Fu Yafen
ABSTRACT
This study investigated the impoliteness strategies employed by the main characters in the movie Lighting Up the Stars (Ren Sheng Da Shi) to explore cultural and traditional implications in the context of Chinese society. Utilizing a descriptive qualitative approach and conversational analysis, the study examined the linguistic and non-linguistic behaviors of the characters, focusing on their interactions during significant life events depicted in the movie. The findings revealed that the grandfather exhibited the highest frequency of impoliteness strategies, predominantly through negative impoliteness, while the father frequently employed positive impoliteness. These behaviors were deeply rooted in Chinese cultural values, reflecting themes of inter-generational conflicts, familial strains, the struggle of value transmission, and power imbalance. The study concluded that impoliteness in familial interactions was not trivial but a significant aspect of Chinese cultural communication. Using the movie as a teaching resource for linguistics courses is recommended to enhance students’ understanding of politeness strategies and cross-cultural communication. Additionally, it was suggested that school administrators and curriculum planners could incorporate these insights to improve communication etiquette policies and develop culturally sensitive educational materials. Future research could build on this study to explore impoliteness in other genres and cultural contexts, further enriching cross-cultural communication studies.
Keywords: Chinese culture, impoliteness strategies, power imbalance, struggle of value transmission, familial strains, inter-generational conflicts.
https://doi.org/10.57180/fanj6588