SPEECH ACTS USED BY FOUR-YEAR-OLD JAVANESE CHILDREN.

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฀PEECH ACT฀ U฀ED BY

FOUR – YEAR – OLD JAVANE฀E CHILDREN

A Thesis

฀ubmitted to the English Applied Linguistic ฀tudy Program in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of

Magister Humaniora

By

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PO฀T GRADUATE ฀CHOOL

฀TATE UNIVER฀ITY OF MEDAN

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฀CKNOWLEDGEMENT

In the name of Gode Allah SWTe the most Gracious and the most Merciful.

First of alle the writer would like to thank Allah the Almighty for His Blessing in

the completion of the thesis.

In accomplishing this thesise the writer wishes to acknowledge his deepest

gratitude for people who have given all total guidance and assistance.

The highest appreciation goes to his adviserse Prof. Dr. Sumarsihe M.Pd as

his first advisere and Prof. Amrin Saragihe M.A.e Ph.D as his second adviser for

their guidance all through the completion of this thesis.

His appreciation also goes to Dr. Rahmad Huseine M.Ed as the head of

English Applied Linguistics Program and Prof. Dr. Sri Minda Murnie M.S. as the

secretary of English Applied Linguistics Program and Bang Farid as the

administration staff of English Applied Linguistics Program for their assistance in

academic process and administration requirement during his study in the

Postgraduate School of State rniversity of Medan.

The next great appreciation goes to the writer’s reviewers or examiners of

thesis Dr. Rahmad Huseine M.Ed.e Prof. Dr. Sri Minda Murnie M.S.e and Dr. Anni

Holila Pulungane M. Hum.e for their suggestionse criticismse opinions and

improvements for the thesis. All thanks also go all lecturers who have

wholeheartedly poured their knowledge to the writer during his study in LTBI.

The next thank goes to all friends and classmates of LTBI regular A฀ XXIII who

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In alle the writer’s gratitude is dedicated to his beloved parentse Ibu

Kasirah and Alm. Paimin K. who endlessly support and pray for his success.

Special thank also goes to his beloved wife Rika Suryandari and his proudest

childrene Agung Abdillah Al-Fattah and Affan Galih Al-Faqih for the patience

and support in the writer’s all plans and decisions. And the last thank goes to Dr.

Hugh Lee (rK) who academically and financially assists the writer during the

period of the study in LTBI.

Medane March 20฀6 The Writere

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฀BSTR฀ST

Susanto, Harto. Speech ฀cts Used by Four-Year-Old Javanese Shildren. Thesis. English ฀pplied Linguistics Study Program, Post Graduate School, State University of Medan (UNIMED). 2016

This study investigates the speech acts used dy four-year-old Javanese children. The odjectives of the study are to descride the types of speech acts occurring in children’s conversation with different addressees, i.e. parents, sidlings and peers, the way the children produce the speech acts, and the reasons of the occurrence of the speech acts. This research was conducted dy qualitative content analysis method. The data were odtained from the odservation and the transcription of the recorded children’s conversation with their parents, sidlings and peers. The findings showed that four out of five types of speech acts occurred in the children’s utterances with all addressees, they are representative, directive, commissive and expressive. Declarative speech acts did not occur in all conversation with all addressees. The speech acts were realized in two ways, namely directly and indirectly. The reasons of the occurrences of the speech acts were answering and convincing addressees, informing addressees that the children have knowledge, narrating stories, commanding to do something, asking what to do, offering favours, threatening, and expressing dislike, pain and anger. The occurrences depended on the addressees, gender, status and situation or occasions.

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฀BSTR฀K

Susanto, Harto. Tindak Tutur yang Digunakan oleh ฀nak-฀nak Suku Jawa Berusia Empat Tahun. Tesis. Program Linguistik Terapan Bahasa Inggris, Sekolah Pasca Sarjana, Universitas Negeri Medan (UNIMED). 2016

