Thesis (PhD)--University of Stellenbosch, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study investigates how politeness may be employed in requests in Xhosa. While
numerous studies on speech act have been conducted in different languages, the
investigation of speech acts in African Languages, particularly Xhosa, shows no such
progress. This study attempts to fill this gap by examining the notions of politeness in
requests as perceived among the Xhosas.
With the study of speech acts, two instances of meaning have been identified. In the first
meaning a speaker utters a sentence and means exactly and literally what he says. In the
second meaning the speaker utters a sentence with an additional illocution with a different
prepositional content.
It has been established that various meanings playa role in the understanding of indirect
requests. This finding is based on the theory of Brown and Levinson's (1987) face work of
politeness. Scholars like Clark and Schunk (1980) argue that the politeness of response is
governed by the attentiveness hypothesis which states that the more attentive the hearer
is to all aspects of the speaker's request, within reason, the more polite he is.
One of the most common motivations for politeness is a request. Brown and Levinson
(1987) define politeness as the manifestation of respect for and recognition of another's
face. They delineate face into two components: negative face and positive face. Positive
face is the way a person wants to be regarded, admired, or approved by others and to be
treated as a friend. On the other hand, negative face is the person's desire not to be
imposed on by other people. A request threatens face in the sense that it imposes on the
hearer, that is why in some cases requests call for mitigation, so as to compensate for
their impositive effect on the hearer.
Various subcategories of requests within which negative politeness may appear have been
established, as well as the various ways in which these subcategories of requests may be
linguistically expressed in Xhosa. Three distribution types of request categories with
negative politeness have been found: high frequency, No very regular and negligible. Requests with the highest frequency may be divided into three subcategories: compliance;
information; and action. These subcategories demand non-threatening strategies:
compliance demands obedience, action demand doing things with a desired result, and
information demands knowledge from a person. These three are thus face-threatening
acts, which demand respect for the hearer's antonomy. Such requests may seriously
threaten the hearer's negative face. If no politeness strategy is attempted, these requests
will be viewed as most threatening acts.
The ten negative politeness strategies of Brown and Levinson did not apply to Xhosa
because they have been developed for a Western language. In the place of these
strategies, it has been found that negative politeness may be expressed in Xhosa through
certain subcategories as above, but also through certain pragmatic functions by means of
which negative politeness may be applied to avert a face-threatening act.
Brown and Levinson (1987) list fifteen positive politeness strategies. In the case of the
four Xhosa books, which were analyzed, only eight strategies for positive politeness were
found. These strategies can be divided into two groups: high frequency and negligible.
The most regular strategies are: seek agreement, give or ask for reasons, address forms,
presupposition, and those, which include both speaker and hearer.
An explanation for the high frequency of these strategies is to be found within positive
politeness. Positive politeness forms emphasize closeness between speaker and hearer
and it can be seen as a solidarity strategy. Thus, a face saving act, which is concerned
with the person's positive face, will show solidarity. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie ondersoek hoe beleeftheid aangewend kan word in Xhosa versoeke. Daar is
verskeie studies oor spraakhandelinge in verskillende tale, maar die ondersoek na
spraakhandelinge in die Afrikatale, veral Xhosa, toon nie sodanige vooruitgang nie.
Hierdie studie poog om hierdie gaping te vul deur die begrip beleefdheid in versoeke by
die Xhosa te ondersoek.
In die studie van spraakhandelinge is twee instansies van betekenis geïdentifiseer. In die
eerste betekenis uiter 'n spreker 'n sin en die betekenis is presies wat gesê word. In die
tweede betekenis uiter die spreker 'n sin met 'n bykomende illokusie met 'n verskillende
proposisionele indruk.
Daar is vasgestel dat verskeie betekenisse 'n rol speel in die verstaan van indirekte
versoeke. Hierdie bevinding is gebaseer op die teorie van Brown en Levinson (1987) se
werk oor gesig in beleefdheid. Onder andere Clark en Schunk (1980) is van mening dat
die beleefdheid van 'n respons op 'n versoek beheer word deur die attentheid hipotese
waardeur aangedui word dat hoe meer aandagtig 'n hoorder is op alle aspekte van die
spreker se versoek, hoe meer beleefd hy is.
Een van die algemeenste motiverings vir beleefdheid is versoeke. Brown en Levinson
(1987) definieer beleefdheid as die manifestasie van respek en erkenning van 'n ander se
gesig. Hulle grens gesig af in twee dele: negatiewe gesig en positiewe gesig. Positiewe
gesig is die wyse waarop 'n persoon beskou, bewonder of waardeer word deur ander en
om soos 'n vriend behandel te word. Aan die ander kant, negatiewe gesig is 'n persoon se
begeerte om nie bedrieg te word deur ander mense. 'n Versoek bedreig gesig in die sin
dat dit misbruik maak van die hoorder. Dit is waarom in sommige gevalle daar versagting
vir versoeke is om te vergoed vir die misbruikmaking op die hoorder.
Verskeie subkategorieë van versoeke waarin negatiewe beleefdheid voorkom is onderskei,
asook die verskillende wyses waarin hierdie subkategorieë van versoeke linguisties
uitgedruk kan word in Xhosa. Drie spreidingstipes van versoek kategorieë met negatiewe
beleefdheid is gevind: hoë frekwensie, nie baie reëlmatig en onbeduidend. Versoeke met die hoogste frekwensie kan verdeel word in drie subkategorieë: inskiklikheid, inligting en
handeling. Hierdie subkategorieë vereis strategieë wat nie bedreiging inhou: inskiklikheid
vereis gehoorsaamheid, handeling vereis dat iets gedoen moet word met 'n sekere
resultaat, en inligting vereis kennis van 'n persoon. Hierdie drie is dus handelinge wat 'n
bedreiging inhou vir gesig en wat respek vereis vir die hoorder se outonomie. Sulke
versoeke kan 'n ernstige bedreiging inhou vir die hoorder se negatiewe gesig. As geen
beleefdheidsstrategie gevolg word, kan hierdie versoeke beskou word as handelinge wat
geweldig bedreigend is.
Die tien negatiewe beleefdheidsstrategieë van Brown en Levinson (1987) is nie van
toepassing in Xhosa nie, omdat dit ontwikkel is vir 'n Westerse taal. In die plek van
hierdie strategieë is gevind dat negatiewe beleefdheid in Xhosa uitgedruk kan word deur
sekere subkategorieë soos hierbo, maar ook deur sekere pragmatiese funksies waardeur
negatiewe beleefdheid aangewend kan word om in handeling wat gesig bedreig af te
weer.
Brown en Levinson (1987) gee 15 strategieë vir positiewe beleefdheid. In die geval van
Xhosa is agt (8) van hierdie strategieë gevind in die boeke wat geanaliseer is. Hierdie
strategieë kan in twee groepe verdeel word: hoë frekwensie en onbeduidend. Die
strategieë met die hoogste frekwensie is: soek ooreenstemming; gee of vra redes;
aanspreekvorme, presupposisieen die wat beide spreker en hoorder insluit.
'n Verklaring vir die hoë frekwensie van hierdie strategieë kan gevind word in positiewe
beleefdheid. Positiewe beleefdheid benadruk nabyheid tussen spreker en hoorder en dit
kan gesien word as 'n solidariteitsstrategie. Dus, 'n handeling wat gesig red wat betrokke
is by'n persoon se positiewe gesig sal solidariteit toon.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/52402 |
| Date | 04 1900 |
| Creators | Dlali, Mawande,1965- |
| Contributors | Du Plessis, J. A., Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of African Languages. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | Unknown |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 477 p. |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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