Politeness Theory for Teaching how to Debate Subjects: A Case Study of Third Year English LMD Students at the University of Mascara

Dr. DIB Mohammed, Dr. BARAKA Abdallah, Dr. ZENAGUI Ali
Université de Mascara

Résumé

L’objectif de cette étude est d’enseigner les techniques de débat à travers quelques cours de linguistique, en se basant sur l’approche d’acceptation totale (Total Acceptance Approach) et la théorie de politesse. Pur se faire sept cours de linguistiques ont été en premier lieu programmés pour un groupe de 96 étudiants et puis débattus durant des sessions de TD. Le résultat obtenu dans le cas de la première expérience indique que les étudiants semblent avoir un manque de maitrise de la langue, tandis que la seconde indique une grande confiance dans l’utilisation de la langue. Ce ci prouve que l’apprentissage des techniques de débat augmente la confiance dans l’utilisation de la langue.

Mots clefs : débat, théories linguistiques, l’approche d’acceptation totale, théories de politesse

  1. Introduction

Language is a dual entity that is composed of a heart and a soul that are interwoven ,i.e., sounds, words, phrases, sentences, and culture. It aims to build relationships between people and transmit ideas as well as defend opinions through communication. However, this latter does not rely solely on grammar competence that is described as practicing rules and learning dialogues; instead it requires the application of language to express desires and feelings and expressions that show respect towards human personality, which can be seen as a crystal that is exposed to damage at any time by any evil word. Certainly the incentives in writing this article are the absence of the softened style of the language and the presence of the threatening acts that are presumably due to ignorance. So, learners focus on the forest and forget the tree, in other words they use the English language dressing it in another culture. This can be displayed throughout intonation, meaning due to negative transfer, the use of direct imperative, the use of expressions that show obligation, and the use of the expression “NO” when rejecting ideas.

The research questions are:

  1. Can learners get rid of these fossilized elements and replace them by other appropriate ones?

  2. Can debating motivate learners to learn language?

Thus we believe the use of threatening acts is a by–product of anxiety, and total acceptance approach can help in reducing this anxiety and that some techniques of debating can enhance the learner’s ability to communicate and can strengthen confidence as well.

The purpose of this study is to teach students how to debate subjects, using some linguistic courses as a scaffolding to have critical thinking and communicate in English. To achieve this goal two tests have been applied to four groups of third year English students and each composed of 24 students. A brief sketch of the outline can show two parts; a theoretical part that is dedicated to total acceptance approach, politeness theory, binary thinking, and debating, and a practical survey devoted to experimentation, method, data analysis and conclusion.

