Theory of Sociolinguistics
Sociolinguistics is a combination of two cultures of
social science, sociology and linguistics. According
to Occupational Outlook Handbook, 1980-1981, US Department of Labor ( 1980:431)
define that Sociology learn the behavior and group interaction, investigate the
growth parentage, and also analyze the
influence of group activity to their member.
According to Selo Soemardjan and
Soeleman Soemardi (1964:14) define that sociology is a science which learn
social structure and process social - include of social change.
While the definision of linguistic According to research
of Faturrahman that linguistic is the study of language.
People use language to communicate with others. They
use different kind of language when they talk to others in different situation.
Janet Holmes (1992:1) said that sociolinguistics study the relationship between
language and society. They are interested in explaining why we speak
differently in different social contexts, and they are concerned with
identifying the social function of language and the ways it is used to convey
social meaning. Examining the way people use language in different social
context provides a wealth of information about the way language works, as well
as about social relationship in a community, and the way people signal aspects
of their social identity through their language.
According to Nababan,
(1984:2) defines that sociolinguistic is language study with social dimension.
According to Fishman (1972)
explained the definition of sociolinguistics that the study of the
characteristic of language varieties, the characteristic of their
speaker as these constantly interact,
change and change one another structure within speech community
Social
Dimension
Janet
Holmes (2001: 9-10) also explained about social dimensions which relate to the
discussion. Here are the explanations:
1. A
social distance
Intimate Distant
High solidarity Low
Solidarity
It
is useful in emphasizing that how well we know someone is a relevant factor in
linguistic choice.
2. A
status scale
Superior
High status
Subordinate Low status
It points to the relevance of relative status in
some linguistic choices.
3. The
formality scale
Formal
High formality
Informal
Low formality
It is useful in
assessing the influence of the social setting or type of interaction on language choice. In
a formal transaction such as one with the bank manager in his office, or at a
ritual service in church, the language used will be influenced by the formality
of the setting.
4. Functional
scale
Referential
High
Low
Information
Information
Content Content
Affective
Low
High
Affective Affective
Content Content
It divides into two
scales; the referential scale and affective scale. Language can convey objective
information of a referential kind; and it can also express how someone is
feeling. By contrast, interactions which are more concerned with expressing
feelings often have little in the way of new information to communication. For
instance, talk between neighbors over the fence at the weekend about the
weather, is more likely to be mainly affective in function, and intended to
convey good will towards the neighbor rather than important new information.
Social
groups
Narwoko and Susanto (2004:24) said that basically
social groups divided into two groups: regular and irregular.
From both of them, it still divided into several
kinds. They are:
1. Based
on the number of members group
a. Primary
group
b. Secondary
group
2. Based
on the organization degree.
a. Formal
group
b. Informal
group
3. Based
on interaction
a. Reference
group
b. Membership
group
Social
Phenomenon
There do exist general rules of
address forms in Indonesia, but because address forms are a social phenomenon,
it varies on different occasions and the rules do not always take effect, just
as Philipsen and Huspek said: “Personal
address is a sociolinguistic subject par excellence. In every language and
society, every time one person speaks to another, there is created a host of
options centering around whether and how persons will be addressed, named, … to
those who interpret them, are systematic, not random. Such systematic in
language behavior, whether of use or interpretation, is universal, although
what elements comprise the personal address system and what rules govern its
deployment, vary across contexts. And such variation in structure is, according
to the extant empirical literature, correlated with social ends and social
contexts of language use. From this view, personal address is a systematic, variable,
and social phenomenon, and these feature of if make it a sociolinguistic
variable, and social phenomenon, and these features of it make it a
sociolinguistic variable of fundamental importance.” (Philipsen and Huspek
1985:94).
Language
Style
Wardhaugh
(2006:51) said that we can speak very formally or very informally, our choice
being governed by circumstance.
Martin
Joos (1972: 278) in his book “The Five Clocks”. He classified both
spoken and written style into five levels. They are such as follow:
a.
Frozen
It
is the most formal style that usually used in respectful situation or formal
ceremony. It is also called oratorical style which characterized by the very
careful, has fixed form, and has symbolic or historical nature.
b.
Formal
Generally,
it is used in the formal events, talks about the serious problem such as in the
formal speeches and official meeting. The characteristics of formal language
are its careful and standard speech, low tempo speech, technical vocabulary,
complex and divergence grammatical structure, use of full name address,
avoidance of main word repetition and its use of synonyms.
c.
Consultative
It
is used in some group discussion, regular conversation at school, companies,
trade speech conversation, etc. it was the most operational among the other
styles. One of the characteristics of consultative language is its tendency of
average speed, which is higher than formal style. The sentence tend to be
shorter (resemble or indeed, phrase) and less well planned (tend to
spontaneous). Since it is spontaneous, people tend to repeat some unnecessary
words, choose the wrong word choice or use many slang or jargon.
d.
