Power and Solidarity of Determining Politeness Strategies in the "MasterChef Junior America"

Abstract

Speakers and hearers should give the intention to face each other since the face is a self-image of a person. Politeness strategies can be used in situations where politeness strategies are ways to save the hearers’ faces from face-threatening acts (FTAs). This study is purposed to discover the kinds of politeness strategies used by judges and their functions using Brown and Levinson’s theory (1987), reveal participants’ non-verbal communication reactions through their facial expressions using Navarro’s theory (2018), and analyze factors influencing the use of politeness strategies used by judges Brown and Levinson’s theory (1987) in MasterChef Junior America season 6. The qualitative method is used as a research method. Four episodes are used as objects in this study. As a result, the study finds that four politeness strategies are utilized by the judges to give criticisms, reminders, commands, and open conversations with the participants. The most used politeness strategy is positive politeness (144 data), continued by negative politeness (40 data), off record (13 data), and bald on record (12 data). The use of politeness strategies is influenced by some factors, namely payoffs, social distance, relative power, and ranking of impositions. In addition, politeness strategies affect the hearers’ facial expressions. Positive and negative politeness give positive emotions while bald on-record and off-record strategies give negative emotions in the hearers’ facial expressions.