www.rsisinternational.org
Page 701
ILEIID 2025 | International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS)
ISSN: 2454-6186 | DOI: 10.47772/IJRISS
Special Issue | Volume IX Issue XXIV October 2025
A Pragmatic Analysis of Politeness Strategies in the Film ‘Glass
Onion: A Knives Out Mystery’
Nurin Sabrina Ramlee, Noor Shariena Zaraini
*
, Ilham Alia Mat Isa, Mafarhanatul Akmal Ahmad
Kamal, Mohd Fadhli Shah Khaidzir, Nor Eleyana Abdullah
Academy of Language Studies, University Technology MARA, 40450 Shah Alam, Selangor Darul Ehsan,
Malaysia.
*Corresponding Author
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2025.924ILEIID0074
Received: 23 September 2025; Accepted: 30 September 2025; Published: 01 November 2025
ABSTRACT
This study examines how characters use politeness to navigate social interactions and manage face through
language in the film Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. Using Brown and Levinson's Politeness Theory
(1987), the research fills a gap in film discourse analysis where politeness is often overlooked despite its
narrative importance. An analysis of 24 purposively sampled film conversations was used in this qualitative
study. Human coding and content analysis sorted each conversation utterance by the most common politeness
strategy. Off-Record politeness was the most common, followed by Negative and Bald-on-Record. Positive
politeness was the least common. These methods show the film's characters' emotions, power, and
relationships. The study shows that politeness strategies layer character and tension into film dialogue,
supporting politeness theory in media text analysis. This study also suggests ways for screenwriters and
teachers to improve dialogue characterisation and authenticity. Future work may expand insight into gesture,
intonation, cross-genre analysis, and phrase analysis to better understand genre specifics and pragmatics in
cinematic discourse. Overall, this study contributes to pragmatics and film studies and shows how language
shapes viewer perspectives and character behaviour.
Keywords: Politeness strategies, Film Discourse Analysis, Brown and Levinson’s Politeness Theory &
Pragmatics in Media
INTRODUCTION
Politeness strategies are important communication tools that help people stay respectful, peaceful, and able to
talk to each other well. To avoid conflict and keep social ties strong, these strategies often use indirect
language, hedging, and showing empathy. Spencer-Oatey (2021) posits that politeness is intricately linked to
rapport management, wherein speakers negotiate face concerns and relational objectives. Recent studies in
sociolinguistics argue that politeness not only provides a linguistic option but is connected to cultural practice
and the importance of social awareness (Afriana, 2023). Politeness strategies are especially important in
interactions that invoke power and emotion. Thus, observing politeness as a conversational strategy reveals
how people negotiate relationships and social practices in real time.
Films often use politeness strategies among characters in a way that parallels how people talk to each other in
real life to instantiate relationships, emotions, and power dynamics. Characters use scripted language in
dialogue to provide support, assert power, or maintain social distance by signalling through different pragmatic
cues. As Spencer-Oatey (2008) points out, film discourse can parallel the complex negotiation of interpersonal
behaviour that occurs in everyday communication. Dynel (2021) also argues that tactical productive elements
of film, for example, politeness and impoliteness, are designed strategically to enhance character development
and increase tension in the narrative. Afriana (2020) also shows how politeness in movie scripts can show
cultural values and social roles. These films are great for studying how language works in social situations,
especially in mystery or drama films.
www.rsisinternational.org
Page 702
ILEIID 2025 | International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS)
ISSN: 2454-6186 | DOI: 10.47772/IJRISS
Special Issue | Volume IX Issue XXIV October 2025
In synthesis, politeness strategies serve both communicative and relational functions, whether in real life or
fictional narratives. Films like Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery provide a compelling lens to study how
language reflects and shapes human interaction through pragmatic choices. Therefore, this study aims to
investigate the following research questions to ensure an in-depth and comprehensive outcome:
1. What types of politeness strategies are used in the film Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery?
2. Which politeness strategy appears most often in the characters’ conversations and interactions in the
movie?
