The Phenomenon of Politeness in Pashto Language and Culture: An Exploratory Study
Abstract
This Study explores the expression of politeness in the Pashto Language. To this end, the researchers collected data from the respondents of the Pashto Language through a questionnaire of the open role play situations of requesting and apologizing. The questionnaire was adopted from Reiter`s Study (2000) and it was also translated into Pashto for the respondents of the Pashto language. The questionnaire consisted of 24 role play situations (12 requests and 12 apologies) and the performance of the role plays in each set of the questionnaire took from 45 to 50 minutes. Ten students each from Peshawar University, University of Malakand, Islamia College University, Peshawar, Swat University, Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University, Sheringal and from a Post Graduate college, Swat, were taken as respondents for this research study. Blum-Kulka, House and Kasper`s (1989) Analytical framework and coding scheme were applied for the analysis of the data. The results show that politeness exists in the Pashto language. Thus, the results have shown further that negative politeness and positive politeness have been considered as a crux for dissociation and association in the Pashto language.
Authors
Mian Shah Bacha
HOD, Department of English, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University, Sheringal, Dir Upper, KP, Pakistan
Rabiah Rustum
Assistant Professor, Department of Humanities, COMSATS University, Islamabad, Abbottabad Campus, KP, Pakistan