LINGUISTIC IMPOLITENESS IN THE ONLINE GAME FREE FIRE: A PRAGMATIC STUDY OF UPPER-GRADE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

Abstract

The development of digital technology has made online games one of the social interaction media widely used by children, including elementary school students. One of the most popular games among students is Free Fire, which provides communication features through voice chat and text chat. These interactions have the potential to give rise to the use of impolite language in communication among players. This study aims to describe the forms of linguistic impoliteness and the factors influencing them among upper-grade students at SDN Kurisa while playing Free Fire. This study employed a descriptive qualitative approach with a pragmatic perspective. The research data consisted of students’ utterances obtained through voice chat recordings, screenshots of text conversations, observations, and interviews with students, teachers, and parents. Data analysis was conducted using Jonathan Culpeper’s theory of linguistic impoliteness. The findings revealed that students’ linguistic impoliteness appeared in the forms of swearing, mocking, direct commands without mitigation, the use of harsh slang, and sarcasm. These forms included the strategies of bald on record impoliteness, positive impoliteness, negative impoliteness, sarcasm/irony, and withhold politeness. Linguistic impoliteness was influenced by internal factors, such as low emotional control and limited understanding of politeness norms, as well as external factors, including competitive gaming situations, peer influence, and weak social control in digital spaces. The findings also indicated a shift in language practices from online gaming environments to students’ daily interactions at school. This study is expected to contribute theoretically to pragmatic studies and practically serve as a reference for teachers and parents in fostering students’ language politeness in the digital era.