(Im)Politeness in Dialogues between some Prophets and the Polytheists in the Noble Qur'an:

A Pragmatic Analysis

Abstract

This study presents a pragmatic analysis of linguistic Politeness and Impoliteness in dialogues between six prophets (Nuh, Hud, Salih, Ibrahim, Shuaib and Musa) and their contemporaneous polytheists in the Noble Qur'an. The data comprises 35 dialogues from 20 surahs which revolve around how the prophets talked to the polytheists to persuade them to believe in the Oneness of Allah and in the Last Day and how the polytheists reacted to the prophets’ call for faith. The analytical framework comprises Leech's (1983) Maxims of Politeness, Brown and Levinson's (1978, 1987) Theory of Politeness, and Culpeper's (1996; 2005 and 2011) Model of Impoliteness. Within a mixed approach, the qualitative analysis has revealed how the prophets have been modest, sympathetic and close to their communities while guiding them to true Monotheism. In addition, the study shows how the polytheists have reacted impolitely to the prophets’ call for faith. The quantitative analysis has revealed that the six maxims of politeness have been present in the prophets’ utterances, with the Tact, Modesty and Sympathy Maxims as the most prominent. Moreover, the four strategies of politeness (Bald on record, Positive Politeness, Negative Politeness and Off-record) have been evident in the utterances of the prophets. On the other hand, all five strategies of impoliteness (Bald on record, Positive Impoliteness, Negative Impoliteness, Sarcasm or Mock Politeness and Off-record) have been employed in the polytheists’ utterances. Most significantly, the study proposes Mercy, as a potential addition to the maxims of performing Politeness. Mercy, in the form of non-reciprocal forgiveness and pity, was prevalent in the prophets’ communication with their contemporaneous people. The prophets were the finest of creation as Allah (God) chose them over humanity in order to convey the message of true Monotheism.