Positive Politeness Strategies in the Ngapak Short Film Ingin Jadi Polisi by Cingire: A Pragmatic Study

Abstract

This study investigates positive politeness strategies employed in the Ngapak-dialect short film Ingin Jadi Polisi (2022) by Cingire, a popular content creator from Kebumen, Central Java, Indonesia. Drawing on Brown and Levinson's (1987) politeness theory, the study applies a descriptive qualitative approach to analyze conversational data derived from the film's transcribed dialogues. Ten utterances were selected through purposive sampling and analyzed according to five dominant positive politeness strategies: in-group identity markers, joking, seeking agreement, giving or asking for reasons, and offering or expressing optimism. The findings reveal that the characters predominantly employ informal address terms, humor, and solidarity-affirming expressions to minimize social distance and reinforce interpersonal bonds. These strategies reflect the culturally embedded communicative values of the Ngapak-speaking community in Kebumen, particularly the norms of directness, egalitarianism, and collective identity. The study contributes to the broader field of pragmatics by offering an empirical analysis of politeness phenomena in Indonesian regional language contexts and underscores the importance of integrating cultural and linguistic perspectives in the study of face-saving behavior.