2. Total acceptance approach

Doubtless, any smart teacher seeks to control his/her classroom to avoid rampage because this latter can cause demise of teaching and learning process. To overcome this problem, a totally positive approach can play a significant role in helping teachers to change counterproductive behavior into a positive one. This can be attained by implementing five techniques; meeting mutual needs, changing counterproductive feelings, ending behavior problems, helping underachievers, and using active-learning strategies. The first technique denotes coming up with some activities that can relate students with their teachers to work together as partners. This can be achieved by using fun, showing the teacher’s emotion towards a particular subject and helping students, and devising interchangeable demand. As far as the second technique is concerned, there are two types of obstacles: extrinsic and intrinsic. Extrinsic can be appear ecause classes are crowded together with the presence of some some elements that can disturb learning while intrinsic onesare fear, negativity and self–defeating thought patterns. Apparent hindrances can be overcome easily; however hidden obstacles require a positive mental state because it is a precondition for teaching. In this respect the teacher’s role is to explore the hidden obstacles that can obstruct evolution of teaching and learning and the teacher, himself, has to change his negativity and replace it by only positives, because negative things are learned and people are not born with them. In terms of the third technique, we note that professional misbehavior is different from ordinary behavior problem, and is really a can of worms, because it is deep rooted, automatic, and extremely efficient in raising hell. So, this can blot out study. To overcome this problem it is advisable to encourage rebellious students, by using some caring expressions and empathy rather than discarding them from the classroom, because they are harmed in terms of emotions, therefore they need to be valued (CIACCIO,J.2004). Helping underachievers, which is a fourth technique, may be explained as follows: There are two groups of students: successful, who have an aptitude to make school their bread and butter, and unsuccessful, who may fail in almost all or in ones particular field, but they share one single characteristic; they do a mediocre work ones in the classroom. It is undoubted that fear annihilates competence. The strategy applied should put the unsuccessful students in a very comfortable situation, to involve them in the learning process, to ask them questions, and motivate them with encouraging expressions when they answer questions. This may increase confidence in those students. Furthermore, the use of positive feedback should be made vivid, in other words describing only the students’ endeavor and accomplishment and avoid talking about the students’ personality, because expressing positive characteristics that are dubious may cause a problem and hence pushes the student to be hell-bent on proving the contrary. The last technique is using active-learning strategies which can be explained as follows: there are two types of active learning; service learning and cooperative learning. Active learning means to gain knowledge through practice, in other words to get in touch with a particular activity at different scales. Cooperative learning, however, is achieved by the use of team work. Its outcomes are to help in communication, reasoning and problem searching. Service learning is to utilize comradeship as a field of experimentations to exhibit commitment and creativity. For example The Faculty of Arts in the University of Mascara wishes to carry out a scientific project with an American University. Students could write a letter to explain the aim of this project. So, service learning can increase self–esteem and make students feel useful.

3. Politeness theory

The word politeness is a misleading term. This is because people may interpret it differently when they are asked to define it, thus much disagreement appears in their interpretations. In the general view, politeness may include both positive and negative sides. On the positive side, a polite person may be viewed as the one who shows respect with regard to his superiors or is helpful, or speaks well, or helps ladies on with their coats. Politeness is also seen in this regard as an image of the identity of a cultivated person. It is also viewed as being modest and considerate. On the negative side, however, politeness is seen being stand-offish, haughty, or insincere. Moving to the specific view, mainly, in the use of the language, politeness denotes the avoidance of being too direct, and focuses on the use of respectful forms and expressions, such as, sir, madam, please, thank you, excuse me, sorry, I beg your pardon… (WATTS.J.R,2003:1). So, politeness is used in order to cherish personalities because the contrary can cause dispute between people. Allah says in surah Ibrahim:

Seest thou not how Allah sets forth a parable. A goodly word is like a goodly tree its root is firmly fixed and its branches reach the heavens of the Lord. It brings forth its fruits at all times. Allah provides men with parables in order that they receive admonition. And Allah sets forth a parable, an evil word is like an evil tree , it is torn up from the surface of the earth it has no stability.

( MARMAKUDE. P,M.1988).

So, a good word can be compared to a tree which does not stop giving fruits, in other words, it strengthens relationships between people and motivates them to do good things; in contrast a bad word may cause conflict between people and can kill either. On the same lines, Durkheim says:” Human personality is a sacred thing, one dare not violate it or infringe its bounds, while at the same time the greatest good is in communion with others” (BROWN, P. LEVINSON,S.C.1987:1).

Our focal point in this paper concerns the specific view, i.e., the use of language in order to avoid friction. In this respect Lakoff said: “politeness is developed by societies in order to reduce friction in personal interaction”. Indeed, politeness reduces friction between people when debating a subject or disagreeing on a particular point (WATTS,J.R. 2003:50). Avoiding friction requires collaboration from the part of interlocutors to preserve face which is related to ignominy, humiliation and embarrassment. So, interlocutors should feel at comfort knowing their wants. Face has two constituents: negative face, which can be defined as the unhindered actions of every qualified grown up individual by the others, and positive face, which denotes the acceptance of a desire by at least a group of people. Complaints, objection, menace, strong expressions of emotion, and request for personal information are threatening acts for both negative and positive face (BROWN. P, LEVINSON,S.C.1987).

