Developing Students’ Intelligent Character through Linguistic Politeness: The Case of English as a Foreign Language for Indonesian Students

English is a foreign language that must be taught at school, particularly in secondary school. Based on a preliminary observation of several secondary schools in Banjarmasin, it appears that the English taught focuses most on concepts or language formulas. Most of the students who interact in English during the learning process do not use expressions that contain linguistic politeness, as is required. The learning of linguistic politeness is not emphasized, while it is an effort to develop students’ intelligent characters. This study primarily focuses on the investigation of teachers’ linguistic politeness while interacting with the students, students’ linguistic politeness, while interacting with the teachers, the students’ linguistic politeness while interacting with their peers during the learning process in the classroom, how the teacher forms the students’ linguistic politeness in the classroom, and how the linguistic politeness can develop students’ intelligent characters. This study is one of classroom action research. Two cycles, in which each cycle consists of two meetings, are employed. After linguistic politeness is taught in four meetings through students’ wheel and role play, it can be stated that during the English learning process in the classroom, the students have the opportunity to speak and practice linguistic politeness in English while interacting with their teachers and or other students. The forming of linguistic politeness in English can develop the students’ intelligent characters from the beginning to the end of the learning activities. The students also become accustomed to employing polite vocabulary or expression in English that can improve their spiritual and emotional development, the aim of which is to lead to intelligence, primarily emotional intelligence.