Problem Statement
Although films are widely used to explore social relations and cultural values, the study of politeness strategies
within cinematic dialogue remains underrepresented. Most film analyses do not pay much attention to
pragmatic elements like politeness, but instead, focus more on narrative, genre, or character development.
Spencer-Oatey (2021) emphasises that politeness is central to managing rapport and social interaction, yet its
role in film discourse is rarely examined in depth. This gap limits our understanding of how fictional
conversations reflect real-life communication. Thus, there is a need to investigate how politeness strategies
function within filmic contexts to reveal deeper social meanings.
Furthermore, much of the present-day work in politeness strategy is based on formal models taken from
literature or restrictive dialogues that ignore the variability of conversation in the wild or spontaneous talk.
Watts (2019) critiques these models, asserting they take politeness and "reduce it to a set of canned phrases and
formulas" rather than acknowledging that it is essentially a social behaviour. Similarly, Blitvich (2022) notes
that scripted media still has a lot of merits with respect to the exploration of pragmatic choices when
considered in context. However, by ignoring the need to investigate authentic interaction patterns, many media
studies create a methodological gap which should be considered. This is why it is possible to investigate
politeness in interaction, because it is situated between formalism and usage.
Despite the popularity of crime films and TV shows, there is also limited research on how politeness strategies
are used within this genre. Crime narratives often involve tension, deception, and power struggles, making
them rich grounds for pragmatic analysis. Blitvich (2022) highlights that genre-specific discourse, especially in
conflict-driven media, can reveal unique patterns of politeness and impoliteness. Yet, most studies focus on
general genres like drama or comedy, leaving crime largely unexplored. This lack of genre-specific analysis
restricts our understanding of how politeness adapts to different narrative contexts.
In summary, the current body of research overlooks the pragmatic richness of film dialogue, especially in
crime genres, and relies too heavily on formal models that do not reflect real conversational dynamics. These
gaps highlight the need for a focused study on politeness strategies in crime films like Glass Onion: A Knives
Out Mystery, where language plays a crucial role in shaping relationships and advancing the plot. By
addressing these challenges, the present research contributes to a more nuanced understanding of politeness in
media discourse
LITERATURE REVIEW
Politeness Strategies
In non-linguistic communication, politeness strategies are important mechanisms for managing face,
maintaining relationships, and showing social sensitivity. Searching through Brown and Levinson's (1987)
sociopragmatic framework of politeness strategies will uncover 4 types of politeness strategies: positive
politeness, negative politeness, off record, and bald on record. These strategies represent both linguistic
expressions and social and psychological intents. In many contexts, including academic discourse (Al-Natour,
Banikalef, & Alomari, 2025) and expressions of apologies (Banikalef, Maros, & Aladdi, 2015), politeness
strategies can assist speakers in negotiating socially sensitive issues, power imbalances, and cultural dynamics.
The strategic use of politeness strategies demonstrates both personal identity and serves the social norms of
society, and represents an important area of study in discourse analysis.
www.rsisinternational.org
Page 703
ILEIID 2025 | International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS)
ISSN: 2454-6186 | DOI: 10.47772/IJRISS
Special Issue | Volume IX Issue XXIV October 2025
Film Discourse Analysis
Film discourse analysis examines how language in scripted media reflects real-life communication and social
interaction. In film, for example, a certain type of politeness strategy is utilised to construct relationships
between characters and establish a depth of emotion toward one another or to guide conflict. Afriana (2020)
examined how the use of the conversational maxims allowed the director to create or intensify suspense in film
dialogue, not only depicting the character's developmental details, but also that Odebunmi (2021) expressed
that politeness or face management can still occur for characters even while engaged in character-driven
emotional exchanges. Thus, films as scripted texts indicate that the dialogue in film is more than a scripted text
spoken by actors repeating scripted lines, and instead serve as another type of performative communication, a
type of pragmatics, that communicates the actor or character's pragmatic choices for the development of the
narrative and story. Furthermore, examining politeness in films enables the analysis of social behaviour, which
is exactly the intention of the analysis of films as a context for the analysis of pragmatics.
