“POLITENESS MAXIM FOUND IN SELECTED KOREAN ENGLISHMAN YOUTUBE VIDEOS”

This thesis explores the utilization of politeness maxims within selected YouTube videos from the channel "Korean Englishman," which features interactions between British students and their encounters with Korean culture. Employing the theoretical framework established by Geoffrey Leech, the study identifies six distinct types of politeness maxims: tact, generosity, approbation, modesty, agreement, and sympathy. Through a qualitative analysis of 50 instances of these maxims, the research findings indicate that the approbation maxim is the most frequently employed, comprising 32% of the data, followed by modesty at 20%, and agreement at 18%. The contextual analysis of these interactions is grounded in Halliday's framework, which underscores the significance of field, tenor, and mode in comprehending the dynamics of communication. The results of this study illuminate the critical role of politeness strategies in fostering positive interpersonal relationships and facilitating cultural exchanges, thereby demonstrating how these maxims contribute to the maintenance of social harmony in diverse communicative contexts. This research not only serves as a valuable reference for future inquiries into pragmatics and intercultural communication but also offers insights into the expression and interpretation of politeness across various cultural and media landscapes. The findings underscore the necessity of understanding politeness maxims as integral components of effective communication, particularly in the context of cross-cultural interactions