Politeness and Impolite Strategies in the Language use among the Undergraduate of Faculty of Arts, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka

Abstract

This research paper examined the uses of politeness and impolite strategies in the language of conversation of 400 level students of the departments of Theatre and Film Studies, Religion and Human Relations and English Language and Literature of Faculty of Arts, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka. Using Brown and Levinson theory of politeness, the researcher used participant observation and tape recording as a source of data collection through random sampling. The data were analyzed using qualitative approach. The findings of the study showed that students used all the four politeness strategies- off-record, positive, negative and bald-on record politeness strategies- appropriately. The study also revealed that bald-on record strategies are mostly used with friends and mates and that the “face†of students are threatened in conversations between friends and lecturers.