A Thesis
THE USE OF SWEAR WORDS IN THE MOVIES
WITH DIFFERENT TOPICS AND
CHARACTERS
By :
RIZKI RINALDI
Registration Number 8136112073
ENGLISH APLLIED LINGUISTICS STUDY
PROGRAM
POST GRADUATE PROGRAM
i ABSTRACT
Rizki Rinaldi, Registration Number : 8136112073. The Use Of Swear Word With Different Topics And Characters. A Thesis. English Applied Linguistics Study Program, Post Graduate School, State University Of Medan. 2016
ii
ABSTRAK
Rizki Rinaldi, NIM : 8136112073. Penggunaan kata-kata makian didalam film dengan perbedaan topic dan karakter. Thesis. Linguistic terapan bahasa inggris, sekolah pasca sarjana, universitas negeri medan. 2016
iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
In the name of ALLAH SWT, the most gracious and merciful, all praise
for His mercy, guidance, and loving care which have been given to the writer so
this thesis could be completed. This thesis is a scientific writing that has to be
completed in order to fulfill one of the academic requirements for the degree of
Magister Humaniora at the English Applied Linguistics Study Program;
Postgraduate School, State University of Medan. It has also shown the
responsibility and capability of the writer as an academician to be able to conduct
a research which would contribute to the development of scientific knowledge.
However, without the assistance of those following numbers of people
who have given valuable suggestions and useful influences on the writing of this
thesis, it would be much more difficult for the writer to finish his work. He is then
deeply thankful to these people and would like to express her sincere thanks.
The writer would like to deliver her grateful appreciation and gratitude to
her first advisor Prof.Dr. Berlin Sibarani, M.Pd., and her second advisor
Prof.Dr.Busmin Gurning, M.Pd. for their patient guidance, excellent advices, and
precious time in guiding his to complete this thesis.
His gratefulness also goes to the Head of English Applied Linguistics
Study Program, Dr.Rahmad Husein, M.Ed., and to Prof. Dr. H. Abdul Sibuea, as
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Furthermore, the writer would like to thank to Dr. Siti Aisyah, M.Pd.,
Prof.Dr. Lince Sihombing, M.Pd., and Dr.didik Santoso, M.Pd. for their
constructive comments and suggestions in advancing the thesis quality.
His deepest gratitude and incredible appreciations are presented to his
beloved parents, Alm Bachtiar and Ny Asnah, and beloved wife Rita Mauliana
S.Pdi who always support, pray, and motivate his in education.
Last but not least, the writer would like to thank to his beloved friends
Aulia Syaifuddin Panjaitan, Syahbuddin, Edi Zulfikar, Jupriaman, Ahmad Faisal
and All at LTBI B2 class who always help the writer, and the other friends who
did not mention yet. Thank you very much for their time to discuss and exchange
ideas while working on the thesis as well as their prayers, encouragement, and
support.
Medan, Januari 2017
The writer,
Rizki Rinaldi
v
2.1.3. Swearing is formulaic language ... 14
2.1.4. Swearing is emotive language ... 14
vi
4.3 Research findings ... 44
4.4 Discussion... 44
CHAPTER V CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTIONS ... 46
5.1 Conclusion ... 46
5.2 Suggestions ... 46
REFERENCES ... 47
vii
LIST OF DIAGRAM
viii
List Of Tables
Table 4.1 The Swear Word Used In Interjection... 30 Table 4.2 The Swear Word Used In Emphasizers... 31 Table 4.3 The Expletive Slot Fillers Are Using By Two Class Of Way ... 33 Table 4.4 the used of swear word by teenagers and adults in movies
ix
LIST OF APPENDICES
Appendix A data ... 48
Data I Jhony English ( good topics, adult ) ... 48
Data II Step Up 3D ( good topics, teenager ) ... 74
Data III Fast And Furious 5 (bad topics,adult ) ... 106
Data IV American Pie ( bad topics,teenager ) ... 138
Appendix B category of data ... 172
Data I Identification Of Swear Word In The Movie Of Jhony English ... 172
Data II Identification Of Swear Word In The Movie Of Step Up 3d ... 173
Data III Identification Of Swear Word In The Movie Of Fast And Furious 5 ... 175
Data IV Identification Of Swear Word In The Movie Of American Pie ... 187
1
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
Language is formed in the society. There is no language without society
and there is no society without language. Moreover, he explains that as language
and society are closely related, they are interdeterministic or interdependent in the
sense that they are mutually induced or affected; this is to say that at one time the
society or social context determines or depends on language and at another time in
its turn language determines or depends on the society or or social context. Such a
relation between language and society is known as construal-semiotic relation.
