A Pragmatic Analysis of Impoliteness Strategies in Trevor Noah’s Stand-Up Comedy: I Wish You Would

Authors

  • Fadhel Ramli Universitas Pamulang

Keywords:

Impoliteness, Stand-up Comedy, Pragmatics, Trevor Noah, Culpeper

Abstract

This study investigates the types and functions of impoliteness strategies in Trevor Noah’s Netflix stand-up comedy special I Wish You Would. While impoliteness has often been studied in conflict-driven interactions, its role in comedic performance remains less explored. Using Culpeper’s (1996) typology of impoliteness strategies and his (2011) functional framework, the research applies a qualitative descriptive approach to 30 purposively selected utterances from the show. The analysis identified four types of impoliteness strategies: sarcasm (10 utterances, 33%), negative impoliteness (10 utterances, 33%), positive impoliteness (6 utterances, 20%), and bald-on-record impoliteness (4 utterances, 14%). Withhold impoliteness did not appear in the data. Regarding their functions, the majority of instances served an entertaining purpose (23 utterances, 70%), followed by coercive (3 utterances, 10%) and affective (4 utterances, 13%). These findings demonstrate that in stand-up comedy, impoliteness functions less as an offensive act and more as a rhetorical device for humor, social critique, and audience engagement. In Noah’s performance, impoliteness enables him to address sensitive issues in ways that entertain while softening the potential harshness of critique.

References

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Maharani, W. W., Arasuli, & Kurniawan, I. (2022). The forms of politeness applied by English students in communication to their thesis advisor lecturers via WhatsApp. Journal of English Education and Teaching, 6(3), 417–432. https://doi.org/10.33369/jeet.6.3.417-432

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Published

2025-10-01

How to Cite

Ramli, F. (2025). A Pragmatic Analysis of Impoliteness Strategies in Trevor Noah’s Stand-Up Comedy: I Wish You Would. Paradigma Lingua, 5(4), 156–162. Retrieved from https://openjournal.unpam.ac.id/index.php/Paradigma/article/view/53579

Issue

Vol. 5 No. 4 (2025): Paradigma Lingua: Jurnal Penelitian Bahasa dan Sastra

Section

Articles

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