Indirect Speech Acts in Javanese

Understanding speech ethics can help avoid conflicts. In Javanese society, a person can be considered impolite if they use direct speech in certain situations. Therefore, Javanese people tend to use indirect speech when interacting with others. This research discusses indirect speech acts and their relationship with language politeness in Javanese society. This research data consists of indirect speech acts used by the Javanese community in Magelang. To collect data, researchers employed listening techniques, as well as recording and documenting conversations. To ensure the reliability of the data, in-depth observations were conducted. This research uses a qualitative descriptive method. To analyze the problem, researchers applied theories of indirect speech acts, language politeness norms, and the indirectness scale. The results show that speech acts do not directly describe language politeness. Speakers tend to use indirect speech acts, particularly when addressing someone of higher social status or when there is social distance between the speaker and the addressee. Indirect speech acts include satire, commands, requests, and subtle refusals. Speakers use indirect speech to convey politeness, maintain harmony, or avoid conflict.