The paper starts with the theoretical background providing a comprehensive overview giving general accounts on complaints, directness and politeness and then reviewing findings of complaints in Brunei English. The methodology chapter will present details on the data, the data collection procedure and the coding scheme used to classify the data. The fourth chapter includes most important findings which are relevant to answer the research questions. The discussion chapter will be used to look at the results in the light of previous findings and theories. At last, the paper will close with a summary of all relevant and noteworthy findings and will offer an outlook and ideas for future research worth investigating.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- Theoretical Background
- Relevant Concepts: Complaints, Directness, Politeness
- Complaints in Brunei English (BrunE)
- Methodology
- Data
- Data Collection Procedure
- Coding Scheme
- Results
- Complaint Move Components
- Level of Directness
- Level of Politeness
- Discussion
- Conclusion
- References
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This study investigates complaining behavior in Brunei English, analyzing 30 complaints from the online newspaper Borneo Bulletin to understand how Bruneians express dissatisfaction in digital print media. The focus is on examining the structure of complaint moves, assessing the level of directness and politeness employed, and comparing these findings to previous research on the topic, particularly the study by Henry and Ho (2010).
- Exploring the structure and components of complaints in online media
- Examining the level of directness in expressing complaints
- Assessing the level of politeness used in complaints
- Comparing the findings to previous research on complaints in Brunei English
- Investigating possible changes in complaining behavior over time
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
- Introduction: This chapter introduces the study, highlighting the growing importance of online complaints and the specific context of complaints in Brunei. It also discusses the existing research on complaints in Brunei English, noting contradictory findings and outlining the motivation for this study.
- Theoretical Background: This chapter defines key concepts such as complaints, directness, and politeness, providing a foundation for understanding the study's theoretical framework. It also reviews previous research on complaints in Brunei English.
- Methodology: This chapter explains the data collection process and the coding scheme used to analyze the data. It details the selection of complaints from the Borneo Bulletin and outlines the methods employed to categorize and analyze the data.
- Results: This chapter presents the findings of the analysis, focusing on the composition of complaint moves, the level of directness, and the level of politeness observed in the data.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
This study focuses on the pragmatics of complaining in Brunei English, examining complaints in online digital newsprint. Key themes include complaint move components, levels of directness and politeness, and a comparative analysis of the findings with previous research on the topic.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Brunei English (BrunE)?
Brunei English is a distinct variety of English spoken in Brunei Darussalam, influenced by local culture and the Malay language.
How do Bruneians express complaints online?
Bruneians often use digital media like the Borneo Bulletin to express dissatisfaction, balancing directness with cultural norms of politeness.
What is the difference between directness and politeness in complaints?
Directness refers to how explicitly the complaint is stated, while politeness involves linguistic strategies to save face and maintain social harmony.
What are "complaint move components"?
These are structural parts of a complaint, such as the opening, the statement of the problem, the justification, and the request for a solution.
How has complaining behavior in Brunei changed over time?
The study compares current digital complaints with older research, investigating if Bruneians have become more direct in their public expressions of dissatisfaction.
What role does digital media play in Brunei's pragmatics?
Online platforms provide a new space for public discourse where traditional social hierarchies and politeness strategies are adapted to the digital environment.
- Quote paper
- Katja Grasberger (Author), 2019, Complaining in Brunei English, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/497960
