THEME AND RHEME IN READING TEXT
OF SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL’S NATIONAL EXAMINATION
A THESIS
Submitted as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of Sarjana Pendidikan
By :
LESTARIA DOLOKSARIBU
Reg. Number 2113121038
ENGLISH AND LITERATURE DEPARTMENT
FACULTY OF LANGUAGES AND ARTS
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First of all, the writer would like to give a big deep thanks to God for the
blessing, guarding, guidance, and everything that have been given to the writer to
accomplish this thesis.
This thesis is aimed to fulfill one of the requirements to obtain the S1 degree
of Sarjana Pendidikan at English Department in Faculty of Languages and Arts, State
University of Medan.
In completing this thesis, the writer has received a lot of assistance and
academic support from some people. Therefore, the writer would like to express her
sincere gratitude, love and special thanks to :
Prof. Dr. Syawal Gultom, M.Pd., as the Rector of State University of
Medan.
Dr. Isda Pramuniati, M.Hum., the Dean of Faculty of Languages and Arts
State University of Medan and to all her staffs.
Prof. Dr. Hj. Sumarsih, M.Pd., as the Head of English Department, Dra.
Meisuri, M.A., the Secretary of English Department and Nora Ronita Dewi, S.Pd., S.S., M.Hum., as the Head of Education Program of English Department.
Prof. Dr. Lince Sihombing, M.Pd., as Thesis Advisor I. Tiarnita M.S.
Siregar, M.Hum as Thesis Advisor II.
Her beloved parents, P. Doloksaribu who went far away, Lince Mariani
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Her beloved brothers and younger sister; Alex, Hendra, Marihot and Ayu
Wandira for their support for her as long as the writer still in her education. Unforgettable, Her Spiritual Dad and Mom, S.L. Saragih and St. Edina Br.
Situmorang, S.Pd who never forget to pray for her family, education, and future together with their children Kiki, Theo and Maria.
Her beloved close family, Pt. M. Tarigan,Ss., I.M. Perangin-angin, S.Pd
and Rio March Tarigan who always love, help, support and pray for her
even in a deep trouble.
Her beloved foster mother, Renita Br. Silitonga, M.Pd and Juniati Br.
Hutagaol, M.Pd who help the writer’s financial, loving, praying, supporting and motivation in all her life.
The writer also says thanks for her best Berlina Munthe, S.Pd., M.Sc and
Dena Yossy Br. Siburian, S.E. who always helps her financial and support, pray and motivation since they known each other.
Her beloved friends: Meirita Pakpahan, Theresia Pakpahan, Devi
Nainggolan, Lewi Sidabutar, Yeni Yulianti Sianturi, Fibie Liona Pangaribuan, Ando Simanjuntak, Anak BEBEK, Chomz Gary Sibarani, Dzu Mirratin Firda Hidayat, Setrie Frimayri, and Dessy Dongoran, also says a big deep thanks again for others who cannot be mentioned here for
their support, information, encouragement, and beautiful day spent together.
Medan, August 2015 The Writer
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ABSTRACT
Doloksaribu, Lestaria. 2015. Theme and Rheme in Reading Text of Senior
High School’s National Examination. A Thesis. Faculty of Language and
Arts. State University of Medan.
This research was intended to describe the types and the ways how Theme and Rheme are used in Reading Text of Senior High School’s National Examination. This research was conducted by using descriptive qualitative method. The data were collected from thirteen different reading texts that consisted in English National Examination of Senior High School 2014 for science student program. The Findings indicate that structural theme is the most dominant elements of textual theme used, because there are so many compound clauses that combined together in which conjunction and wh-questions used. There are more unmarked theme in whole text rather than marked theme. It means that most of clauses are started by word or phrase that has function as a subject. This finding also shows that ideational theme is the dominant theme that used in whole reading text. It means that the text mostly give much information, it can be seen that almost of the clauses are declarative clauses.
