Language Politeness Strategies Employed by Lecturers and Students in Online Learning

Politeness is a way to communicate so that speakers do not feel pressured, cornered, and offended. Using polite language makes the speech partners and interlocutors feel respected and comfortable and do not cause misunderstanding. In classroom communication, language politeness is vital to maintain harmonious interactions between students and lecturers. It is not merely needed during face-to-face learning, but it is also required during online learning. This study investigates the language politeness strategies students and university lecturers employ during the online learning processes. The researchers in this study used a qualitative approach. The data were collected through conducting observation, recording, and field notes. This study found that several language politeness strategies were employed by the students and the lecturer, namely: the maxim of tact, the maxim of generosity, the maxim of appreciation, the maxim of humility, the maxim of agreement, and the maxim of sympathy. The findings of this study provide implications to enrich the knowledge relevant to the theories and principles concerning effective language politeness strategies used during the learning process.