Sociopragmatics in cartoons : politeness and power violations in the Arabic version of Gumball

Abstract EN

Sociopragmatic competence is essential for functioning effectively in a language.

it is manifested in several aspects, such as politeness and power relationships (Harlow,1990).

according to brown and levinson (1987), being polite is an effort on the part of the speaker to preserve his or her personal or the other person's face by attempting to minimize the effect of face-threatening acts (FATs).

power relations also play a pivotal role in augmenting or mitigating FATs in a particular context.

the present study examines some marked elements of politeness and power relationships that the Arabic version of the popular American cartoon the amazing world of gumball carries.

the qualitative analysis is applied to scenes that sample interactions within the family and school contexts.

it examines if the used FTAs are marked in these contexts or not.

these violations are introduced in a comic, attractive mode and are passed to children as favourable sociopragmatic practices.

the analysis of the four selected scenes highlights several violations of politeness and power relations, such as ill-represented father-child marked interactions in the family context.