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C. The Objectives of the Study...
D. The Scope of the Study ...
E. The Significances of the Study...
CHAPTER II. REVIEW OF LITURATURE... A. The Definition of Reading …...
a. The Reading Text ………...
b. The Element of Reading Text ……….
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3. Pattern of Theme and Rheme ………...
a. Characteristics of Theme ………..
b. Other Characteristics of Theme …………
c. Marked and Unmarked Theme ………….
a. Reading Text of National Examination
(UN) ………
b. Kinds of Reading Text in National
Examination (UN) ……….
C. Technique of Collecting Data ………..………
D. Technique of Analyzing Data …...
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b. The Analysis of Marked and Unmarked Theme
c. The Analysis of Textual Theme ……….
d. The Analysis of Text Types ………
C. Research Finding ………..
a. Theme in Reading Text of Senior High School’s
National Examination ……….
b. The Dominant Type of Theme used in Reading
Text based on the Text Types (Genre) ………..
c. Theme used in a Current Clause of Reading Text
d. Discussion ………...
CHAPTER V CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 2.1 The Representation of The Definition of Reading ...
Figure 2.2 The Realization of The Metafunctions in Structure …….
Figure 2.3 The Example of Text based on the Genre ...
Figure 2.4 The Example of Functional Text ...
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LIST OF APPENDICES
Appendix
1. The Analysis of Theme and Rheme ...
2. The Copy right of Reading Texts in English National
Examination 2015 Packet A for Science Student Program
………...
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CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
A. The Background of The Study
Teaching English in Indonesia is focused on the student’s ability in
communication. The communication can be in oral and or written forms. When
people speak or write, they produce text. The term ‘text’ refers to any instance or
language, in any medium, that makes sense to someone who knows the language..
Text is a rich, many faceted phenomenon that means in many different ways. It
can be explored from many main angles of vision: one, focus on the text as an
object in its own right; two different ways and from many different points of
view. But, we can distinguish two, focus on the text as an instrument for finding
out about something else (Halliday 2004:3).
Every text will be read by the readers, so do readers will read the reading
text. The more the readers read, the more information the readers get. However,
reading can be challenging, particularly when the material is unfamiliar, technical,
or complex. Moreover, for some readers, comprehension is always challenging.
They may understand each word separately, but linking them together into
meaningful ideas often doesn’t happen as it should. These readers can decode the
words, but have not developed sufficient skills to comprehend the underlying,
deeper meaning of the sentences, the paragraphs, and the entire text.
Comprehension refers to the ability to go beyond the words, to understand the
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Reading text is not only applied in newspaper, magazine, catalogue, novel
or letters but also in terms of education, the reading text can be found in science
book and students’ text book. The more familiar reading text, can be found in
English National Examination (UN) that always be held in every year. The UN
itself arranged by government in order to measure how well the students studied
before and to test them how far of knowledge they have known and understood of
the subject matter. Government in Indonesia realize that students who will
graduate from Senior High School have to be tested by National Examination
(UN). In other word, English as one of the subjects tested in UN sometimes makes
most of the students feel unhappy. They are afraid of facing the English UN either
before or while doing it. Some of them could not understand the questions, which
in turn causes some difficulties to get the correct answers. Moreover, they are
bothered of being unable to understand the whole meaning of the reading texts.
Therefore, long before UN comes, teachers have done their best efforts to
encourage students to perform better in UN. They get some extra time after the
class to deepen students’ understanding in regarding to the English material
besides other subjects tested in UN. Furthermore, a few weeks before UN being
held, the teachers make students study certain subjects examined in UN only.
