Analysis Modality And Politeness Strategy On Lecturer-students' Short Text Message Interaction
Abstract
This study aims to investigate the interpersonal meaning on lecturer-students' short text message interaction in Indonesian education context. In addition, politeness strategies proposed by Brown and Levinson are also reflected in the text interaction. For its framework for analysis, the study draws on systemic functional linguistics, pragmatics, critical discourse analysis, and discussion of the politeness strategies used in Indonesian custom. A case study methodology was used in this study and data were collected by documented short text messages composed by two students to their lecturers in their most naturalistic and authentic way. Later, a coding procedure applied to the data using systemic functional grammar methodology to examine the interpersonal meaning contained in the short text messages. The study reveals that students always use both negative and positive strategies in communicating to their lecturers. It seems that students' background knowledge about their lecturers and students' life background have effects on their linguistic feature choices. The result of analysis modality shows that students' short text messages contain more residue than their lecturers'. It is because of the lecturers' power, distance and imposition which triggers the students' use strategies. To conclude, in Indonesian society, a good lecturer-student relationship can be preserved by employing expected politeness strategies. It is essential to introduce politeness approach to the students in order to shape their communication skill in dealing with different kinds of people.