Canonical Syntax: A Strategy for Constructing Linguistic Politeness Among Generation Z

Linguistic politeness is a crucial dimension in maintaining social harmony, particularly for Generation Z (Gen Z), who are known to have communication styles distinct from previous generations. This study aims to formulate the concept of canonical syntax in Indonesian as a strategy to foster politeness in Gen Z’s language use. Canonical syntax is understood as sentence forms that can be safely employed across formal and informal contexts without posing face-threatening acts. Adopting a mixed-method approach, the study combines a literature-based conceptual analysis with a survey of 165 Gen Z respondents aged 18–23 in Jakarta. The research identifies eleven canonical syntactic forms in Indonesian: (1) the addition of the particle -lah, (2) the phatic particle ya, (3) vocative nouns, (4) lexical directives such as coba, tolong, silakan, mohon, (try, help, please/go ahead, kindly) (5) mitigative adverbs such as sepertinya (it seems), sebaiknya (should, it would be better if), sekiranya (if/in case), (6) modality, (7) the use of the pronoun saya (I, I am, me) as subject or object, (8) omission of the clitic -mu (you), (9) conditional clauses, (10) transformation from active to passive, and (11) transformation from imperative to interrogative. These eleven forms were employed as survey instruments to measure Gen Z’s perceptions. Findings reveal that most respondents evaluated canonical syntax as polite. However, in actual communication, they more frequently employed non-canonical rather than canonical forms. This indicates a gap between normative awareness and communicative habits. Practically, the study provides a pedagogical foundation for Indonesian language education to cultivate a generation that is both communicative and polite.