Speakers
Description
Abstract
This study examines the politeness strategies employed by British expatriates in Indonesia and explores their implications for BIPA teaching. Focusing on expressive speech acts, the research investigates how British speakers employ politeness strategies (Brown & Levinson, 1987) in Indonesian and their associated cultural and pragmatic behaviors. The methodology uses a Discourse Completion Test (DCT) (Blum-Kulka et al., 1989)(, supplemented by semi-structured interviews, surveys, and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), which enable the collection of both elicited and contextualized data. Seven British expatriates participated as respondents and provided examples of their language use across everyday Indonesian communicative situations.
Results indicate a strong preference for negative politeness strategies (67%), reflecting a tendency to avoid imposition, maintain personal space, and use indirectness. Positive politeness strategies (24%) were employed when respondents sought to build rapport, although this was less frequent. Off-record strategy (5%) and bald-on-record strategies (3%) were used minimally, showing caution in face-threatening contexts. These patterns suggest that British cultural values—particularly concern for autonomy and non-intrusion—continue to influence politeness realisation even when speaking Indonesian.
The findings have important implications for BIPA instruction. Teachers need to integrate cross-cultural pragmatics into lessons to help learners understand how politeness conventions differ between British and Indonesian cultures. Without such guidance, learners may unintentionally misinterpret or violate Indonesian expectations, which could lead to pragmatic failure. Embedding authentic scenarios, contrastive pragmatics, and sociocultural explanations in BIPA curricula can enhance learners' sociopragmatic competence and support more effective cross-cultural communication.
| BIPA | BIPA in material |
|---|---|
| ASEAN | Sosiocultural |
| ART and CULTURAL | Thai and Indonesian Cultural |
| Online / Onsite | online |
