CHARACTERIZING MEN AND WOMEN LANGUAGE IN THE

BEST OF ME MOVIE

Submitted as a Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

for Getting Bachelor Degree of Education in English Department

Faculty of Teacher Training and Education

By:

SULASTRI

A 320 150 071

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH EDUCATION

SCHOOL OF TEACHER TRAINING AND EDUCATION

UNIVERSITAS MUHAMMADIYAH SURAKARTA

2019

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CHARACTERIZING MEN AND WOMEN LANGUAGE IN THE BEST OF

ME MOVIE

Abstrak

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk (1) menjelaskan krakteristik bahasa pria dan wanita, (2)

mendeskripasikan alasan pria dan wanita menggunakan ekspresi dalam karakteristik

bahasa pria dan wanita dalam The Best of Me movie. Peneliti menggunakan jenis

penelitian deskriprif kualitatif. Untuk objek penelitian ini adalah sumber data yang

berupa film berjudul The Best of me. Peneliti menggunakan metode penelitian

observasi dan dokumentasi. Dengan teori Gender and Conversational Strategies dari

Coates (2004). Dari penelitian ini, peneliti menemukan kesimpulan berupa (1) Ciri-

ciri bahasa pria pada Film Best of Me, ada 23 data karakteristik bahasa pria dan 27

daa karakteristik bahasa wanita. Dari karakteristik bahasa pria, 8% pertanyaan, 6%

respon singkat, 6% pujian, 12% sumpah, 4% pengelakan, 10% perintah. Sedangkan

karakteristik bahasa wanita, rinciannya adalah sebagai berikut: 6% pertanyaan tag,

10% pertanyaan, 10% respon singkat, 6% ) pujian, 6% sumpah, 10% ) pengelakan,

6% perintah. (2) Alasan pria dan wanita menggunakan ekspresi, berdasarkan bahasa

karakteristik bahasa pria dan wanita dalam film best of me memiliki perbedaan, tetapi

perbedaannya tidak signifikan antara bahasa pria dan wanita. Seperti pria bertanya

untuk menggali informasi sedangkan wanita bertanya untuk mengecek partisipasi

lawan bicaranya. Pria menggunakan respond singkat untuk menunjukkan persetujuan

sedangkan wanita untuk membuat percakapan terus berlangsung. Sumpah yang

ducapkan oleh pria kebanyakan untuk mengungkapkan kemarahan, sedangkan wanita

untuk mengekspesikan pesrasaan buruk atau tersakiti. Alasan pria lebih memrintah

untuk memberikan komando langsung sedangkan wanita memrintah untuk sebuah

saran atau permintaan. Tetapi dalam memuji, antara pria dan wanita memiliki alasan

yang sama yaitu untuk menunjukkan kekaguman terhadap suatu hal.

Kata kunci: Bahasa pria, bahasa wanita, penelitian kualitatif, sociolinguistic

Abstract

This study aims to identify (1) to explain the characteristics of men and women

languages, (2) to describe the reasons for men and women using expressions in men

and women language characteristics in The Best of Me movie. The researcher used a

qualitative descriptive type of research. For object research, the data is utterance

found in the best of me movie. The researcher used observation and documentation as

the research methods. The researcher used the theory of Gender and Conversational

Strategies from Coates (2004). From this study, researchers found conclusions : (1)

There were 23 data of characteristic of men language and 27 data of characteristic of

women language. Characteristics of men language are: 8% questions, 6% minimal

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response, 6% compliment, 12% swearing, 4% hedges, 10% directives. While the

characteristic of women language, the details are as follows: 6% tag question, 10%

questions, 10% minimal responses, 6% compliment, 6% swearing, 10%) hedges, 6%)

directives. (2) The reason men and women use expressions, based on the language of

men and women language characteristics in the best of me movie has different, but

the difference is not significant between the characteristic of men and women

language. Like a men use question to dig up information while the women use

question to check the view others participation. Men use minimal responses to show

agreement while women use minimal respond to make the conversation continue.

Most of the swear words spoken by men for expressing anger, while women use

swear word to express her bad feeling or hurt. Men prefer to use commanding

directive while women use directive for suggesting or requesting. But in

complimenting, between men and women have the same reason, namely to show

admiration for something.

Keywords : Men language, women language, sociolinguistics, descriptive qualitative.

1. INTRODUCTION

Language has a variety of diversity which is usually influenced by society in an area.

This can be influential in the language differences that are carried out by people from

various community groups. There is not only difference in language that occurs in a

group. Even the language delivered by men and women is also different.

When talking about a men and women about the similarities and differences

between men and women of course the most important thing is about sex and gender.

Both of these have almost the same perception According to Coates (1986: 108)

"Gender" is the term used to describe socially constructed. The differentiation of

roles, norms, and expectations in all societies is categorized that serves as a

fundamental basis sex. Which sex is a biological concept based on biological

characteristics. Sex is seen in terms of physical both men and women. Researches on

language differences between men and women had been carried out since a long time

ago, which in fact the research that has been carried out suggests that indeed there are

several aspects that make the difference between the language delivered by a men and

women.

