Exploring flaming in the discourse of negative judgment: invoked strategies used by Indonesian netizens in Instagram comments

Figures & data

Table 1. Negative judgments by Martin and White (2005).

No	Type of negative judgment	Category	Description of type of negative judgment	Example reference of meaning
1	Social esteem: criticism	Normality	Inappropriateness in what is being assessed	Hapless; unlucky; also-ran, obscure; star-crossed; peculiar; odd; unpredictable; eccentric; erratic; dated; daggy; retrograde
		Capacity	Absence of competence in what is being assessed	Wimpy; mild; weak; crippled; sick, unsound; helpless; childish; immature; slow; stupid; thick; dull; grave; dreary; flaky; neurotic; insane; native; inexpert, foolish; unsuccessful; unproductive; uneducated; illiterate; ignorant; incompetent; unaccomplished
		Tenacity	Absence of mental character in what is being assessed	Gutless; cowardly; timid; rash; impatient; impetuous; reckless; capricious; hasty; weak; distracted, despondent; undependable; unreliable; stubborn; obstinate; willful; unfaithful; disloyal; inconstant
2	Social sanction: condemnation	Veracity	Insincerity in what is being assessed	Lying; deceitful, dishonest; manipulative; devious; deceptive; blabbermouth; blunt
		Propriety	Negative moral evaluation in what is being assessed	Evil; immoral; bad; selfish; greedy; avaricious; rude; discourteous; irreverent; vain; arrogant; cruel; mean; insensitive; corrupt; unfair; unjust

Table 2. Invoked strategies by Martin and White (2005).

No	Type of invoked strategy	Description
1	Provoked	Assessment of something expressed through metaphorical language. This indicates that the assessment involves likening it to something that contains negative lexical elements.
2	Invite with the strategy of flagging	Assessment of something based on connotative meanings without making a comparison to something specific. This indicates a tendency towards idiomatic meanings.
3	Invite with the strategy of affording	Assessment of something where the meaning takes into account contextual aspects of the conversation. This indicates that negative assessments utilize illocutionary speech acts and implicature concepts.

Table 3. Invoked strategies in negative social esteem.

Type	No	Delivery strategy	Example comment from Indonesian netizens	English equivalent	Source domain	The meaning of negative judgment
Negative Normality (how not special?)	1	Flagged	Saham X turun terus tuh, mau sampe gulung tikar?	Stock X keeps going down, is it rolling up the mat?	Household appliances	Declining
	2	Afforded	X saya baru 3 bulan lebih, belum pernah kena hujan, sudah timbul benih-benih emas	My X is just over 3 months old, never been exposed to rain, and golden seeds have already appeared]	Jewelry	Unpredictable
	3	Afforded	Gigi kuning juga silikat bukan jigong	Yellow teeth are also silica, not dental plaque	Body parts	Odd
	4	Afforded	Baru ngambek X aku ini, baru jalan 9 bulan	I just threw a tantrum X; I've only been around for 9 months	Human traits	Unpredictable
	5	Afforded	X Bapak tertawa melihat ini	X Father laughs seeing this	Actions	Odd
	6	Afforded	Harga secondnya turun banyak enggak nih?	Has the second-hand price dropped significantly?	Rhetorical questions	Worsening
	7	Afforded	Maaf, ni mau tanya, jual motor atau sepeda?	Sorry, may I ask, are you selling a motorcycle or a bicycle?	Rhetorical questions	Odd
Negative Capacity (how incapable?)	8	Provoked	Malah ngene koyok jembut mrotoli	It's even worse, like easily falling pubic hair	Sexual organs	Fragile
	9	Provoked	Sales bobrok dan mekanik magang, sekarang produknya cak sampah	Shady sales and apprentice mechanics, now the products are like trash	Worthless objects	Useless/ Of poor quality
	10	Provoked	Rangka lo pas diketuk kayak seng kamar mandi wkwkwkw	When your frame is knocked, it sounds like a bathroom zinc roofing hahaha	Building materials	Unpredictable
	11	Provoked	Lebih tebal kaleng kongguan	Kongguan cans are thicker	Food packaging container	Weak
	12	Provoked	Eh kaleng koyok kaleng serden	Hey, it looks like cans of sardines	Food packaging container	Weak
	13	Flagged	Makanya nyari karyawan jangan dari orang dalam	So, when looking for employees, do not hire insiders	Community	Foolish
	14	Flagged	Tulang lunak, tulang lunak	Soft bones, soft bones	Body organs	Weak
	15	Flagged	Motor crispynya kakak	A crispy motorcycle, Brother/Sister	Food	Powerless
	16	Flagging	Rangka renyah	A crispy frame	Food	Powerless
	17	Flagged	Para begal motor kena imbasnya, penadah enggak mau terima yg rangka keripik wkwkwk	Motorcycle thieves are feeling the impact; the receivers don't want the frame of crisps, hahaha	Food	Weak
	18	Afforded	Osteoporosis lagi ngeksis	Osteoporosis is trending	Diseases	Slow
	19	Afforded	Dikasih susu Anlene tuh X biar tulangnya kuat	Give X Anlene milk, to make his/her bones strong	Beverage	Weak
	20	Afforded	SIAP2 Dealer X DI INDONESIA JADI KEDAI MIXUE	GET READY, X Dealer IN INDONESIA WILL BECOME MIXUE SHOPS	Beverage	Gloomy
	21	Afforded	Supra aja masih getar sampai sekarang	Even the Supra still vibrates until now	Movement	Unreasonable
	22	Afforded	Saya pakai X, apakah saya akan terlipat?	I'm using X, will I be folded?	Rhetorical questions	Unreasonable
	23	Afforded	Rangka X sama baja ringan kuat mana guys? Serius nanya	Between the X frame and lightweight steel, which one is stronger, guys? Seriously asking	Rhetorical questions	Powerless
Negative Tenacity (how unreliable?)	24	Flagged	Lama-lama tenggelam kebawa arus, bisa-bisa terdengar brand baru. Coba dah tinggal tunggu waktu	Over time, it will be gradually swept away by the current, a new brand could emerge. Just wait and see	Natural events	Inconsistent
	25	Flagged	Semua ada masanya, bahkan raksasa sekalipun…tinggal tunggu waktu aja	Everything has its time, even giants… just wait for the time	Forms	Careless
	26	Afforded	Bersiaplah, produk X ini akan seperti Nokia	Get ready, this X product will be like Nokia	Brand	Non-adaptive
	27	Afforded	Jasa ketok magic nya kakak	The magic touch service, Sister/Brother	Mystical things	Careless