Brown and Levinson’s Politeness Theory
Brown and Levinson’s (1987) Politeness Theory remains a foundational framework in pragmatics, offering a
systematic approach to understanding face-saving acts in communication. The theory’s relevance extends
beyond everyday conversation into institutional, intercultural, and media contexts. Brown (2019) emphasises
the multimodal nature of politeness, showing how nonverbal cues such as gestures and tone contribute to
pragmatic meaning. Spencer-Oatey and Kádár (2021) expand the theory through rapport management, linking
politeness to broader relational goals across cultures. These show how the theory can be useful and still
relevant to be used in analysing complex social interactions, especially in scripted and performative media.
Pragmatics in Media
Pragmatics in media examines how language is used in digital and film contexts in ways that reflect social
norms, emotional indicators, and power relations. Blitvich (2022) asserts that users are engaged in acts of
impoliteness and moral emotions in online contexts, facilitated by the genre of discourse and socially regulated
conduct. Del-Saz-Rubio (2023) indicates that political actors use language to control how the statements might
be interpreted in the public sphere. Dynel (2021) highlights that communication in media also incorporates
multimodal meaning-making to include memes, visual images, tone, and other linguistic resources that shape
pragmatic meaning. Put together, these perspectives illustrate that media discourse is a 'living' intercultural
space where pragmatic means are employed, not only for the sake of making sense, but also strategically for
various purposes, such as persuasion, identity work, or sociopolitical commentary.
Past Studies
Previous studies on genre-based film dialogue claim that politeness strategies and pragmatic violations are
utilised to create character relations and narrative tension. For example, in Enola Holmes, Enola uses off-
record strategies and flouts Grice's maxims, particularly relevance and quantity, to show Enola's intelligence
and independence (Afriana, 2020). Again, these violations were not errors but merely tools employed by the
protagonist to create suspense or empower the protagonist. Brown and Levinson's (1987) theory was utilised to
show how Enola used positive politeness to resist authority, though the research also mentioned some
limitations with the theory not capturing non-verbal aspects (Brown, 2019).
In the 17 Again film, positive politeness dominated scenes involving family and friendship, reflecting
emotional closeness and generational gaps (Saleem, 2022). Negative politeness and bald-on-record strategies
appeared in tense or emotional moments, while off-record strategy were used for humour and sarcasm (Al-
Natour, Banikalef, & Alomari, 2025). These findings demonstrate that politeness varies according to context
and intention. Politeness also helped manage conflict and maintain face in key scenes (Odebunmi, 2021).
In addition, the film The Danish Girl showcases the interaction of negative politeness, which demonstrates
emotional vulnerability and reverence in terms of personal struggles and social contexts (Del-Saz-Rubio,
2023). With references to off-record strategies for addressing sensitive matters such as gender identity systems
www.rsisinternational.org
Page 704
ILEIID 2025 | International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS)
ISSN: 2454-6186 | DOI: 10.47772/IJRISS
Special Issue | Volume IX Issue XXIV October 2025
(Blitvich, 2022), positive politeness virtual transmission of intimacy, and bald on-record strategies
accompanying confrontation illustrate that the politeness strategies contain both personal and societal
important points of tension (Spencer-Oatey & Kádár, 2021). In general, politeness strategies in film dialogue
examples, such as off-record politeness, positive politeness and negative politeness, serve an intentional
purpose to demonstrate character relationship structures and emotional depth and societal norms, as well as
engage with power dynamics and the evolving tension across a variety of films.
