STRATEGIES OF CRITICISM AMONG GENERATION Z

One of the functions of speech in communication is criticism. Criticism is an act which is used by speakers to evaluate negatively what the hearer has said or done with an intention to improve the hearers words and actions. Therefore, this paper will examine the strategies of criticism used by Generation Z, namely the technology generation. Two criticism situations involving the Discourse Completion Task method were distributed to Generation Z as respondents. A total of 150 data samples were collected from 19 students form 4, 47 students Form 6 and 84 undergraduate students year 1 and 2, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). This study utilizes the strategies of criticizing using the model suggested by Nguyen (2005). This study found that Generation Z uses both criticism strategies namely direct strategy and indirect strategy. In direct strategy, Generation Z more often uses negative evaluation strategy While in indirect strategy, strategy towards to change is more often used. However, based on both direct and indirect strategies, it is found that indirect criticism strategies are more frequently used among Generation Z in performing their criticism. These findings show that Generation Z is still prioritize the behavior that maintains the face or dignity of the listener just like the previous generation.