:46-00:04:00 ASIH: “Mipik napa to, Mbak. Kae iki bar mundhut beras teng
kelurahan.”
“Shopping what, Mbak? Yesterday, he just got the rice from the village
ward”
00:04:54-00:04:58 MBAK SUM: “Oalah, kuwi sing beras kupon kuwi to?”
“Oh, the coupon rice subsidiaries from the government, isn't it?”

The utterance above also violated the Approbation Maxim. It is because the
question asked by Mbak Sum seemed condescending and as if a rice coupon given by
the government was not on the same level as her rice. Of course, this violates the
concept of the Approbation maxim.

00:08:07-00:08:15 MBAK SUM: “Mbak Sum, beli beras di Jakarta, ngunu loh,
Mas.”

“Well, Mbak Sum bought rice from Jakarta, that’s it, Mas.”

The data above shows the violation the Approbation Maxim. The reason is the
statement from Mbak Sum was aimed at showing off to everyone that she had bought
rice from Jakarta, where according to her the quality of the rice was different from rice
in her area. In conclusion, she prided herself too much when buying rice that she had to
make up for what was lacking to be praised by others. According to one of the
principles of Approbation Leech, we must minimize criticism and maximize the praise
of others.

Maxim of Modesty
Data III
Speech context:

00:01:32-00:01:49 MBAK SUM: “Dek Asih, klambine apik to?Iki pitungatus ewu, lho,
Dek. Ora enek kortingan. Lek ngenteni kortingan nganti udune Pak Lurah pecah ra
entuk ngene iki. Iki, semene iki, kaya ngene telungatus.
“Dek Asih, the shirt looks good, doesn’t it? This one is seven hundred
thousand (rupiah), you know, Dek. No discount. If I waited for the
discount, it won’t be here even if Pak Lurah’s blister pops. This one is
three hundred thousand.”
 00:01:49-00:01:53 ASIH: “Nek aku yo ora kuat tuku, mbak.”
“I wouldn't be able to buy that”
00:01:53-00:02:01 MBAK SUM: “Iki, cawet koyo ngene iki, lho, satus seket ewu.”
“Well, if it's this, this underwear costs 150.000”

Data III is categorized into the implementation of Modesty Maxim. It is because

what Asih said, portrayed her as if she could not get Mbak Sum’s expensive clothes.
Specifically, the moment captured Mbak Sum showing off her expensive clothes, but
instead of replying, Asih emphasized that she could not afford them. It means that she
maximized the praise for others (Mbak Sum) and minimized it for herself. She tried to
be polite by following the politeness principle rules.

Data IV
Speech context: After Mbak Sum tells Asih that the shirt she bought is expensive, she
also says that her underwear costs one hundred and fifty thousand (rupiahs).

00:01:32-00:01:49 MBAK SUM: “Dek Asih, klambine apik to?Iki pitungatus ewu, lho,
Dek. Ora enek kortingan. Lek ngenteni kortingan nganti udune Pak Lurah pecah ra
entuk ngene iki. Iki, semene iki, kaya ngene telungatus.
“Dek Asih, the shirt looks good, doesn’t it? This one is seven hundred
thousand (rupiah), you know, Dek. No discount. If I waited for the
discount, it won’t be here even if Pak Lurah’s blister pops. This one is
three hundred thousand.”
00:01:49-00:01:53 ASIH: “Nek aku yo ora kuat tuku, mbak.”
“I wouldn't be able to buy that”
00:01:53-00:02:01 MBAK SUM: “Iki, cawet koyo ngene iki, lho, satus seket ewu.”
“Well, if it's this, this underwear costs 150.000”

The utterance of Mbak Sum’s replies is considered a violation of Modesty

Maxim. She aims to brag about her underwear to others. She said that it cost 150.000, a
lot of money for underwear only. Researchers assumed that she has the intention to
show up that she is not as equal as others. She implicitly praised herself, and
underestimate someone else lower than her standard. In conclusion, she was not being
polite and violated one of Leech’s maxims which is modesty.
Maxim of Agreement
Data V
Speech context: Before leaving Asih, Mbak Sum tells her that she plans to go to the
Supermarket to buy high-quality rice at a low price. Then, Asih agrees with that.