METHODOLOGY
This study adopted a qualitative research design to explore politeness strategies in the film Glass Onion: A
Knives Out Mystery, because qualitative methods enable in-depth interpretation of language and social
interaction in context and are well-suited to uncovering nuanced patterns in pragmatic competence and face
management (Taguchi, 2018; Yin, 2018). Using content analysis, the research systematically examined 24
purposively selected conversations and coded each utterance according to Brown and Levinson’s framework.
This is because content analysis is an established approach for analysing communication data, and Brown and
Levinson’s model provides the strategy typology (Krippendorff, 2018; Brown & Levinson, 1987).
In this study, human coding served as the primary instrument, allowing manual identification and classification
of Off-Record, Bald-On Record, Negative Politeness, and Positive Politeness strategies; this approach aligns
with best practice in qualitative content analysis, where trained coders interpret contextually embedded
meanings (Krippendorff, 2018). Data collection involved viewing the film, reviewing the script, extracting
relevant dialogues, and cleaning the dataset by removing incomplete or irrelevant segments. Each utterance
was then analysed to determine its dominant strategy, and frequencies were calculated to describe patterns. To
ensure validity, the study used triangulation by cross-checking codes with theoretical categories and scene
context, reflecting recommendations to employ multiple analytic perspectives in order to enhance interpretive
credibility (Leech & Onwuegbuzie, 2007; Onwuegbuzie & Leech, 2007). For reliability, Krippendorff’s alpha
was applied to assess coding consistency, following guidance that it is a general reliability coefficient suitable
for content analysis with human coders (Hayes & Krippendorff, 2007).
RESULTS
Findings for RQ1: What types of politeness strategies are used in the film Glass Onion: A Knives Out
Mystery?
The analysis of 24 dialogues from the film reveals the presence of four main politeness strategies: Off-Record
(OR), Bald-On Record (BO), Negative Politeness (NP), and Positive Politeness (PP). In this study, “U” refers
to an utterance, which is a specific line of dialogue taken from the film and used as a unit of analysis. Firstly,
Off-Record strategies appear in utterances such as “This can’t be Shazam. It’s a lamp” (U01) and “You got a
flat tyre there” (U03), where speakers imply meaning indirectly rather than stating it explicitly. Next, Bald-On
Record strategies are evident in direct statements like “Did you two stay at the hotel last night?” (U02) and
“I’ll pay you one billion dollars to tell me which one of them tried to kill me” (U14), which show
straightforward communication without mitigation. In addition, Negative Politeness occurs in polite requests
or apologies, such as “If there’s any role, you’d like me to play… I’d be more than happy to oblige” (U04) and
“I’m sorry. I’m very confused” (U05), reflecting attempts to minimise imposition. Positive Politeness on the
other hand is seen in friendly or considerate remarks like “My dear, would you do me a favour?” (U13) and “I
think maybe you should lie down” (U20), which aim to build rapport. These examples indicate that characters
use a mix of strategies to manage relationships and maintain social harmony throughout the narrative.
www.rsisinternational.org
Page 705
ILEIID 2025 | International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS)
ISSN: 2454-6186 | DOI: 10.47772/IJRISS
Special Issue | Volume IX Issue XXIV October 2025
Findings for RQ2: Which politeness strategy appears most often in the characters’ conversations and
interactions in the movie?
Table 1: Frequency of politeness strategies in the analysed dialogues
Strategy
Frequency
Percentage
Off‑record (OR)
9
37.5%
Bald‑on record (BO)
6
25.0%
Negative politeness (NP)
6
25.0%
Positive politeness (PP)
3
12.5%
Total
24
100%
Note. Percentages are calculated from N = 24 utterances.
