Silence as Non-Verbal Positive Politeness Strategy in August Strindberg's The Stronger : A Pragma - Stylistic Study

H. Aziz, Fatima.; H.Jasim, Majeed.

	Silence as Non-Verbal Positive Politeness Strategy in August Strindberg's The Stronger : A Pragma - Stylistic Study
Journal of Misan Researches
Article 1, Volume 7, Issue 13, 2011, Pages 291-323
Authors
Fatima. H. aziz; Majeed. H.Jasim
Abstract
Silence can sometimes be eloquent. Conversations consist not only of what is said but what is not said—the cold silence, the disapproving silence, the appreciative silence, the reverent silence, the baffled silence, ( Schmitz,1994: 1). So, it is not only the complete refusal to speak , but also acts of silence within discourse that are considered meaningful (Baker , 1955: 165 ). The ambiguous act of silence is a source of quite different possible meanings , and it is the source of various sayings and proverbs , literary inspiration and misunderstandings ( Ibid.). Yet , silence has been considered as a magic comforter ( Farr , 1962: 96 ) . It has become a precious commodity difficult to afford. Paradoxically , the desire to relax to the sound of silence is contrasted by the fact that at the same time , silence is feared , considered as something negative and undesirable since it impedes communication and distorts the message being conveyed ( Gal , 1989: 25) . By itself, silence is altogether meaningless, gaining significance only when supplemented by speech .At least at first, it seems that a person who remains silent is passive. He does nothing to work his will on the situation, to create, or to share with others. Silence is not about the striving, aspiration, and connection that we normally associate with human fulfillment. Instead, it is usually about emptiness and loneliness. The ambition of this research is to provide a defense of, and explanation for, a right to silence. Here, my suggestion is that silence protects the freedom to choose between public obligation and private commitment. Surprisingly, though, in this context, silence as freedom does not necessarily translate into a legal right to remain silent. Sometimes when the law requires speech, it forces the choices that make us free. Silence is a right, but it also comes with an obligation: to speak quietly or not at all in the face of doubt and mystery. Accordingly , silence sometimes is considered only unwanted , meaningless ,nonvaluable and nothing else . But , silence does contribute to conversations ( Bruneau ,1973 :40).Thus, silence can be considered as an equally important element of conversation as speech despite the fact that it is speech that is a primary communicative category ; a superior information carrier ( ibid.: 42).

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