Politeness Principles in the Interaction of Students at SMP Negeri 3 Ketapang: Pragmatics Study

Abstract

This study aims to describe the forms of politeness maxims, the forms of their violations, and the factors influencing maxim violations in the utterances of students at SMP Negeri 3 Ketapang outside classroom hours. The study was conducted in May 2026 through two observation sessions in the school corridor and canteen, using a qualitative descriptive approach. The research subjects were seven seventh- and eighth-grade students selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected using observation guidelines, interview guidelines, and a voice recorder, then analyzed interactively through the stages of data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing. The findings reveal that most forms of politeness maxim application were evident in students’ interactions, although a few utterances were not yet fully polite. Violations were found in three maxims tact, approbation, and modesty with more violations occurring in the canteen than in the corridor. Contributing factors include differences in cultural and linguistic backgrounds, informal and playful interaction contexts, differences in social status or age among students, and the use of slang. These findings indicate that politeness norms are reasonably internalized, yet contextual and ongoing language development remains necessary in multicultural school environments.