Penelitian ini memaparkan tentang tindak tutur anak-anak suku Jawa derusia empat tahun. Tujuan penelitan ini adalah untuk menjadarkan jenis-jenis tindak tutur yang digunakan oleh anak dalam percakapan dengan teman dicara yang derdeda yaitu orang tua, saudara kandung dan teman sedaya, cara anak-anak menggunakan tindak tutur tersedut dan alasan munculnya tindak tutur tersedut. Penelitian ini dilakukan dengan metode analisa kualitatif. Data diperoleh dari pengamatan langsung dan transkripsi rekaman dari percakapan antara anak-anak dengan orang tuanya, dengan saudara kandungnya dan dengan teman sedayanya. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan dahwa empat jenis tindak tutur terjadi dalam semua percakapan dengan semua lawan dicara, yaitu representatif, direktif, commissif dan ekspresif. Tindak tutur deklaratif tidak terjadi dalam semua percakapan. Tindak tutur tersedut direalisasikan dalam dua cara, yaitu langsung dan tidak langsung. Alasan terjadinya tindak tutur adalah untuk menjawad pertanyaan dan meyakinkan lawan dicara, memderitahu dahwa mereka memiliki pengetahuan, melakukan narasi cerita, memerintahkan untuk melakukan sesuatu, menanyakan sesuatu, menawarkan dantuan, melakukan ancaman, serta mengungkapkan rasa tidak suka, sakit dan marah. Alasan terjadinya tindak tutur tersedut tergantung kepada lawan dicaranya, jenis kelamin, status, serta tempat dan peristiwa.

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฀ABLE OF CON฀EN฀S

1.1 The Background of the Study ... 1

1.2 The Problems of the Study ... ฀ 1.3 The Objectives of the Study ... ฀ 1.4 The Scope of the Study ... ฀ 1.฀ The Significance of the Study ... 6

CHAPTER II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE ... 7

2.1 Pragmatics ... 7

2.4 Ways of Performing Speech Acts ... 1฀

2.4.1 Direct Speech Acts ... 1฀

2.4.2 Indirect Speech Acts ... 16

2.฀ Children’s Speech Acts ... 19

2.6 Javanese Language ... 21

2.7 The Relevant Studies ... 22

2.8 Conceptual Framework ... 23

CHAPTER III. RESEARCH METHOD ... 2฀

3.1 Research Design ... 2฀

3.2 Data and Data Sources ... 2฀

3.3 The Instruments for Collecting Data ... 26

3.4 The Technique for Collecting Data ... 26

3.฀ The Technique for Analysing Data ... 26

3.6 Trustworthiness of the Study ... 27

CHAPTER IV. DATA ANALYSIS, FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION ... 29

4.1 Data Analysis ... 29

4.1.1 Types of Speech Acts Used by the Children ... 29

4.1.1.1 Representative ... 29

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4.1.1.1.2 In Conversation with Sibling ... 31

