Reconceptualizing Politeness Through Toraja Cultural Practices: Toward An Indigenous Pragmatics Perspective

Politeness research has largely relied on universal theoretical perspectives that may not fully account for locally grounded cultural values and communicative norms. This study aims to reconceptualize politeness through Toraja communicative practices from an indigenous pragmatics perspective. Employing a qualitative approach informed by cultural pragmatics and ethnopragmatics, data are collected from social and cultural interactions through observation, naturally occurring conversation recordings, and in-depth interviews. The analysis focuses on linguistic forms, pragmatic strategies, social relations, and cultural values underlying communicative choices. Particular attention is given to locally grounded notions of respect, kinship, solidarity, social hierarchy, and interpersonal harmony. The novelty of this study lies in positioning Toraja culture not merely as a context for applying established politeness theories, but as a source of pragmatic conceptualization. The study is expected to contribute to politeness and cross-cultural pragmatics by offering an indigenous perspective grounded in Toraja communicative practices.