POLITENESS IN SERVICE ENCOUNTERS: A STUDY OF NIGERIAN PIDGIN

Abstract

The study identifies and describes politeness strategies in Nigerian Pidgin service encounters. The study applies descriptive qualitative research. Data was collected in Warri, a cosmopolitan city in Delta State, Southern Nigeria from six service encounter settings: restaurants, hair dressing saloons, fuel stations, boutiques, market stalls and supermarkets. It is in the form of recorded conversations between service providers and their customers. Seventy service encounters were observed.The data was then transcribed and different realizations of politeness strategies were identified and described using Penelope Brown and Stephen Levinson’s model of politeness. The study shows that the most frequently used strategy is the positive politeness strategy of greeting while the least used are seeking agreement and promises. For negative politeness, deference strategies constitute the most used strategies while apologies are the least used.