One of the implications of the construal semiotic relation is that things occuring in
the society or reality perceived being related to social needs are reflected in
language at one time. In other words, language induces social perception. This is
to say that once the social context has determined and shaped language, the
realization becomes the property of society. Consequently, speakers of language
use language as a means to perceive and interpret the realities either natural or
social realities.
The function of language is for communication. Communication as a form
of semiosis which is concerned with the exchange of any messages whatsoever
from the molecular code and the immunological properties of cells all the way
through to vocal sentences. Communication deals with the process of exchanging
information, ideas, thoughts, feelings, emotions through conversation, speech,
debate, signals, writing or behavior. In communication process, a sender encodes
2
decodes the language. Simply stated, language is regarded as a pair of glass
through which the speakers perceive the world.
Language is a means of communicating ideas and facts. In human society,
people need to understand and be understood, to have their feelings and ideas
recognized and acknowledged. Language is well equipped with this function. We
use language to express ourselves to others. We also need language in order to
important role in the process of social interaction. We are all intimate with at least
one language to cooperate and interact to a person or another one. We talk to our
friends, families and our association by using language as a medium. language in
society becomes a social marker. Social marker is an indication of who the people
are, what groups they belong to, how educated they are and their social relation to
others. Language is not simply a means of communicating information about a
subject, but it is also a very important means of establishing and maintaining
relationships with other people. Language is a purely human and non instinctive
method of communicating ideas, emotions, and desires by means of a system of
voluntarily produced symbols.
Language can serve the function of creating or maintaining social
relationship between speakers. We often use language for no other reason than
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involved. In this sense, language can act as a form of social bonding that links
people together. Language fulfils important contact uses. It helps us negotiate
the start and end of exchanges whether in spoken or written form.
By social function of language is meant the ways in which the language
spoken by a group of people is related to the group’s position and organization.
There is also a relation between language and thought, because when we
communicate with others we will use the language to express the mental content.
Language is simply a vehicle for the expression and transmision of ideas and that
its function merely tehnical in the mental life and material culture of the groups.
One of the general function of language is that it can help get rid of
nervous or phisical energy. This function is also known as the "emotive" or
"expressive" function of language. There are many emotive utterances in our
daily life, such as our expression of fear and affection, our involuntary verbal
reactions to beautiful things. For example, if we are watching a basketball
match on television we may well feel the urge at certain exciting moments in
the match to shout instructions to the player: "Shoot!". The instructions serve
no communicative purpose, but they allow us to release inner feelings.
Simply, language is commonly regarded as a tool of thought. When we
have ideas forming in our minds, we need to find the appropriate words to
express these ideas. In practice our ideas are coded in language. Although the
relationship between language and mind is complicated, speaking and writing
are forms of thought. This is why most people feel that they have not really
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Language powerfully conditions all our thinking about social problems
and processes. This explains why the systematic study of language necessarily
regards both cognition (the way in which language structures thoughts in the
human mind) and communication ( the way in which language serves social
interaction).
A great deal of what we say when angry is said simply to relieve our
physical and nervous energy caused by emotional distress. In addition, a great
deal of so-called 'bad language' or swearing fulfils this function. When people
are angry or frustrated, they may use swear words and obscenities. More often
than not, taboos are used because we need some linguistic expressions for the
outlet of our angry feelings.
The emotive functions of language as a tool to show one’s expression or
feeling of anger, happiness, sadness, and loneliness. In expressing it, people have
many ways of using language and one of them is by producing swearing words.
People always associate swear words with nasty words, which are not
allowed to be used in a conversation or talk. Swear words are fascinating. Society
condemns them, few admit use them, and still, everybody swears, at least
occasionally. In simple words, swear words are contradictive for people in
communication. Swearing makes many people upset, annoyed, insulted, mad or
even angry. It is really a verbal harassment if other people hear it.
Swearing draws upon such powerful and incongruous resonators as
religion, sex, madness, excretion, and nationality, encompassing an extraordinary
5
the casual and the impossible. It can be simplified that the usage of swearing will
give negative impacts on the hearers.
