A COMPARATIVE ETHNOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS OF POLITENESS STRATEGIES FOUND IN ANIMATED SERIES JAAN AND SOFIA THE FIRST

Abstract

The main aim of this research was to compare the type of politeness strategies found in animated cartoon series. The animation series is of two different cultures, i.e. Eastern and Western, nevertheless, both gave the message of goodness. With the help of House and Kasper’s (2003) framework of the politeness strategies, which contain 11 main strategies, similarities and differences were found in politeness strategies. These strategies were Politeness Markers, Playdowns, Down-Toners, Hedges, Hesitators, Agent Avoiders, Understanders, Consultative Devices, Commiters, Forewarning, and Scope-Staters. The difference will be analyzed according to Levinson and Gumperz's (2002) “Rethinking Linguistic Relativity”, which states that the meaning of utterances is constructed through background knowledge. It was determined that Jaan had more use of politeness strategies. The difference in politeness strategies is mainly due to the fact that in Jaan goodness is taught with respect to Islam, while in Sofia the First, the concept of pointlessness is associated with royalty ethics. Moreover, the difference in politeness strategies is also associated with the difference between the hierarchical community of Eastern civilization and that of Western communities.