The frequency analysis shows that Off-Record (OR) is the most frequently used strategy, appearing in 9
instances (37.5%). This suggests that characters often rely on indirect hints and implied meanings to
communicate, which aligns with the film’s mystery-driven plot. Both Bald-On Record (BO) and Negative
Politeness (NP) occur 6 times each (25%), indicating a balance between directness and politeness in
conversations. Positive Politeness (PP) is the least frequent, with 3 occurrences (12.5%), showing that explicit
attempts to build solidarity are less common. Overall, the dominance of Off-Record strategies reflects the
film’s emphasis on subtlety, ambiguity, and strategic dialogue, which are essential elements in maintaining
suspense and character dynamics.
DISCUSSION
RQ1: What types of politeness strategies are used in the film Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery?
The results for RQ1 revealed that the characters in Glass Onion utilised a variety of politeness strategies,
which included Off-Record (OR), Negative Politeness (NP), Positive Politeness (PP), and Bald-on-Record
(BO) strategies while managing face and engaging in social interaction. This was consistent with Brown and
Levinson (1987) theory of politeness strategies, including how speakers choose from a repertoire of strategies
based on the dimensions of social distance, power, and the degree of imposition. The nature of the OR
strategies, for example, the use of indirect hints, hedges, vague, and ambiguous references, suggests the
characters were selective in their use of OR strategies in narrative contexts that were emotionally sensitive and
problematic. This finding connects to Dynel's (2021) discussion about how the dialogues in film captured
conversational speech acts marked by layers of pragmatic meaning. Furthermore, as noted by Spencer-Oatey
(2021), politeness is a way to manage relational rapport, which was evident in Blanc's character as he engaged
in both NP and PP strategies to encourage or signal his neutrality upon entering the scene, as well as his
intention to create or build rapport and trust. All of these findings are linked to Afriana's (2020) exploration of
cinematic and pragmatic strategies, including characters' intentions and social roles. Taken together, the film's
nuances of politeness strategies contribute to the layers of meaning in narrative and character depth.
RQ2: Which politeness strategy appears most often in the characters’ conversations and interactions in
the movie?
The RQ2 analysis revealed that the Off-Record (OR) strategy was the most frequently used politeness strategy
with 37.5% of all instances, indicating a preference for indirectness used in dialogues, which indicated the
speaker's meaning in conversations in the film. This is consistent with Blitvich's (2022) view that the discourse
is often indicative of asymmetrical power relations in which clarity is sacrificed for emotional restraint.
Characters in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery? use OR strategies to counter disagreement, add vagueness,
and present criticism indirectly, particularly in scenes invoking deception or manipulation. These results align
with Brown (2019), who claims that politeness in scripted media illustrates multimodal and contextual
sensitivity as characters seek to navigate disagreement or criticise through subtle means. The use of OR for
www.rsisinternational.org
Page 706
ILEIID 2025 | International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS)
ISSN: 2454-6186 | DOI: 10.47772/IJRISS
Special Issue | Volume IX Issue XXIV October 2025
politeness was also justified by the genre of the film, as the genre of mystery and suspense is suited to having
characters withholding or being vague. The results support the assertion that pragmatic strategies are not only
linguistic choices, but pragmatic strategies can be part of a character's narrative repertoires, or illustrate
thematic content that resonates with secrecy, tension, and interpersonal difficulty.
CONCLUSION
The research shows that Brown and Levinson's politeness theory is still useful for studying dialogue in scripted
media, especially in more complex genres like crime. The results show that Off-Record & Negative Politeness
strategies dominate, and expressions of politeness are context-sensitive and contribute to social relations. In
addition to theoretical implications, the study provides additional benefits to practitioners such as
screenwriters, teachers, and discourse analysts, demonstrating how pragmatic strategies contribute to character
development and narrative tension.
Future research should broaden the scope by incorporating multimodal elements such as tone, gesture, and
facial expression, as well as applying mixed methods like conversation analysis for richer insights.