Swearwords have negative meanings because they are disgusting, rude,
and offensive. He also stated that most people found words such as fuck and cunt
offensive at least to a degree and associated negative ideas with those who used
such words. Then, in British English at least, a person who uses swearwords refer
to a person being, essentially, working class and, perhaps by extension, a person
who is distant from the power centre of society. Based on the statement above, it
can be concluded that the usage of swear words have negative effects for others
and for the people who use the words are considered the people from low class
people i.e. working class people.
Commonly, people do swearing because they feel angry or dislike to
something, be it adults or teenagers swear words issued typically use the same
words like fuck you and others. and it is agreed upon by all linguists who study
about swear words. but if we review further more and we look at each speaker has
a difference in the choice of words by age. teenagers usually more frequent use of
the words fuck you in choosing a swear word while adults very rarely using fuck
you but more often use words go to hell.
Swear words are a natural part of our language, and they are undoubtedly
one of the most efficient ways to do away with extra frustration or anger in
difficult situations. It is added by Hughes (1991) who said that people swear by,
people swear to (do something), people swear at (somebody or something) and
sometimes people swear simply out of exasperation. It has even been suggested
6
It means that because swearwords are still kind of our language, it is used by the
participants intentionally or unintentionally. It could be influenced by the feeling
of the participants themselves.
People know what nasty words are. Although they know the words but
they keep using it in communication. One of the ways is through swearing. Nasty
words are never studied in the school, universities, or classroom instruction and
how to use them in communication. It means that people know and get the swear
words are greatly influenced by their surrounding environments.
Swear words are not only used in negative meaning such as to insult
people, to hurt someone, to put someone’s down , but swear words can be used for
positive one also. The scientific evidence suggests swearing is good for you. We
are the only animal that can curse, he says, which sometimes help us avoid
physical violence. It allows us to express our emotions symbolically and at a
distance.
Jay says, for example, when a woman was weaving in front of him on that
road that morning, he was able to call her “dumb ass” instead of getting out of his
car and biting her. In addition, swearing is not always negative. It can be used to
“enhance group cohesiveness” which is code word for kicking back and relaxing
at lunch. It means that swear word can show familiarity, friendliness or identity
among one community.
Much of the increase in profanity has been attributed to the mass media,
with ‘Music, films, and television … [pushing] the boundaries of expletive use’
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(Hughes, 1991, p. 198) influence on American culture, as they are not only shown
in theaters but are seen by millions more on television and through video rentals.
The movie industry gave up a long time ago, although it is hard to pinpoint
the exact moment when profanity became mainstream in movies and television.
Those are two different histories, of course. Television was slower to accept
profanity because the television sits meekly in the home, as a family friend. Its
right to offend has never been universally accepted.
Movies, by tradition, required more effort. In 1970, if you didn't want to
hear f-- in a movie, you didn't buy a ticket to Robert Altman's M*A*S*H, the first
major studio film to use the word (when John Schuck, as Walter "Painless"
Waldowski, tells an opposing football player: "All right bud, your f--ing head is
coming right off").the spread of profanity in movies probably began in Britain,as
it did in literature. Two British films used f-- in 1967: a version of James Joyce's
Ulysses and the Michael Winner film I'll Never Forget What's'isname.
According to the Associated Press (2006), nearly three fourths of poll
respondents reported that they hear profanity more often than in years past and
some two thirds perceive that swearing has become more prevalent in society. As
Hilliard and Keith (2007, p. 117) suggest, “We live in what is generally regarded
as a crass culture,” and thus, must “expect that the media in that culture” be
equally coarse. While profanity has existedthroughout human history, it has
recently lost much of its status as a taboo linguistic practice, “becoming more
commonplace in everyday discourse as well as on network television” (Kay &
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movement in the 1960s and the women’s movement of the 1970s served as
catalysts for changing attitudes toward the use of profanity. Yet, as Sapolsky and
Kaye (2005) note, much of the blame for the increase in profanity has been
directed at the mass media, with “Music, films, and television. . .[pushing] the
boundaries of expletive use” (p. 293).
Jay’s (1992) content analysis of films made between 1939 and 1989 offers
some support for this claim, reporting a significant increase in the use of
profanity. More recently, Dufrene and Lehman (2002) reported a perception of
increased use of profanity in the everyday lives of Americans and in Hollywood
films and network television. Hollywood films have a deep influence on
American culture, as they are not only shown in theaters but are seen by millions
more on television and through video rentals (Waterman, 2005). Teenagers are
among those most often exposed—they are a targeted audience segment for movie
makers (Stern, 2005) because they comprise a significant and loyal portion of the
movie-going public (Smith, 2005). For this young, impressionable audience, the
media serves an important socializing function (Arnett, 1995), and researchers
report parental concern that children will adopt coarse language as a result of
media exposure (Bushman & Cantor, 2003).