Casual
It
is often used in the conversation between friends or family. It is usually
applied in daily conversation, in relaxed time such as when they picnic or
sport, etc. It also uses colloquial words (informal words, and usually apply in
daily conversation). In this style people often use slang language where the
sentences tend to be shortened and the disappearing word.
e.
Intimate
It is a style among
intimate members of a family or friends that do not need a complete language
with clear articulation. It is enough to use short utterances. Another
characteristic of this style is grammar unnecessarily used here, because it can
bring disorder to this intimate style.
FINDING
In
this case, I have already observed of my friends which are related to intimacy
language style. I observed five my friends with their different language style
either close friend or ordinary friends. Here the quotation of my friends:
The first,
Tia Riana and Uvi Rika Mustika are students of English department
Untirta University. And this was taken in Auditorium.
Uvi : maju ya,
geraan! Maju mengatasnamakan kelas B
Tia : embung ah,
dia mah hayang ngisinkeun aing dia vey.
Uvi : geraan ya!
Tia : cabok sia
ku aing, nteu ah nteu.
Uvi : hayu ya,
maju geraan. Princesses maju atuh.
Tia : ogah, dia
ngisinkeun aing dia, goblok dia.
The
second, Tia Riana, Uvi Rika Mustika and Ira Letari are in
the language laboratory.
Tia : vey, mana hape aing, dia nyumputkeun
bae. Mana?
Uvi : hape? Saha? Nteu nyaho aing mah.
Tia : teh ira, mana hape aing, leungit hape na
Ira : ih tia
engga tau dimana hapenya, tia lupa kali taro dimana.
Tia : hape aing
leungit, dimana atuh?
Uvi : di ditu
mereun, tuh (pointed to kikin )
Teh… teh ira, tolong di copy-in sih nanti.
Ira : ya.
The third, Refanda Nugraha and Ridwan Guntaran
are taking conversation by handphone.
Rere :
hallo cin, apa kabar lu?
Ridwan : dut,
dimana maneh? Di sms nteu bales koplak!
Rere :
haha… aya da di imah, dut. Kumaha kabar
na?
DISCUSSION
FINDING
Addressees as an Influence on Style
Addressee is the
terminology used by people when they are talking to others and this varies
according to their education, their social standing, their profession or their
specific kind of work. It can even be determined by their nationality or their
ethnicity. According to dictionary addressee is the one to whom something is addressed.
Language varies according to its uses as well as its users,
according to where it is used and to whom, as well as according to who is using
it. The addressee affects our choice of code and variety. Who is receiving the
message, listener or the person we are talking. Usually seen from the listener
familiarity, background, meet the speakers to the listener intensity that
determines the style or variations of the language we use. If you are already
familiar or identify more closely, then the style of language used tends to be
more relaxed. Conversely, when we talk to people who have not been too well
known, then the style that we use will be more regular.
Usually, if
we talk to somebody who the close with us, automatically the language style is
different than we talk to someone who doesn’t too close with us. For the close
friend or intimate, the language style is more relaxed and usually there is either
using slang or jargon.
The way of greeting even also different, if we compare which with close friend,
and acquainted. The ways of conversation either very closes friends, ordinary
friend, or acquainted are also different. Either register or intonation is
different to them. To the close friend has high intonation if they were doing in
a jest or slapsticks, and the friend who as addressee is getting to understand
because she/he has been close friend.
In this case, they
address each other using multiple names: sometimes using first name or last
name, sometimes using praise names or nicknames. These multiple names are used
in free variation. Nicknames are only used to address the addressees directly
by friends or acquaintances. The other members of the society may only refer to
the names in secret. Friends of the younger generation may use the slang
version of their first names to show solidarity.
Here, they are the discussion finding of this study. In the” b” class English department, Uvi Rika
Mustika is one student of English department Untirta University. She is from Sundanese. Her nickname is Uvi. All of English
department students from first semester till nine semester and the lecturers
call her by Uvi. But, it’s different with” b” class English department whom
have been studying for three years, they call her by “Vey” which is slang
version from her friends. It refers to their solidarity and intimacy with Uvi.
In addition, Tia Riana is one student of English department
Untirta University. Also she is from Sundanese as Uvi. They are close friend, because they are from
sundanese, they have similar that have the
same attitude and desire in the effort to reach the target so they can share each other using
sundanese. In speaking, they always using sundanese. But they use low Sundanese. Tia uses the word
“aink”, “cabok ku aink”, “goblok dia”, etc. actually, it the hard words and the
low sundanese, such as the quotation before. The language style is more relaxed
for her moreover when she got a joke. She uses it to her close because they
have already known the characteristic each other.