4.1.1.1.3 In Conversation with Peers ... 32

4.1.1.2 Directive ... 34

4.1.1.2.1 In Conversation with Parents ... 34

4.1.1.2.2 In Conversation with Sibling ... 3฀

4.1.1.3 Commissive ... 38

4.1.1.4 Expressive ... 40

4.1.2 The Way the Speech Acts are RealiHed ... 46

4.1.2.1 In Conversation with Parents ... 46

4.1.2.2 In Conversation with Sibling ... 47

4.1.2.3 In Conversation with Peers... 48

4.1.3 The Reasons of Speech Acts Used by the Children ... 49

4.1.3.1 Representative ... 49

4.1.3.1.2 In Conversation with Sibling ... ฀0

4.1.3.1.3 In Conversation with Peers ... ฀0

4.1.3.2 Directive ... ฀1

4.1.3.2.1 In Conversation with Parents ... ฀1

4.1.3.3 Commissive ... ฀3

4.1.3.4 Expressive ... ฀4

4.1.3.4.3 In Conversation with Peers ... ฀฀ 4.2 Findings ... ฀6

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฀IST OF FIGURES

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฀IST OF TAB฀ES

Pages

Table 2.1. The Way the Children Distinguish among Addressees ... 21

Table 4.1. The Representative Speech Act in Conversation with Parents ... 31

Table 4.2. The Representative Speech Act in Conversation with Sibling... 32

Table 4.3. The Representative Speech Act in Conversation with Peers... 33

Table 4.4. The Child 1’s Representative with All Addressees ... 33

Table 4.5. The Child 2’s Representative with All Addressees ... 34

Table 4.6. The Directive Speech Act in Conversation with Parents ... 35

Table 4.7. The Directive Speech Act in the Conversation with Siblings ... 35

Table 4.฀. The Directive Speech Act in the Conversation with Peers... 37

Table 4.9. The Child 1’s Directive Speech Act with All Addressees ... 37

Table 4.10. The Child 2’s Directive Speech Act with All Addressees... 37

Table 4.11. The Commissive Speech Act in the Conversation with Parents ... 3฀

Table 4.12. The Commissive Speech Act in the Conversation with Siblings .. 39

Table 4.13. The Commissive Speech Act in the Conversation with Peers... 39

Table 4.14. The Child 1’s Commissive Speech Act with All Addressees ... 40

Table 4.15. The Child 2’s Commissive Speech Act with All Addressees ... 40

Table 4.16. The Expressive Speech Act in the Conversation with Parents... 41

Table 4.17. The Expressive Speech Act in the Conversation with Siblings... 42

Table 4.1฀. The Expressive Speech Act in the Conversation with Peers ... 43

Table 4.19. The Child 1’s Expressive Speech Act ... 43

Table 4.20. The Child 2’s Expressive Speech Act ... 44

Table 4.21. The Total Percentage of Children’s Speech Acts Production ... 44

Table 4.22. The Total Percentage of Children’s Speech Acts ... 45

Table 4.23. The Way of Speech Acts in Conversation all Addressees ... 4฀

Table 4.24. The Reasons of Speech Acts Produced by Children ... 54

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฀IST OF APPENOICES

Pages Appendix 1. The Transcription of Children’s Conversation with Different

Addressees ... 65

Appendix 2. The Code and Coding Scheme ... 85

Appendix 3. The Transcription of Interview ... ฀3

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฀

฀HAPTER I

INTRODU฀TION

1.1 The Background of the Study

Young children use and understand different kinds of speech acts from

their beginning of communicative development (Rackoczy & Tomasello, 2009).

Children develop their understanding to speech acts along with their age

development. They also use various kinds of speech acts during their interaction

with different people in different situations. According to Arani (20฀2) children

tend to use directive speech act to peers and less to adult. Children, in his study,

apparently realize the distance among addressees and that they see the status of

the addresses.

Similarly, Anita (2009) who observed 3 – 5 year old children’s speech acts

found that children who are different by their age have not used the declarative

speech act yet and they use the directive more often. She highlighted it from the

point of view of the children’s egocentric thinking predominates.

Besides directive speech acts, in another particular setting, children also

use more representative speech acts during solitary play with peers, as shown in

the following conversation:

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house is supposed not to be located here, then you can go to my school)

Affan ฀ Yang kecil-kecil di siku (belakang) yang besar-besar di depan (sekolahnya), ya kan (young children go the school in the rear block, adults go the school in the front)

Nisa ฀ Semalam aku diapain sama abangku. Dikepuknya aku. Nggak diajak main-main. (My brother did something to me yesterday. He hit me after I refused him to play)

The conversation above shows that during solitary toy-play (the children

are together but play their own toys), children use more representative (assertive)

speech act, as most of the utterances produced by the children are informative.

The utterances like (a) Iya nanki aku sekolah di belakang, (b) Yang kecil-kecil di

siku (belakang) yang besar-besar di depan (sekolahnya), ya kan and (c) Semalam

aku diapain sama abangku, dikepuknya aku, nggak diajak main-main are

expressed in direct way. The type of speech acts is representative because they tell

the speakers’ belief. Mey (200฀) states that representative represents subjective

state of mind, the speaker who asserts a proposition as true, does so in force of his

or her belief. In this case, the children seem to be very eager to tell information to

their addressee as they must feel that they have the knowledge about it.

From their early age, children express their intentions by shouting, crying,

pointing, etc. for communicative purposes. In the case of possession, children

desire to take possession of an object and to maintain it for all the time to explore

it (touch it, move it, displace its pieces, suck it, etc.). Children can also respond by

act to a request like “Where’s khe door?” by typically pointing to the door or

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However, the communicative aspect is not limited only in those kinds of

action. Tomasello (2003) asserts that during conversation, children in the second

year of life make statements, issue requests and ask questions. Also, Dore (฀988)

suggests that children under five years old use primitive speech acts. The

primitive speech acts are labeling, repeating, requesting an action, requesting an

answer, calling, greeting, protesting, and practicing.

When children grow up and they are involved in conversation with many

levels of addresses, they learn that with different people different games to be

played, they also use different kinds of speech act. They become skilled to

differentiate the language use to different addressees. Interactions with siblings

are different from the ones with parents.