Bald on record is kind of a threatening act which is used when the speakers want to use threatening acts to the point of harming a person rather than cherish him. Bald on record is of different types and is used in two ways: when the speaker increases the face threat, i.e., face is disregarded or unimportant, and in case of some urgent situations that require immediate attention. Without further ado here are some examples of direct imperative: help, watch out, get up, get up there is a big snake (BROWN, P. LEVINSON,S.C.,1987).

4. Thinking

Aristotle defines thinking as past understanding gained through senses that are combined and used. These ways give rise to universal concepts. All thinking is found within remembrance of images of several accidents and assembled into a design of the matter which is to bring back an image of reason inborn in nature. Thinking is similar to perceiving, in the sense that both of them make the individual get informed about things; however they are different in terms of vehicles, for perception uses organs, while thinking utilizes no organ. As for imagination, it bears no resemblance to perception but follows each other in mental experiences. Imagination is the essence of any capability which can make an object coming into sight. In this respect, Aristotle says:” imagination is that in virtue of which an image arises for us, excluding metaphorical uses of the term” (BACK. A, 2014: 137).In other words, an aptitude of making things come to view to is imagination.

Bynum argues that there are three types of imagination; Capability to recognize a particular thing, capability to detain intuitive marks and put them together in different usages, and capability to illustrate intuitive marks and their associations (BACK. A,2014:137). Imagination and memory are the source of experience. The aptitude of completion of experience is made by several people. So, all the previous elements are combined and used to make the human brain function.

4.1. Binary thinking

Binary thinking is the ability to think in terms of either or. It is not a new idea, for it existed in ancient civilizations which separated issues in terms of opposites, e.g. sun/moon, reason/passion… So, this dichotomy is said to be the reason for development in many societies. Opposition is also the foundation of many structural linguistic schools; however, some critics say that this dichotomy leads to dominance, e.g., some people argue that one thing is better than the other, hence one side gets the privilege at the expense of the other. But if opposition is used in the right way, it will lead to the richness of ideas and will show the difference. Blake, in this respect, says:„Without contraries is no progression.“ „Opposition is true Friendship.“ Indeed, to see values of things, contrast is a necessary element that is used to judge things. Ideology, for instance, was treated, firstly, in the theory of economy in terms of contrast with science (Dobb. M, 1973:2). As for linguistics, Saussure argues that the sound of a language is known by the distinctive features of the other sound (Dresher B.E, 2009 p.1). So, opposition is a key to understand the characteristics of things; however, not all oppositions give access to comprehension, because sometimes an opposition may give a false idea. Dewey, in this account, says:„The opposite of a correct statement is a false statement. But the opposite of a profound truth may well be another profound truth.“ (ELBOW, P.1993:51).

Binary thinking has received a lot of critiques, since it deals only with two sides. The reason is that segmenting an object into several pieces can help more in viewing the issue from different dimensions. It is true that five angles are better than three; however, it is not right to privilege one side over the other. Yeats argues „No mind can engender until divided into two“.

This is because binary thinking is a nature of the human mind and is the effortless way to divide complicated information into two parts. The human intrinsic nature is characterized by dividing things into opposites, e.g., like /hate, ours/theirs, right/false, sheep/goats. This can denote that duality contains positives and negatives. There are five alternatives to deal with dichotomy that are as follows: fix on one angle which seems appropriate or more preferred; either or thinking, coming out to an agreement or controversy, i.e., to find a third term, ignore any conflict, declare that the two angles of the opposition are equitably right, fundamental, and considerable, and reassemble the conflict to come out with more than two sides. It is worth mentioning that the three options mentioned above are the most useful ways with regard to people (ELBOW. P, 1993).

5. Debating

Debate is an intimidating and difficult task compared to public speaking; this is because speeches used in debate are not prepared in advance and to react to a new idea in a short span of time is an action of taking someone aback. This does not mean that speech in public speaking is prepared in advance, but an expectation to answer challenging questions is felt. Debate requires two people or two teams who are engaged to talk about a particular subject, where each group tries to defend its opinion and succeed in convincing the other group. Debates are very many and different, but they share the same format which is as follows:

  • It has a value which is considered a turbine engine of the discussion.