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Studying language differences between men and women is very good to be

applied to everyday life, because in our daily lives we will not be separated from

communication with the opposite sex. So by learning the characteristics of language

between men and women will provide more understanding in communicating. That is

the reason the authors are very interested in conducting research on characterizing

men and women language. In communicating there must be certain reasons that make

a reference to why the person issued the word. With knowing the reason for a men

and women when speaking will make the conversation better and can avoid

miscommunication or misunderstanding with each other.

The reason why the researcher choose the movie as a data source besides the

conversation between the characters in the movie also make it easier for the writer to

see the expressions of the characters in the movie. In order to this will make it easier

for researchers to analyze data. The researcher also chose The Best of Me movie

because most of the movies tell romantic stories between male and female characters.

So that it is in accordance with the author's aim to examine the differences in

language related to gender contained in this movie.

The researcher proposed two problem statements are including: To explain the

characteristic language of men and women and to describe the reasons of men and

women use the expression in The Best of Me movie. The researcher used the theory

of Coates (1998) that are tag questions, question, hedges, minimal response,

compliment, swearing, and directive.

2. METHOD

In doing this research, the writer uses the descriptive qualitative research to

investigate The Best of Me movie. Qualitative research, according to Mack et al

(2005: 1) is especially effective in obtaining culturally specific information about

values, opinion, behaviors, and social contexts of particular population.

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The object of the study is characterizing of men and women language in The

Best of Me movie. The data source in the study is utterance of The Best of Me movie

which is selected in some scene in the movie and can be found in the script of the

movie. The writer uses the observation and documentation as the method of

collecting data in this research.

3. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

There are two parts in this chapter, this part are consist of the characteristic of men

and women language and the reason of men and women use the expression in the

movie entitled The Best of Me. Coates (2004:86) states that there some aspects of

characteristic of men and women language, the aspects are as follows: minimal

response, hedges, question, tag question, swearing and taboo language, command and

directives and compliment. To answer the problem statements, the researcher

analyzed the data like in the integrated description.

3.1 Men Language

3.1.1 Swearing

a. Participant: Dawson and His father

b. Situation: Dawson's father wants to pick Dawson who ran away to Tuck’s

house.

c. Data

Dawson’s

father

: All right, get your stuff put it in the truck.

You're coming home with us.

Dawson : No, I'm not.

Dawson’s

father

: I ain't gonna tell you again, boy. I have had

it with you, Dawson! You're all puffed up,

you're thinking that you're special.

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d. Analysis:

The type of characteristic men language is directive. Dawson’s

father told Dawson to pack his belongings and go home together.

Dawson's father said "All right, get your put it in the truck", the sentence

is a kind of explicit directive. Dawson's father ordered Dawson directly

by using the words "Get" and "Put" which showed that it was explicit

directive.

The reason of Dawson's father uses the typical language is for

commanding Dawson to immediately do what he is told, that is bring the

stuff into the truck.

4. CONCLUSION

Based on the research result and discussion, the writer presents conclusion as follow:

4.1 From the analysis of the study, it can be concluded that, there are 50 data of

characterizing of men and women language. There were 23 data of characteristic

of men language and 27 data of characteristic of women language.

Characteristics of men language are, (4 data or 8%) questions, (3 data or 6%)

minimal response, (3 data or 6%) compliment, (6 data or 12%) swearing, (2 data

or 4%) hedges, (5 data or 10%) directives. While the characteristic of women

language, the details are as follows: (3 data or 6%) tag question, (5 data or 10%)

questions, (5 data or 10%) minimal responses, (3 data or 6%) compliment, (3 data

or 6%) swearing, (5 data or 10%) hedges, (3 data or 6%) orders.

4.2 The reason of men and women use the expression. The reason of men and women

use the expression, based on the typically men and women language in the best of

me movie are different, but the differences are not significant between men and

women language. The writer found several aspects data of the reasons of men and

women use the expression. These reasons include the following:

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4.2.1 The reason of women use question to make the conversation keep going,

to start a new topic, to check the view of other artists, and to instigate the

story while of most men will use question to dig up information from

other speaker.

4.2.2 The reason women use tag questions is to express uncertainty, to

facilitative or confirmation of the assumption, because of the doubts about

something. Whereas for men, there is no type of tag question found in the

best of me movies.

4.2.3 The reason of women and men in using minimal response are same in that

are to give attention to other speakers, to express agreement, and to

express of understanding. But the women tend to use minimal response to

keep conversation going, while men are not.

4.2.4 The reason men and women use complement are same, for expression of

admiration about something. In the other hand, it is also found that the

reason of women use compliment is for replacing the function of greeting.

In the men language, also use compliment for persuading other participant

4.2.5 The reason men and women use swearing is to express of personal

emotion such as anger, frustration. Many women use cathratic swearing

and emphatic swearing while men tend to use abusive swearing and

idiomatic swearing.

4.2.6 The reason between a man and woman uses hedges is to express

uncertainty, feeling, towards something.

4.2.7 The reason women use directive is requesting but men use directives for

commanding and prohibiting other speakers. Men also use the type of

explicit directive and women tend to use implicit directive.

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