00:05:49-00:05:56 MBAK SUM: “Ya udah. Kalau gitu kapan-kapan aja. Aku tak
mlaku-mlaku nang Supermarket kuwi kan yo akeh yo beras-beras murah tur
berkualitas. Ho’oh, ‘kan, Dek?”
“Okay then. If so, some time later. I want to go to the Supermarket, there
is a lot of cheap and quality rice there. Is it right, Dek?”

00:05:56 ASIH: “Lha, enggih.”

“Yes.”
Mbak Sum tells Asih that she would go to the supermarket because there was a lot
of cheap and good quality rice. Her words ended with a question asking for Asih's
agreement. Then, Asih agreed that in supermarkets there is indeed cheap and quality
rice by saying “Enggih”. The word “Enggih” itself in Javanese means “Yes”, which
signifies agreement. Therefore, it includes implementing maxim of agreement.

Data VI
Speech context: Mbak Sum comes riding her motorcycle while horning at Asih.
Then she stops and questions Asih if her motorcycle is cool or not.

00:08:56-00:08:57 MBAK SUM: “Apik ora e, motore, Dek?”

“Is the motorcycle good, Dek?”
00:08:59-00:09:00 ASIH: “Iyo. Apik, Mbak.”
“Yes. Good, Mbak.”
Mbak Sum asks Dek Asih’s agreement if the motorcycle is good or not and then
Dek Asih replies “Iyo, apik, Mbak.” If it is translated into English will be “Yes. Good,
Mbak.” It means that Dek Asih agrees if the motorcycle is good. Indeed, it includes in
Implementing Agreement.
Data VII
Speech context: Mbak Sum lets Asih know that she was asked by her husband to
treat him because he feels tired after helping the government officials. Then, Mbak Sum
utters her wishes.

00:04:08-00:04:30 MBAK SUM: “Ning aku percoyo kok, Dek Asih. Sesok,
Mas Bono, mesti bakale iso koyo pejabat-pejabat ngunu, main golf. Ning
lapangan rumput sing jember apik banget. Wah, kowe weruh alate kuwi, sak
regane motor loh, Dek Asih. Ngerti ora?”
“I believe, one day Mas Bono will be like the politicians, playing
golf on a wide and beautiful field. Do you know that golf
equipment cost the same as a motorcycle?”
00:04:31-00:04:33 ASIH: “Opo iyo to, Mbak, larange semono?”
“Really? That's expensive.”

Mbak Sum believes that one day her husband will be able to be in the position
of politician, playing golf on a wide and beautiful field. Then he asked Asih if he knows
that the golf equipment cost the same as a motorcycle or not. Then Asih replied
“Really? That's expensive.” It means that Asih doubted what Mbak Sum said. This
included the Violating Agreement because Asih did not agree with what Mbak Sum
said.

Data VIII
Speech context: Asih says that Mbak Sum’s motorcycle is good, then she
wonders if it looks like Warsi’s.
00:09:17-00:09:27 MBAK SUM: “Kowe ngerti ra, Dek Asih? Warsi kuwi lek
nduwe motor podo karo aku ngene iki, mergone opo, ngerti ra? Mergo de'e iki
nduwe ingon- ingon loh.
“Do you know what is the reason if Warsi has a motorcycle like
mine? It is because she has ingon-ingon (a kind of witchcraft).”
00.09.28-00.09.28 ASIH: “Mosok to, Mbak?”
“Really, Mbak?”
 The data above is categorized as the violation of modesty maxim. Asih seems like
objecting Mbak Sum’s thought of Warsi with giving expression, “Mosok to, Mbak?
(Really. Mbak?).

CONCLUSION
From the finding of the research, it can be concluded that politeness principles
are used by characters Mbak Sum and Asih, the main figures in the short film “Pemean”
with the frequency violation of approbation maxim 3 utterances (15%), implementation
of modesty maxim 3 utterances (15%), violation of modesty maxim 9 utterances (45%),
implementation of agreement maxim 2 utterances (10%), and violations of agreement
maxim 3 utterances (15%). Based on the data, the violation of the modesty maxim
dominates the dialogue of Mbak Sum in the short film “Pemean”. This is because the
character of Mbak Sum is deliberately shown as the representative of an arrogant person
who is likely to show off self-values. As such, we believe that it is necessary for future
researchers to study further regards of politeness principle in entertainment media
representing Javanese culture of day-to-day lives.

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