STRATEGI PENENANGAN DALAM INTERAKSI ANTARA BIDAN DAN PASIEN: MENINJAU KEMBALI STRATEGI KESANTUNAN POSITIF BROWN DAN LEVINSON = REASSURANCE STRATEGY IN INTERACTION BETWEEN MIDWIVES AND PATIENTS: REVISITING BROWN AND LEVINSON’S POSITIVE POLITENESS STRATEGY

This study aimed to examine (1) how the reassurance strategy appeared as a form of positive politeness strategy in interactions between midwives and patients and (2) how frequently it occurred in Indonesian and English datasets. This study employed a descriptive qualitative approach. The Indonesian data were collected through observations of antenatal consultations at Patimpeng Community Health Center, while the English data were obtained from five YouTube videos featuring antenatal consultations The data were analyzed using Brown and Levinson's (1987) theory of positive politeness. The findings revealed that the reassurance strategy was realized through six pragmatic functions providing explanation, calming the patient, normalizing symptoms, providing advice, giving confidence, and providing emotional support. Among these functions, providing explanation was the most dominant in both datasets. A total of 38 reassurance utterances were identified, consisting of 15 utterances (39.5%) from the Indonesian data and 23 utterances (60.5%) from the English data. Although the reassurance strategy was not explicitly included among Brown and Levinson's (1987) positive politeness strategies, the findings indicated that every reassurance utterance was realized through one or more positive politeness strategies. These findings suggested that the reassurance strategy could be understood as a realization of positive politeness in midwife and patient interactions. Therefore the reassurance strategy addressed patients informational and emotional needs through supportive and informative communication, thereby reducing anxiety strengthening patients confidence, and maintaining positive interpersonal relationships during antenatal consultations.