Notes: Data in Indonesian are in italic and flaming discourse markers are in bold.

Table 4. Invoked strategies in negative social sanction.

Sub-type	No	Delivery strategy	Example comment from Indonesian netizens	English equivalent	Source domain	The meaning of negative judgment
Negative Veracity (how dishonest?)	1	Provoked	Omong koyo kemu, pendongeng handal	Speaking like gargling, a skilled storyteller	Occupation	Deceiver
	2	Provoked	Udahlah kaya bajai	Enough, like an auto-rickshaw	Transportation	Slick
	3	Flagged	Antara membela diri atau mencari kambing hitam	Between defending oneself or finding a scapegoat	Animal	Manipulative
	4	Flagged	Senjata makan tuan	A weapon that hurts the wielder	Sharp object	Manipulative
	5	Afforded	Sedia payung sebelum hujan, SEDIA TOPENG SEBELUM MALU	Prepare an umbrella before the rain, WEAR A MASK BEFORE SHAME	Security tool	Deceiver
	6	Afforded	STAND UP COMEDY	STAND UP COMEDY	Performing arts	Deceiver
	7	Afforded	SEBUT SAJA MAWAR	JUST CALL THE PERSON A ROSE	Flower	Deceiver
Negative Propriety (how immoral?)	8	Provoked	Penjelasannya seperti pejabat di negara Konoha, bukannya meminta maaf atau apalah… ini malah mencari pembenaran	The explanation is like officials in the Konoha nation, instead of apologizing or anything… it's seeking justification	Fantasy country	Bad or unclear
	9	Provoked	Sekelas perusahaan Flagship Internasional klarifikasinya kayak admin slot	As an international company, Flagship's clarification is comparable to that of slot administrators	Occupation	Unlawful
	10	Flagged	Adu otot kok sama konsumen	Why flex muscles against the consumers?	Body part	Selfish
	11	Afforded	Sekedar minta maaf aja tidak ada? Malah lawak	Is a simple apology too much to ask? Instead, it's a joke	Rhetorical question	Arrogant
	12	Afforded	Masuk ATM saja dilarang pake masker, topi, kacamata hitam… Dan X memilih “menemui” konsumennya dengan penutup muka	Even entering an ATM, you can't wear a mask, hat, or sunglasses… And X chooses to 'meet' its consumers with a face cover	Regulation	Arrogant

Notes: Data in Indonesian are in italic and flaming discourse markers are in bold.

Martin, J. R., & White, P. R. R. (2005). The language of evaluation: Appraisal in English. Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230511910

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