“Double padded” politeness: (Im)politeness in broadcast interviews by GMA-7’s Jessica Sojo and ABC-5’s Raffy Tulfo

Abstract

Abstract This study examines how Filipino language news interviews in television broadcasting fit into Brown and Levinson’s (1987) politeness concepts and Culpeper’s (1996) impoliteness theory. It focuses specifically on what (im)politeness strategies are employed within the confines of two key elements in broadcast interviews, namely, turn-taking and question design. Underpinned by (im) politeness theories and with conversational analysis (CA) in media discourse as a method, this qualitative inquiry is an attempt to fill in the gap from a lack of empirical data in CA involving broadcast texts in Southeast Asian and Filipino contexts. Findings show a tendency for broadcast interviewers to use polite markers, honorifics, and pluralized address pronouns as a show of pseudo-politeness and extreme forms of impoliteness in one interview, and a demonstration of deference in another while also maintaining a straightforward and adversarial language. The latter stance demonstrates use of positive politeness and of off-record, negative, and positive impoliteness. Results point to a double padded Filipino politeness and two types of linguistic cushioning to lessen or mitigate the confrontational nature of interviewing, thereby redressing the positive face of the interviewee. Mystifying and intriguing, this multi-layered local brand of politeness in TV news interviews provides new vistas on Asian and Filipino politeness.