Request Strategies Used by the Main Character of Scandal TV Series - Season 2

Abstract

The objective of the study “Request Strategies Used by the Main Character of Scandal TV Series - Season 2” was to see why the script writer chose specific request speech acts strategies, and how these forms convey the context and relationships between the main character and the other characters. The theoretical frameworks used are Blum-Kalka’s nine request strategies and Morand’s classifications of positive and negative tactics. The analysis demonstrates that the script writer indicates relative power and changes in relationships through the choices of the main character’s request forms. The author found that the request strategy that is most uttered by the main character, both to her subordinates and ex-lovers, is mood derivables. These are equivalent to Morand’s least polite choice of utterance – requesting with no redressive action. This shows that the script writer tries to convey that the protagonist is strong, independent, and more powerful than other characters. The speech acts between the main character and her subordinates are consistent with Morand’s study, which states that superiors tend to use more positive tactics than subordinates. Moreover, it is also found that the main character tended to be politer to her subordinates in non-emergency situations than in emergency ones, most likely in order to be precise and concise when assigning tasks. Changes in relationships are the main reason for the main character’s different request forms used between herself and her lovers/ ex-lovers. In the latter case, the script writer chose to create distance after the break-ups by using less polite forms, sometimes with vulgar words, so that the main character could show her independence.