Lutfi, Hanifah Az-Zahra (2026) POLITENESS STRATEGY IN DISPREFERRED ADJACENCY PAIRS: A PRAGMATIC ANALYSIS OF MICHAEL ROSS’S RESPONSES TO HARVEY SPECTER IN SUITS SEASON 1 (2011). Undergraduate thesis, Fakultas Ilmu Budaya.

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Abstract

This research focuses on the effect of institutional power differences on the use of
politeness strategies within Michael’s responses in his dispreferred adjacency pairs in the
TV series Suits. The series tells about Harvey and Michael, a senior lawyer and his
subordinate in a law firm with different institutional power. Harvey and Michael were
chosen as the objects of the study because their interactions frequently involve
argumentation and disagreement within a hierarchical workplace setting, making them
relevant for the focus of this research, the objectives of the study are: (1) to identify the
types of dispreferred adjacency pairs produced by Michael Ross in response to Harvey
Specter; (2) to analyze the politeness strategies employed by Michael in delivering those
dispreferred responses; and (3) to explain how subordinate power relations influence
Michael’s choice of politeness strategies. By mixing the theory of politeness strategies by
Brown & Levinson (1987) and the theory of adjacency pairs by Levinson (1983), the results
show that Michael produces five types of dispreferred adjacency pairs: Question–Answer
(Unexpected), Assessment–Disagreement, Blame–Denial, Command–Refusal, and
Request–Refusal, with Assessment–Disagreement as the most dominant type. In delivering
these responses, Michael employs four politeness strategies: Bald-on-Record, Positive
Politeness, Negative Politeness, and Off-Record, with Positive Politeness as the most
frequently used strategy. The findings also indicate that Michael’s politeness strategies are
strongly influenced by subordinate power relations, particularly relative power, social
distance, and ranking of imposition, which shape how he negotiates disagreement, refusal,
and denial while maintaining professional relationships.
Keywords: Adjacency Pair, Politeness Strategy, Power Relation

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