  • There are two teams; one is in favour of the resolution and the other is against it, in other words, affirmative group and negative group.

  • Affirmative group always provides a lot of efforts to prove its side

  • The debate always ends with rebuttals, which can be put in respected positions (Speech and Debate Union Teacher’s Guide to Introducing Debate in the Classroom:3).

5.1. Components of Debate

A debate needs first and foremost a set of ideas called the case. This latter requires three things:

  • Definition stands for the words you begin with to explain the purpose.

  • Argument denotes some reasons you present to prove that your idea is true.

  • Split, you should divide your arguments (QUIN .S,2009:9).

5.2. Techniques for Debating

Debating does not mean to stand up and start talking; instead several skills are required. To get listening and start thinking come first because our turn in speaking may be obtainable first or last. We should know which arguments we want to support or reject, thus making or rejecting an argument requires clarity. In terms of speech, before being delivered, it should be structured and used with style. Learning how to deal with situations is also necessary, that is, to respond either to brilliant or dull ideas and concentrate on all that is said in the debate. Again in order to understand all what is going on in the motion, one should not hesitate to ask for clarification if one does not understand words or phrases and is allowed to use an electronic dictionary in case of being a foreign language learner (NEIL,H.S,2011:19).

Debate can make students learn research, organization, and communication skills. It contains some techniques that students should know. They need to learn how to pick up on what was said previously and need also learn some expressions and conjunctions of partial agreement such as “but” and “however” and some expressions used in polite disagreement followed by a counter argument. In what follows some examples are introduced. That’s true up to a point, but… ,That’s an interesting idea, however…, While that is true, …,Although, it is true that ___, however… ,That’s true in a way, however… ,I’m sorry, but I can’t agree with that point, I’m sorry, but your statement is, in fact, only an assumption and has not been proven, I’m afraid I can’t agree with you on that, I’m afraid that I’ll have to disagree with you on that point, I’m sorry but that statement is unacceptable.

In addition to the examples mentioned above students should also learn some conjunctions and phrases used to show contrast between our point of view and that of the opponent such as: On the contrary, conversely, however, although, even though, while, on the one hand … on the other hand …( MARTINEZ AGUDO,J.D,2012:28).

6. Practical survey

This experiment consists of 96 students divided into groups. Courses are about linguistic theories where 7 theories are explained in 7 course sessions. The courses dealt with are: Value theory, Gestalt theory, Theory of Machine, Theory of Communication, Theory of Information, Theory of Stimulus Response, and Cartesian theory. Students are asked first in TD sessions to form groups where the organization of the classroom is made as follows: 24 students are divided into 6 groups of 4 students and each group is given a letter as a symbol, for example, A,B,C, and D. In the pre-test, students are asked to write an essay about the theory and its relation to the linguistic school. The time devoted to write the essay is 30 minutes, then students are asked to exchange their papers. 10 minutes is devoted afterwards to noting comments, i.e., each group should jot down comments on the other group, and then each group is asked to comment on the other from their places, that is, they do not have the right to move in the classroom, thus the teacher intervenes all the time to ask questions. In the post–test the total acceptance approach is used where students have the total freedom to move in the classroom and their essays are hung on the board with the symbol given to the group, where all students move to the board to read essays. In terms of debate discussion takes the lion’s share in the whole time of activity, i.e., the ratio of discussion is 50 minutes. The role of the teacher is to intervene only in case of giving the clearance to the other group or to ask the question on which the debate is centred. Comments done from the part of students are taken to be positive. The ratio of the students’ talk exceeds the teacher’s talk.

