Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Special Issue on the English Language in Iraqi Context, January 2020 Pp.90-110
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/elt2.6
Politeness Strategies and Maxims in English for Islamic texts: A Sociolinguistic
Analysis of Quran
Hamid Gittan Jewad
English Language and Literature, Faculty of Letters and Humanities
Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran
Zargham Ghabanchi
English Language and Literature, Faculty of Letters and Humanities
Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran
Mohammad Ghazanfari
English Language and Literature, Faculty of Letters and Humanities
Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran
Abstract:
This research tackles two chapters from the Holy Quran, the sura of Prophet Yusuf, and the sura of the Cave (al-Kahf) to find out whether the theories of Leech (1983) and Brown and Levinson (1987) can be applied to find out the positive and negative politeness strategies and the politeness maxims. The Leech’s model (1983) consists of six maxims, and for Brown and Levinson (1987), consists of two major politeness strategies. It consists of two principles of politeness, where one of them is positive, and the other is negative politeness. This study aims at investigating politeness strategies, and politeness principle linguistically in two Suras from the Holy Quran, how politeness strategies and politeness maxims used within the Holy Quran. This study tries to investigate the image of the main characters in the most sacred book. A qualitative approach is employed to provide interpretations of selected verses. In this paper, we will discuss the politeness strategies, positive and negative politeness strategies, and politeness maxims. The study falls into two parts. It begins briefly to overview the theoretical framework underlying politeness, in particular discussing some definitions of politeness and politeness principle and its maxims, exploring the face theory and its strategies by Brown and Levinson, and how far these strategies affect polite style then, dealing with politeness maxims by Leech. The other part displays a practical application of what has presented theoretically. Also, the researcher examined the politeness strategies, and politeness maxims of two Suras (Yusuf and Al-Kahf). Moreover, the study observed that approximately the majority of negative politeness in two suras then positive politeness, and the last one is politeness maxims.
Keywords: negative politeness. politeness, positive politeness, politeness maxims, the Holy Quran
Cite as: Jewad, H.G., Ghabanchi, Z., & Ghazanfari, M. (2020). Politeness Strategies and Maxims in English for Islamic texts: A Sociolinguistic Analysis of Quran. Arab World English Journal: Special Issue on the English Language in Iraqi Context. 90-110.
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/elt2.6