Here the example between their conversation, such as in the
quotation before is “ya, geraan maju. Ayo ya.” Ordered Uvi. “dia mah hayang
ngisinkeun aing, cabok ku aing dia!” answered Tia by high intonation and
threatening articulation. Even though there are threatening words to the
addressee, but the addressee didn’t feel threaten and didn’t get angry to her
because of that words; they have already known each other. It’s only a humor. Besides, there have different style either Uvi
or Tia speaks to Ira lestari. Even Ira is a member of “b” class. Such as “teh
ira, mana hape aing, leungit hape na?” asked Tia. And here Uvi’s language style
to Ira “teh Ira, tolong di copy-in sih?” From the conversation between Tia with Ira and
Uvi with Ira have different style. Both of
their sentences there are difference of language style to the addressee. Tia and
Uvi use the word teteh and they
choose the polite language to converse which does not allude to her. The different of their language style that
because they seldom communicate to her, its mean they get conversation whether
there is important thing such as in one a group of presentation, or if they sit
next to her when the lecture is going on or such in an example above when she
got the material paper for having the copy of that material.
On the
other side, language styles between men and woman have the similarity if the
addressee is close friend, and they have sobriquet or special nickname.
But for men, the sobriquet is being more exposed than women while they are in conversation. As
example, Refandha Nugraha called by Rere by his ordinary friends, Yayang by his
family, and Bayang by his housemate and shipmate. And his play fellow or close
friend call him by “sedut". In conversation or greeting, usually insert
the word in “Cin" for the example " hey, cin! Apa kabar lu?”
He only uses the word “cin" to friend which is just nearby as intimacy
or the power of that friendship. Although the addressee is men, but it’s not meaning
that he is homosexual, however he calls “cin”.
Factor of an Addressee’s Intimate on
Speaker’s Style
Style among intimate members of a family or friends
that do not need a complete language with clear articulation, it is enough to
use short utterances. Another characteristic of this style is grammar
unnecessarily used here, because it can bring disorder to this intimate style.
It has explained that the intimate of addressee’s
can influence the style language. Every human have social groups, in this
discussion will be seen from the social factor. Social groups are social unity
which is consisted of individual corps that coexists
from interrelationship either intensive or regular. The simplest group social
is family.
Division of social group has been
mentioned at chapter II. And pursuant to distinguishable group member amount
can be divided two forms, they are: Primary group and
secondary group.
Primary group is marked with the
existence of close relation where the members are recognizing each other and
often communicate face to face directly and also there is cooperation which has
the personal character of person or the close psychologist bond.
It will be explained the primary group based the
ranges:
a. Physical
conditions of primary group
1. It’s not only recognizing each other of relation however the
important that the members have to bunch up each other physically.
2. Relatively small number of members in order that they can be
acquaint and look in the face each other.
3. The
relation among the members is rather permanent.
b. The
characteristic of primary group
1. The principal characteristic of primary group is the same
direction among the members which mean that each individual have the same
attitude and desire in the effort to reach the target and also one of the
parties there is ready to make a martyr of the other party’s sake.
2. This Primary group has to do voluntarily, so that the pertinent
does not feel the emphasis, but all members are going to feel the freedom.
3. Primary group have the character and also inclusive, its mean the
relation which is conducted has to stick at somebody personality which cannot
be replaced by others. And a person who is conducting the relation has to
concerning all the personality, for example the feeling, the characteristic,
etc.
Besides, the explanation above, it also
need that this primary group can be advantages to individual as well as can
foster the individual. And the advantages, they are:
a. Supporting the good manner of human being and also give the
strength and motivation to individual, so that can lessen the bad manner.
b. Reinforcing
the individual depend on the groups.
c. All the things are based on a feeling, its mean the reactions
which is showed by each individual in group it is based by the feeling.
CONCLUSION
The intimacy can influence the speaker’s style.
Style among intimate do not need a complete language with clear articulation, it
is enough to use short utterances. Another characteristic of this style is
grammar unnecessarily used here, because it can bring disorder to this intimate
style. Usually the intimacy have
similar that the same attitude and desire in the
effort to reach the target. Then
the style of language used tends to be more relaxed and usually there is either using slang or jargon. And they use
the special nicknames or special names for the power of intimacy in friendship.
REFERENCES
Holmes, Janet. 1992. An Introduction to Sociolinguistics: Second Edition. London:
Longman.
Narwoko. J Dwi and Bagong Suyatno. 2004. Sosiologi: Teks Pengantar dan Terapan.
Jakarta: Kencana.
Winawimala.
2011. Sosiolinguistik. Available at: http://winawimala.wordpress.com/2011/04/12/sosiolinguistik/.
Accessed on 27 December 2011.
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