Unfortunately, when students were facing the National Examination (UN),
particularly English subject, the students were so nervous and could not
concentrate well to got the correct answers. Solving this problem, students then
decided to do cheating. Even sometimes, teachers helped them in doing this by
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Both teachers and students did this wrong shortcut to make it easy for students to
pass UN. That is the problem that always appears in every year. As the writer’s
experience in teaching English course , most of students didn’t like to discuss
about reading text in UN. Students thought that it was very waste their time to
read the texts. Whereas, English is not as difficult as what they think. It is easy
and enjoyable besides challenging particularly dealing with UN. Most of the
questions are related to the reading text. So, the answers can be found either
intrinsically or extrinsically throughout the passage. As a result, it is not necessary
for them to understand all the words and the whole text to get the answer.
In English National Examination, almost the tests are form in reading text.
It is also shown in writer’s observation and experiences as an English course
teacher, it is known that the teaching of reading should be the priority for Senior
High School Students who will face the National Examination.
There are ten to fourteen reading texts that consist in one packet of the
English National Examination. Each text just for two or three questions.
Moreover, not all the texts are familiar to students’ knowledge. Even they know
the title of the text, it doesn’t mean that they know what the text talking about. It
can be because of the lack of their vocabulary, the concept of each texts and
disable to comprehend the text. So, How can they pass all the questions while the
government just provide two hour to finish fifty questions?”.
From the fact above, the writer knows that there is a big problem that have
to be solved here. The teacher should find out and apply the appropriate strategy
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know the key concept of each text. So that, they will be easier to finish the
National Examination on English subject in a limit time without translate the
whole text first.
Realizing that reading is very important to be discussed, it means that
everyone should consider that reading text is constructed from some sentences, so
do the sentences are constructed from clause or phrase in order to make the
readers easily to comprehend the text. In all languages the clause has the character
of a message: it has some form of organization whereby it fits in with, and
contributes to, the flow of discourse. But there are different ways in which this
may be achieved. According to Halliday (2004:64) in English, as in many other
languages, the clause is organized as a message by having a distinct status
assigned to one part of it. One part of the clause is enunciated as the theme; this
then combines with the remainder so that the two parts together constitute a
message.
Clause consists of a theme combined with a rheme and the structure is
expressed by order. The order for this is theme followed by rheme. According to
Halliday (2004:58), theme is the starting point of the clause, realized by whatever
element comes first, and rheme is the rest of the message, which provides the
additional information added to the starting point and which is available for
subsequent development in the text.
The combination of words, phrases, clauses, sentences, paragraphs, then
those become a reading text can be brought together through the language that
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major functional components called as language metafunctions. Three
metafunctions of language are identified by Halliday, namely (1) the ideational
(topical) function, (2) the interpersonal function and (3) the textual function
(Halliday, 2004:79).
Base on the three major functional components in language metafunction,
this research deals with textual function of reading text in Senior High School’s
National Examination(UN). Therefore, the research will be conducted for
analyzing the theme and rheme in Reading Text of Senior High School’s National
Examination base on the facts and theories above.
B. The Problems of The Study
Based on the background of the study above, the problems of the study are
formulated as following :
1. What types of Theme are used in Reading text of Senior High School’s
National Examination ?
2. In what genre of text the dominant type of Theme used ?
C. The Objective of The Study
In line with the problems of the study above, the objectives of this study
are :
1. To describe the types of Theme used in Reading text of Senior High
School’s National Examination,
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D. The Scope of The Study
This study is focused on the Textual Functions applied in Reading text of
Senior High School’s National Examination. The researcher chooses one packet
“A” of the National Examination in 2014 for science program . The concept of
Theme and Rheme are textual function which explains in the most general way
how a message is organized in language. The data will take from English teacher
who teaches in SMA Negeri 6 Binjai.
E. The Significances of The Study
The significances of this study are the following below :
1. This study is expected that this research would be known by Education
Government to evaluate the UN English Reading Text of SMA
become more effective to be tested.
2. This study is also expected the Education Government to find out the
standardize system on how the UN Test would be applied for the
students.
3. This study is expected to enrich Academic Students’ knowledge
through theories of Theme and Rheme as one of the realization of
metafunction and they would analyze other fields in case of to solve
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