Greetings as a politeness strategy in a Yoruba short story taught to high school learners

Abstract

This study investigates the cultural and linguistic aspects of politeness found in selected Yoruba greetings within a short story that is taught to high school learners. To examine the politeness strategies used in Yoruba greetings, a simple textual analysis was employed. The concept of politeness considers greetings as significant in all human conversational interactions since they contribute to establishing and maintaining rapport between speakers. This study identifies several functions of greetings, including discourse initiation and termination, gap filling, solidarity, security and acceptance, courtesy and respect, and comradeship. Additionally, the study explores the social distance between interlocutors, the power dynamics between the speaker and the listener, and the formal relationships between them, which influence the specific types of politeness strategies employed. This research provides valuable insights into the behavioural characteristics and cultural values of Yoruba language speakers and individuals from other linguistic backgrounds worldwide.