The researcher believes that in other settings of conversation with different

addressees such as conversation with peers in different settings, conversation with

parents and conversation with siblings will also result various findings. All kinds

of Speech Acts Theory suggested by Searle (฀969) namely assertive, declarative,

commissive, expressive and declarative predictedly occur in those conversations,

although one kind of speech acts, in particular situation can possibly occurs

dominantly.

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way of people speak in the conversation, whether they speak clearly, wordy or

indirectly (Rahardi, 2005). This situation then results various responses in the way

they want to affect others.

Observing Indonesian four-year-old children’s utterances in producing

speech act is very much interesting as the researcher will find that the children

will produce more kinds of speech acts and how environments contributes to the

way the children produce speech acts. Conversation with various sets of

addressee, allow children the opportunity to try out their skill in the challenging,

but familiar setting. Children, in the present time produce unpredictable utterances

that adult never imagine, if compared with children in the past. A four-year-old

child who produce an utterance such as “Udahlah, kalian berdua pergi aja” (Bokh

of you jusk go now) which is addressed to his parents has become very interesting

portion to have deeper investigation because for eastern people, such an utterances

is so unpredictable and is considered to be rude. However, many factors

contribute to cause such an unpredictable utterance.

Children’s ability in producing speech acts should, however, be followed

by listeners’ understanding about intended function by the producer so we will be

able to form the position of the speaker in the conversation. A communicative

conversation happens when speakers and listeners have sense in common that

both sides understand each other. Therefore, speakers and listeners are supposed

to respond each other in their turn and exchange with the needed information that

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1.2 The Problems of the Study

In relation to the background of the study, the problems of the study are

formulated as the following

฀ What types of speech acts are produced by four-year-old children to

different addressees?

฀ How are the speech acts produced?

฀ Why do the children produce the speech acts in the ways they are?

1.3 The Objectives of the Study

In relation to the problems of the study, the objectives of the study are

฀. to describe the kinds of speech acts produced by children of four years old,

2. to elaborate how the children produce the speech acts, and

3. to reason for the reasons of speech acts produced by the children.

1.4 The Scope of the Study

This study will investigate speech acts used by children who live in Jalan

Rel Bandar Khalifah Tembung. The focus is on the types of speech acts produced

by the children proposed by Searle (฀969) namely representative, directive,

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1.5 The Significance of the Study

Theoretically, findings of the study will add up more horizons in theories

of language acquisitions, specially pragmatics acquisition. The findings can also

be references for further studies.

Practically, the research findings can be made as a guideline for adults,

teachers, and especially parents who are concerned with early childhood education

in relation to speech acts production. It can be references in understanding,

assisting and facilitating children with appropriate language use process in

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฀HAPTER V

฀ON฀LUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS

5.1 ฀onclusions

After analyzing the Speech Acts used by four-year-old children during their

conversation with different addressees i.e. with parents, siblings and peers,

conclusions are drawn as the followings:

1. There are four types of Speech Acts occur in children’s utterances, they are

representative, directive, commissive and expressive. Declarative speech act does

not occur in all conversation with different addressees because the children do not

have ability to fulfill all conditions of declarative speech act.

2. The process of the speech act produced by the children is realized in two ways,

namely direct and indirect. The most dominant is direct and least dominant is

indirect. Indirectness is processed to show politeness and the children’s pragmatic

competence. When having interaction with parents, the politeness strategy is

applied not only because they are speaking with someone older, but also to

emphasis children’s intimacy, closeness and relationship with parents.

3. The reasons of the speech acts are different depend on the addressees, gender,

status and situation or occasions. For example when children feel that they have

strong opinion, they convince the addressees that their opinion is true. Children

also have ability to narrate stories that are realized in representative speech act.

Directive speech act is mostly produced to direct addressees to do or to not do

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5.2 Suggestions

In relation to the conclusions, suggestions are staged as the followings:

1. It is suggested that further research will give more valuable result especially

different settings and occasions, for example children utterances during the play

time, bed time or meal time. Going to more specific speech acts production will

be more suggested too, because observing too many things results general

findings and it tend to be abstract.

2. It is advised that parents are aware with children’s language development. Parents

spend more time with children, therefore parents understand every single step of

children’s language development. Parent play a very important role in children’s

language development and ethics and meaningful.

3. It is expected that teachers do an effective communicative way with children by

considering that every child is unique, children are different in gender, children

also have different ability in language use including direct or indirectness and also

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