Dear Leader!: A Look at (In)directness in Online Complaints in China
The rise of e-government services has led to an increase in citizens interacting with the government online. However, not much about the nature of citizen complaints on such administrative platforms is known. The few previous studies have shown that due to politeness considerations, Chinese communic...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Universitas Islam Negeri Salatiga
2024-02-01
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| Series: | Journal of Pragmatics Research |
| Online Access: | https://ejournal.uinsalatiga.ac.id/index.php/jopr/article/view/847 |
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| author | Shiying Zhao Ridwan Wahid |
| author_facet | Shiying Zhao Ridwan Wahid |
| author_sort | Shiying Zhao |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The rise of e-government services has led to an increase in citizens interacting with the government online. However, not much about the nature of citizen complaints on such administrative platforms is known. The few previous studies have shown that due to politeness considerations, Chinese communication is often indirect in power-asymmetrical settings. This study examines citizen complaint posts on an online e-service platform in China, exploring the linguistic directness and politeness of those posts. Using a qualitative method, 300 citizen complaint posts were analyzed, with the findings revealing that: a) traditional markers of politeness were not extensively used in the opening and closing of complaint posts despite their inherently face-threatening nature; b) citizens communicated directly with the government, expressing a high level of directness in complaint posts; c) despite finding (b), complaint components were not in general perceived as impolite. The paper argues that Chinese communication is not always indirect, particularly in online situations where there is a power imbalance. In such cases, citizens sporadically use traditional politeness markers such as politeness strategies, specific types of speech act components, and avoidance of expressions of negative emotions. Interestingly, the study found that citizens focused more on avoiding Component B (i.e. dissatisfaction/disapproval) in complaints and formalizing complaint components, rather than relying on traditional politeness strategies to express politeness. In this online administrative context, direct citizen-to-government (C2G) communication is transaction-oriented and instrumental in nature. This paper provides some insight into Chinese pragmatics and practical guidelines for citizens to make successful and efficient complaints in an online administrative context. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ce1383aa4c5049a99a02e28bdb3c3db4 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2656-8020 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-02-01 |
| publisher | Universitas Islam Negeri Salatiga |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Pragmatics Research |
| spelling | doaj-art-ce1383aa4c5049a99a02e28bdb3c3db42025-08-20T02:13:30ZengUniversitas Islam Negeri SalatigaJournal of Pragmatics Research2656-80202024-02-0161173710.18326/jopr.v6i1.17-37851Dear Leader!: A Look at (In)directness in Online Complaints in ChinaShiying Zhao0Ridwan Wahid1Universiti MalayaUniversiti MalayaThe rise of e-government services has led to an increase in citizens interacting with the government online. However, not much about the nature of citizen complaints on such administrative platforms is known. The few previous studies have shown that due to politeness considerations, Chinese communication is often indirect in power-asymmetrical settings. This study examines citizen complaint posts on an online e-service platform in China, exploring the linguistic directness and politeness of those posts. Using a qualitative method, 300 citizen complaint posts were analyzed, with the findings revealing that: a) traditional markers of politeness were not extensively used in the opening and closing of complaint posts despite their inherently face-threatening nature; b) citizens communicated directly with the government, expressing a high level of directness in complaint posts; c) despite finding (b), complaint components were not in general perceived as impolite. The paper argues that Chinese communication is not always indirect, particularly in online situations where there is a power imbalance. In such cases, citizens sporadically use traditional politeness markers such as politeness strategies, specific types of speech act components, and avoidance of expressions of negative emotions. Interestingly, the study found that citizens focused more on avoiding Component B (i.e. dissatisfaction/disapproval) in complaints and formalizing complaint components, rather than relying on traditional politeness strategies to express politeness. In this online administrative context, direct citizen-to-government (C2G) communication is transaction-oriented and instrumental in nature. This paper provides some insight into Chinese pragmatics and practical guidelines for citizens to make successful and efficient complaints in an online administrative context.https://ejournal.uinsalatiga.ac.id/index.php/jopr/article/view/847 |
| spellingShingle | Shiying Zhao Ridwan Wahid Dear Leader!: A Look at (In)directness in Online Complaints in China Journal of Pragmatics Research |
| title | Dear Leader!: A Look at (In)directness in Online Complaints in China |
| title_full | Dear Leader!: A Look at (In)directness in Online Complaints in China |
| title_fullStr | Dear Leader!: A Look at (In)directness in Online Complaints in China |
| title_full_unstemmed | Dear Leader!: A Look at (In)directness in Online Complaints in China |
| title_short | Dear Leader!: A Look at (In)directness in Online Complaints in China |
| title_sort | dear leader a look at in directness in online complaints in china |
| url | https://ejournal.uinsalatiga.ac.id/index.php/jopr/article/view/847 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT shiyingzhao dearleaderalookatindirectnessinonlinecomplaintsinchina AT ridwanwahid dearleaderalookatindirectnessinonlinecomplaintsinchina |