6.1. Data Analysis

In the first test when students were debating subjects, noticeable aspects occur; there is debate with its common format that comprises only three aspects, that is, presence of a value in the debate, groups defending ideas and groups contradicting ideas, an affirmative group always provides a lot of effort to prove its case, and lastly there is no rebuttal at the end of the debate. Besides, there is neither critical thinking, nor politeness expressions such as, please, pardon, excuse me, I’m afraid that, in addition to a total absence of the politeness disagreement, such as, I’m sorry, I’m afraid yes but. Several threatening acts were also noticed as well as a lot of uses of the “NO” expression. e.g. No, You are out of the topic, the use of bald record ,i.e., direct imperative and a lot of grammatical mistakes, and the intervention of a negative group without asking for any permission to talk in addition to asking some questions in forms of statements. In the post test, the most important thing to notice is that students are very motivated and freed from anxiety because of the total acceptance approach. The debate occurs with the aforementioned three aspects, including rebuttals used at the end of the debate, which is due to critical thinking because all students learn to use binary thinking, that is, to think in terms of either, or. Simply put, students appear to have prior knowledge about the subject which shows that they have done research on the subject and prepared themselves in advance. Politeness expressions also appear tremendously, despite disagreement between affirmative and negative groups, thus groups have learned to think before a single word is produced. The result shows that:

  • Total acceptance approach can free students from anxiety.

  • Debate may motivate students to do research , organize their ideas and develop the students’ competence to communicate and bolster faith in oneself

  • Politeness theory can help in selecting words that students may face.

  • The use of menacing acts is a consequence of tension.

7. Conclusion

This survey dealt with a scrutiny from a close distance about teaching third-year English students how to debate subjects throughout some linguistic courses hinging upon total acceptance approach and politeness theory. It handled the following titles: total acceptance approach, politeness theory, thinking, binary thinking, and debating in the theoretical part and conducted experimentation, and dealt with method, data analysis in the practical part. The results revealed the following:

  • Total acceptance approach can free students from anxiety

  • Debate may motivate students to do research and organize their ideas and develop the students’ competence to communicate, and bolster faith in oneself

  • Politeness theory can help in selecting words that students may face

  • The use of menacing acts is a consequence of tension.

Without background in binary thinking, politeness theory and total acceptance approach, learners will not improve their language and teachers cannot use creativity in their teachings. The time is ripe now for teachers to implement these techniques in their teaching so as to bring satisfying results to students.

References

  1. BACK, A. (2014), Aristotle’s Theory of Abstraction The New Synthese Historical Library. Texts and Studies in the History of Philosophy.

  2. BROWN, P. LEVINSON, S.C.(1987), Politeness Some universals in language usage. Cambridge University Press.

  3. DOBB, M. (1973), Theory of Value and Distribution since Adam Smith Ideology and Economic Theory. Cambridge University Press

  4. CIACCIO, N. (2004), Totally Positive Teaching A Five –Stage Approach to Energizing Students and Teachers. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development ✱ Alexandria, Virginia USA.

  5. DRESHER, B.E. (2009), The Contrastive Hierarchy in Phonology .University of Toronto.Cambridge University Press.(1st Es)Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York.

  6. ELBOW, P. (1993 ), The Uses of Binary Thinking. Journal of Advanced Composition Vol,13.University of Massachussetts-Amherst.

  7. JACK, C.R. (2006), communicative Language Teaching Today. Cambridge University Press.

  8. QUINN.S,(2009), Debating in the World Schools Style : A Guide Published international debate education association New York, NY 10019.

  9. MARMAKUDE, P.M.(1988), The Holy Quran. Transliterated in Roman Script.(1st Ed).Printed at Johar Offset Printers.Maujpur,Delhi.

  10. MARTINEZ AGUDO, J.D (2012), Teaching and learning English through Bilingual Education.(1st Ed) Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

  11. NAZOV (2007),Topics in Linguistics – Issue 1 – Politeness and Interaction.

  12. NEIL,H.S(2011),The Practical Guide to Debating Worlds Style/British Parliamentary Style..

  13. NEWFOUNDLAND LABRADOR, two such associations are the Newfoundland Federated League of Debaters (NFLD) and the Newfoundland and Labrador Speech and Debate Union (SDU).

  14. WATTS,J.R. (2003), Politeness. Key Concepts in Sociolinguistics .Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press.