Such concern is supported in part by Cultivation theory, which suggests
that heavy exposure to media messages will shape one’s view of reality. George
Gerbner and his colleagues (1986) see media sources as the dominant symbolic
environment for many people. According to this theory, media messages have a
significant impact in shaping or “cultivating” people’s views of social reality.
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program or film, but of the patterns or aggregate messages to which groups or
communities of viewers are exposed(Signorielli & Morgan, 2001). Applied to
adolescents’ long-term exposure to media messages, Cultivation theory would
posit a cumulative and significant effect on perceptions.
The potential for teens to model coarse expressions from the media is
explained in Bandura’s (1977) Social Learning theory. Bandura (1994) notes that
human learning is not acquired merely through direct experience, but through
observational learning, which allows us to change our behavior and thoughts as a
result of models we observe in the world around us, be they family, friends, or
people viewed in the mass media. The symbolic environment of the media can
potentially exercise a strong influence on adolescents’ behaviors. Sociologists
have also expressed concern that, with heavy exposure, coarse, violent, and
sexualized media messages—including profanity, which is considered a form of
verbal aggression—can desensitize media viewers (Griffiths & Shuckford, 1989;
Martin, Anderson, & Cos, 1997). For young, impressionable viewers, this is
especially true. The prevalence of profanity in the media and the Swearing in the
cinema ease with which such utterances can be imitated can influence the
likelihood of adolescents adopting such behavior.
In the movies that we watch everyday we hear so many actors use swear
words in various forms swear word, swear word that there is a form of taboo
words or swear words but the meaning of the word it is not for the swearing
opponent speech, but only to replace the original meaning of the swear word there
is also a form of formulaic language and the last one swear word as a emotive
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1.2 Problems of the Study
The problems of the study based on the previous explanation are
formulated in the form of research question as the following.
1. How are the swear words used?
2. Why are the swear words used the way they are?
1.3 Objectives of the Study
The objectives of the study based on previous problem formulation
formulated as :
1. to describe the realization of using swear words
2. to describe the reason why the types of swear words are used the way
they are
1.4 Scope of the Study
The study belongs to the scope of sociolinguistics. Sociolinguistics covers
a wide range of aspects, such as language shift, language maintenance, methapora,
politenes etc. This study is limited to the swear words and the factors determine it.
1.5 Significance of Study
The findings of the study will be expected to have theoretical and practical
significance for the readers and lingustic field
1. Practically: the reseacrh findings will be expected usefull to the readers
to know that the swear words in addition having a negative aspect also
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2. Theoretically: the findings will be concerned about the discourse
phenomena in the daily conversation, whatever the research result will
achieve it can be the enrichment in addition of the science of linguistic
theories in the study of swear words. may have been in a linguistic
study of swear words is not so noticed because of something that is
commonly heard and spoken in everyday life, then the research may be
able to addition of or knowledge about swear words and beneficial for
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CHAPTER V
CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTIONS
5.1 Conclusion
Based on the analysis, the conclusions were stated as following :
1. There are three ways of using swear words such as (1) Interjection, are
utterances of Swear Word expressing surprise, pain, fear, anger,
disappointment, even joy, emphatic, disagreement, incredulity, speaker
stance ( Ljung, 2011 ). (2) Emphasizer, swearing in English is often
used to place emphasis on a following noun ( Ljung,2011 ). In this
definition, emphasis is considered as giving stress on something., (3)
Expletive Slot Fillers, are expressions indicating a speaker attitude
towards something by using swear word. The function of the swear
word in the expression is to intensify the attitude. in each movies, but
from all of those ways, interjection is the most in each movies.
2. The reason of using the swear words of teeanger and adult in the
movies of good and bad topics is caused by the psychological and
social motives.
5.2 Suggestions
In relation to the conclusions, suggestion are offered as the following :
1. Since the subject of the research is limited to the movies with different
topic, it is suggested to other researchers to research about swear words
46
suggested to the other researcher who are taking and conducting the
swear words to find another reasons of causing the swear words.
2. To the film producer are suggested not to use the swear word too much
because the people who wacth the movies will be follow that swear
word.
3. To the lecturers are suggested to never use the swear word in the class
or when having conversation with the students since teachers and
