Illocutionary Acts and Politeness Strategies in Islamic Preaching: A Critical Pragmatic Discourse Analysis in Medan

Abstract

Islamic preachers in Medan use illocutionary deeds and civility methods in their talks. The study is driven by preachers' illocutionary behaviors and politeness techniques, which are shaped by their audience's socioeconomic position. Ideological diction by preachers can naturalize ideologies. This study examines preachers' illocutionary acts, politeness techniques, ideologies, and language use characteristics. A phenomenological paradigm and critical pragmatic discourse analysis are used to explore Medan preachers' words, phrases, and sentences during sermons. Data is collected through observation and interviews, then analyzed using contextual and distributional methodologies. The results show preachers use aggressive, directive, commissive, and emotive speech. Informing, explaining, confirming, anticipating, denying, concluding, narrating, and determining are assertive acts. Directive acts include commanding, requesting, prohibiting, advising, warning, inviting, allowing, and questioning. Expressive activities include praying, regretting, praising, ridiculing, thanking, and appreciating, while compliant behaviors include promising and swearing. Preachers use direct, indirect, and indirect non-literal speech. The politeness tactics are enhancing the other's desires, lowering one's desires, enhancing the other's quality, reducing one's quality, expanding individual obligations to others, enhancing the other's opinion, and diminishing the other's values. Preachers' language represents anti-capitalism, nationalism, revivalism, and anti-Wahhabism. Anti-capitalism and nationalism are "jihad," revivalism is ukhuwah, and anti-Wahhabism is Asy’ariyyah and Syafi’iyyah. The study found that preachers' ideological diction is influenced by multiple systems. Ihsān, a Dīnun idea, is represented by preachers in Islamic preaching.