A COMPREHENSIVE PRAGMATIC EXAMINATION OF IMRAN KHAN’S UNO ADDRESS THROUGH THE LENS OF POLITENESS STRATEGIES

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the politeness strategies employed by Prime Minister Imran Khan of Pakistan during his address at the UN General Assembly. In this study, descriptive qualitative methodology is used. The data for this study are in the form of utterances and sentences. Data is taken from Imran Khan’s speech on the United Nations YouTube channel, and the transcription of the speech is analyzed. Through the researcher’s observation, the data is examined inductively.  Brown & Levinson’s theoretical framework of politeness is used to analyze Imran Khan’s speech. Brown& Levinson’s politeness strategies are analyzed in the given study. The primary concern of this study is to examine the use of negative and positive politeness strategies in Imran Khan’s speeches. Moreover, what is the role of politeness in conversation? Findings demonstrate that Imran Khan has used politeness strategies to maintain positive social relationships, mitigate face threats, and build trust at the international level. The results show that positive politeness strategies prevailed, creating global solidarity, while negative politeness was a strategic choice to mitigate sensitive information. These findings demonstrate the tactical use of politeness in text. Positive and negative strategies employed in the speech are tagged by using MAXQDA. The reason for choosing Imran Khan’s speech at the 76th session of the UNGA for this study is that his speech is related to language, particularly pragmatics. It is recommended that future researchers explore the sociological determinants of politeness techniques through various theoretical frameworks and by examining alternative topics.