THE PROCESS OF POLITENESS AS AN EDUCATION VALUE IN TURKISH COURSEBOOKS

Abstract

The rules that are based on ‘good’ in both words and practice on the way of establishing healthy relationships with others and that necessitate behaving generously, thoughtfully, humbly, sympathetically or in a reserved way depending on time and place are called politeness rules or manners. These rules are values that nations have brought from their past and regarded essential as they strengthen individuals’ and societies’ feelings of love and friendship towards one another. Moreover, they organize social life in the form of customary law. The society maintains these rules by means of a mechanism that it creates within itself, and this enables the society to transfer them to the future. The politeness expressions do not change from one person to another, they have gained a system over time and formed completeness. In this sense, it would be appropriate to consider the politeness expressions within formulaic expressions or expressions of relationship. The aim of this research is to identify politeness and politeness expressions in Turkish language textbooks. Within the scope of this research, politeness and politeness expressions in the secondary school Turkish language textbooks published by the MoNE Publishing and used in the 2018-2019 academic year were examined through document analysis method. The importance of politeness is mentioned in some of the texts in these textbooks and politeness expressions are used explicitly in some other texts. Although using politeness expressions in the textbooks and transferring them to young generations are important, this alone would not be sufficient. It will be appropriate to teach politeness as a school subject, to create a theme specific to this area and to include politeness in values education.