An Analysis of Positive Politeness Strategies in “A Man Called Otto” Film

This research examines the positive politeness strategies used by Marisol and Otto in A Man Called Otto (2022). It aims to identify the types of positive politeness strategies in their interactions and analyze how these strategies function as their communication changes. This research employed a qualitative design using directed qualitative content analysis. The data were taken from the utterances exchanged between Marisol and Otto in the film transcript, while the film was used to verify the dialogue and provide contextual information. The analysis used Brown and Levinson’s (1987) fifteen positive politeness strategies. The analysis identified 33 utterances containing positive politeness strategies, which were classified into 12 strategies. The most frequently used strategy was Give Gifts to the Hearer with seven occurrences (21.21%), followed by Give (or Ask for) Reasons with five occurrences (15.15%) and Notice, Attend to the Hearer with four occurrences (12.12%). Marisol produced more positive politeness strategies than Otto, mainly in initiating communication, showing attention, and expressing concern. The findings show that positive politeness strategies appeared in different contexts of their interactions, including initial communication, cooperation, personal conversations, and mutual support. The study concludes that positive politeness strategies should be understood by considering the context of interaction and the relationship between speakers. This research also highlights film dialogue as a source for understanding politeness strategies in pragmatic studies.