Furthermore, the literature review should be updated with recent, critically engaged sources, while also
addressing ethical transparency and reflexivity. On the methodological front, expanding the dataset, clarifying
sampling criteria, and including coding manuals with reliability statistics are essential for rigour. Comparative
studies across genres and investigations into the intersections of gender, power, and cultural identity would
further refine our understanding. Lastly, by integrating sociolinguistics, media studies, and pragmatics, future
work can deepen theoretical perspectives and provide actionable tools for crafting authentic and impactful
dialogue in media narratives.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The researchers express their gratitude to University Technology MARA (UiTM), the Academy of Language
Studies UiTM Shah Alam, and all individuals who contributed directly or indirectly to the completion of this
study.
REFERENCES
1. Afriana, A. (2020). Flouting maxims in Wonder Woman movie. LEEA Journal, 4(1), 1–12.
https://doi.org/10.31539/leea.v4i1.1394
2. Al-Natour, M. M., Banikalef, A. A., & Alomari, N. M. (2025). A pragmatic analysis of negative politeness
strategies employed by Jordanian professors. Pakistan Journal of Life & Social Sciences, 22(2).
https://doi.org/10.57239/PJLSS-2024-22.1.00545
3. Banikalef, A. A., Maros, M., & Aladdi, A. (2015). Apology strategies in Jordanian Arabic. GEMA Online
Journal of Language Studies, 15(2), 83–99. https://doi.org/10.17576/gema-2015-1502-06
4. Blitvich, P. G. C. (2022). Moral emotions, good moral panics, social regulation, and online public shaming.
Language & Communication, 84, 61–75. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.langcom.2022.03.002
5. Brown, L. (2019). Multimodal indexicality in Korean: “Doing deference” and “performing intimacy”
through nonverbal behavior. Journal of Politeness Research, 15(1), 25–54.
6. Brown, P., & Levinson, S. C. (1987). Politeness: Some universals in language usage. Cambridge University
Press.
7. Del-Saz-Rubio, M. M. (2023). Assessing impoliteness-related language in response to a season's greeting
posted by the Spanish and English Prime Ministers on Twitter. Journal of Pragmatics, 206, 31–35.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2023.01.010
8. Dynel, M. (2021). COVID-19 memes going viral: On the multiple multimodal voices behind face masks.
Discourse & Society, 32(2), 175–195. https://doi.org/10.1177/0957926520970385
9. Hayes, A. F., & Krippendorff, K. (2007). Answering the call for a standard reliability measure for coding
data. Communication Methods and Measures, 1(1), 77–89. https://doi.org/10.1080/19312450709336664
10. Krippendorff, K. (2018). Content analysis: An introduction to its methodology. Sage Publications.
www.rsisinternational.org
Page 707
ILEIID 2025 | International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS)
ISSN: 2454-6186 | DOI: 10.47772/IJRISS
Special Issue | Volume IX Issue XXIV October 2025
11. Odebunmi, A. (2021). Politeness and face management in hospital conversational interactions in
southwestern Nigeria. Ibadan Journal of English Studies, 2, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.4236/ojml.2017.76021
12. Onwuegbuzie, A. J., & Leech, N. L. (2007). Validity and qualitative research: An oxymoron? Quality &
Quantity, 41(2), 233–249. https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=r4bGn_wAAAAJ
13. Saleem, T. (2022). A pragmatic study of congratulation strategies of Pakistani ESL learners and British
English speakers. Asian-Pacific Journal of Second and Foreign Language Education, 7(1), 8.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-022-00134-9
14. Spencer-Oatey, H., & Kádár, D. Z. (2021). Intercultural politeness: Managing relations across cultures.
Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108555067
15. Taguchi, N. (2018). Description and explanation of pragmatic development: Quantitative, qualitative, and
mixed methods research. System, 75, 23–32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2018.03.010
16. Watts, R. J. (2019). Linguistic politeness and politic verbal behaviour: Reconsidering claims for
universality. In Politeness in Language (pp. 43–60). Mouton de Gruyter.
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=PUWFXrEAAAAJ
17. Yin, R. K. (2018). Case study research and applications: Design and methods. Sage Publications.
