Address forms have become the subject of some disciplines such as
Sociolinguistics, Anthropology, and Psychology since they offer a useful means
of understanding the values, norms, and practices of different societies. This
study explores the patterns of use of terms of address among the Toba Batak
people—one of the ethnic groups in Indonesia. There are three main objectives:
1.) to find out the forms, functions, and factors affecting the choice and rules or
patterns of use of terms of address; 2.) to discover which forms of address can
be used as positive and negative politeness strategies; and 3.) to examine how
Toba Bataks form their familial dyads and the norms underlying such dyads. The
researcher applies two main theories: The Pronoun of Power and Solidarity by
Brown and Gilman (1960) and Politeness: Some Universals in Language Use by
Brown and Levinson (1987). In addition, theories from the fields of Sociology and
Anthropology are employed in relation to social structure, kinship and social
norms.
The study is ethnographic in nature and has used the triangulation method
with the use of field observation, survey questionnaire and structured interview.
UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS GRADUATE SCHOOL iii PAGE
Results showed that the concept of power and solidarity as initiated by
Brown and Gilman (1960) do not apply to Toba Batak. Moreover, Brown and
Gilman’s terms of address and patterns revealed that power and solidarity
dimensions cannot be used to classify Toba Batak people into familial dyads. As
such, dyads should be based on their statuses in the social structure and the
kinship system. Furthermore, the results also showed that the main consideration
to make appropriate choice of address terms is the social norms that underlie
familial dyads. Finally, as regards the concept of politeness, the results revealed
that Brown and Levinson’s (1987) theory is applicable to a certain extent, in the
sense that some of the terms of address can be used as positive and negative
politeness strategies. |