(IM)POLITENESS STRATEGIES AND SPEECH FUNCTIONS IN CNN INDONESIA YOUTUBE COMMENTS ON “THE LOS ANGELES WILDFIRE” NEWS

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine the (im)politeness strategies and speech functions employed by Indonesian netizens in the comment threads of CNN Indonesia’s YouTube about “the Los Angeles Wildfire.” This study was motivated by the phenomenon of digital interaction that shows diverse language practices, ranging from politeness expressions to forms of impoliteness. Using a qualitative descriptive approach, this study examines 66 comments selected through purposive sampling, consisting of 15 initiating comments and 51 responding comments. The data were analyzed using a pragmatic approach based on politeness theory by Brown & Levinson (1987), impoliteness theory by Culpeper (1996), and speech function analysis by Eggins & Slade (1997), following the qualitative data analysis model proposed by Miles & Huberman (1984), which includes data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing. The findings show that 84.8% (56 of 66) of the comments employed impoliteness strategies, while only 15.2% (10 of 66) employed politeness strategies, with sarcasm or mock politeness being the most frequently used form. In terms of speech functions, all initiating comments were categorized as statements, while the responding comments consisted of acknowledgments and contradictions. These findings indicate that interactions in online comment sections involve both supporting and confronting responses, showing that online interaction is shaped not only by disagreement but also by cooperation. This study contributes to pragmatics and discourse analysis by showing how (im)politeness strategies and speech functions operate within digital news on YouTube.