POSITIVE POLITENESS STRATEGIES IN OFFERING OF THE TRANSACTION USED BY PROSTITUTES IN BANGUNSARI

Abstract

This study was aimed to identify how the prostitutes who considered as ‘the marginalized people’ still had polite side although that money is the prostitute’s first orientation, and sexual favours would be the potential client’s first orientation. Hence, at the initial stage of communication between the prostitute and the potential client, there would be a considerable amount of negotiation between them as they offer and counter offer each other. The data collected by using recording data and transcription of the offering. Then the data analyzed descriptive-qualitatively based on politeness strategies of Brown and Levinson’s (1987) Politeness Theory.

            The result of the study that although the Indonesian language was known as the national language in Indonesia but Javanese still survived among Javanese people, even prostitutes in Bangunsari. Whenever the Javanese language was use would consider the polite styles based the degree of the Javanese level. The use of lower level of the Javanese language due to their limited educational and socio-economic backgrounds, the subjects were observed to be more at ease using the lower level.  The data showed that mostly prostitutes used positive politeness strategies However, despite the ‘coarse’ nature of their vocation and their educational as well as socio-economic backgrounds. There were six of the positive strategies used by the subjects during ‘the transaction’. This study concluded that the use of the  Indonesian language due to build conversation was more easily and equally. Therefore, the use of Indonesian language was to save ‘the face’ and to avoid miscommunication among them.

Key words: Positive Politeness, Offering, Transaction and Prostitutes