REQUESTIVE SPEECH ACT USED BY MALE AND FEMALE AT PUSKESMAS.

REQUESTIVE SPEECH ACT USED BY MALE AND FEMALE

AT PUSKESMAS

A THESIS

Submitted to the English Applied Linguistics Study Program In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of

Magister Humaniora

By

NENY WIDYASARI

Registration Number : 8106112014

ENGLISH APPLIED LINGUISTICS STUDY PROGRAM

POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The writer would like to commence thanking Allah SWT the Almighty and

Most Beneficial for without her Guidance and Mercy for blessing her to complete

her project, her thesis would not have been completed. Her study is concerned on

Requestive Speech Act used by Male and Female at Puskesmas which is

submitted to Post Graduate School of State University of Medan in partial of

fulfillment of the final academic requirements to obtain the degree of Magister of

Humaniora from English Applied Linguistics.

First, the writer would like to express her best sincere gratitude to Prof. Dr. Lince Sihombing, M.Pd as her first adviser and her second adviser Dr. Anni Holila Pulungan, M.Hum for their valuable advice, guidance, constructive comments and precious time spent on supervising and commenting the process of

writing until it comes to its present form. Second, her special gratitude goes to the

head of English Applied Linguistics, Dr. Rahmad Husein, M.Ed, who has generously encouraged him in completing her study, all lectures, for the valuable

knowledge and instruction they have imparted to him during the years studying and

the librarians of the State University of Medan for lending some useful books and

sources that are needed in writing her thesis.

The writer would like to sincerely thank the anonymous Informants who

contributed suggestion, critic and advises to her study. My deepest gratitude goes

to Dr. Rahmad Husein, M.Ed, Prof. Dr. Busmin Gurning, M.Pd and Dr. Siti

Aisyah Ginting, M.Pd without their excellent academic guidance and support,

Then, a very special debt of gratitude is directed to her beloved big family of

grandfather Alm. H. (Purn) Letkol. CKU Soepardi, her beloved mother Hareni

Purwantiani, together with her beloved husband Suyono, S.Pd., and her beloved sister

Nirwanti Karina Ami Puti, S.Pd., and her beloved daughter Abidatun Mardhiyah and

Abidatun Husna for their full love, care, support, and prayers.

Finally, a special debt of gratitude is addressed to all of her friends of 18th_of

LTBI Unimed: Dini Febriani, Luhetri Manalu, Julia Ratih, Fitri Ayunisa, Nurhanna

Harahap, Hestika Ginting and her colleague in SMP Negeri 14 Binjai for their close

friendship and encouragement in finishing her thesis.

Last but not least, she must confess that she has done her most to accomplish

this thesis but she realizes that it is still far from being perfect. Therefore, any

constructive, criticisms, suggestion, or comments will be highly appreciated.

Langkat, February 2016 The writer,

NENY WIDYASARI

Registration Number : 8106112014

ABSTRACT

Widyasari, Neny. Requestive Speech Act used by Male and Female at Puskesmas. English Applied Linguistics Study Program. Postgraduate School. State University of Medan. 2016.

This thesis deals with Requestive Speech Act used by Male and Female at

Puskesmas. It specially focused on types of requestive speech act which were used

ABSTRAK

Widyasari, Neny. Tindak Tutur Permintaan yang digunakan oleh Laki-laki dan Perempuan di Puskesmas. Linguistik Terapan Bahasa Inggris. Sekolah Pascasarjana. Universitas Negeri Medan. 2016.

Tesis ini berkaitan dengan Tindak Tutur Permintaan yang digunakan oleh Laki-laki dan Perempuan di Puskesmas. Tesis ini difokuskan pada tipe –tipe tindak tutur permintaan yang digunakan oleh laki-laki dan perempuan di

Puskesmas, bagaimana dan mengapa tindak tutur permintaan yang digunakan oleh

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Pages

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ……….……….. i

ABSTRACT ……….…… iii

ABSTRAK……….iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS ……….………...…….v

LIST OF TABLES ………...………....vii

LIST OF APPENDICES ……….………...…..…….viii

LIST OF FIGURES …….………...…...……...ix

CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION………..……….. 1

1.1The Background of the Study……….…… ….. 1

1.2The Problems of the Study………..….. 7

1.3The Objectives of the Study……….. 7

1.4The Scope of the Study……….. .. 8

1.5The Significance of the Study……….. …..8

CHAPTER II. REVIEW OF LITERATURE……….. 9

2.1 Speech Acts……….… 9

2.1.1 Kinds of Speech Acts………... 9

2.1.2 Direct and Indirect Speech Acts……….11

2.2. Requestive Speech Act………... 13

2.2.1 Categories of Request Strategies………... 16

2.2.2 Directness Scale of Request ………..19

2.3 Social Distance………...………...24

2.4.1 Male and Female Speech Theory………27

2.5 PUSKESMAS……….………….………...…...29

2.6 Relevant Studies….……….……. .32

2.7 Conceptual Framework……….…….34

CHAPTER III. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY……….37

3.1 Research Design……….………...37

3.2 The Location of Research……….……….37

3.3 The Source of Data and Data…….……….………. 38

3.4 The Instrument of Data Collection……….……….. 39

3.5 Techniques of Data Collection ………….………....39

3.6 The Techniques of Data Analysis……….... 39

3.7 The Trustworthiness of the Study……….42

CHAPTER IV. DATA ANALYSIS, FINDING AND DISCUSSIONS……44

4.1 The Data Analysis………..44

4.2 Findings……….66

4.3 Discussions……….67

CHAPTER V. CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS………..72

5.1 Conclusions………...72

5.2 Suggestions………...……73

LIST OF TABLES

Table Pages

LIST OF APPENDICES

Appendix Pages

1. Pictures of Puskesmas Stabat in Langkat Regency ……….…....75

2. Transcript of Utterances by Male at Puskesmas………..…… 80

3. Transcript of Utterances by Female at Puskesmas………....87

4. Interview Transcripts………...…..96

5. The Data of Requestive Speech Act used by Male Informants……...…101

6. The Data of Requestive Speech Act used byFemale Informants……….103

7. The Analysis of Requestive Speech Act used by Male Informants at Puskesmas...105

8. The Analysis of Requestive Speech Act used by Female Informants at Puskesmas………...…………...107

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure Pages

1 The Illustration of Conceptual Framework………..……….36

2 Interactive Model of Data Analysis ………...………41

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION

1.1 The Background of the Study

A speech act is an utterance that serves a function in communication.

speech acts performed when someone offer an apology, greeting, request,

complaint, invitation, compliment, or refusal.

In order to ask something or to ask somebody to do something, people

often make requests. Request as one kind of speech acts that can be expressed in

various ways. People show their requests in order to ask information, ask help, ask

permission, and ask an addressee to do something for the speaker. When someone

asks something, for example,“can you sign this form?” he is making a request,

or,“ open your mouth?” he is also making a request.

Trosborg (1995: 187) points out that a request is “an illocutionary act

whereby a speaker (requester) conveys to a hearer (requestee) that he/she wants

the requestee to perform an act which is for the benefit of the speaker.” This study

deals with requestive speech act. It belongs to the category of directive. Searle

(1975: 359) classifies a request as a directive speech act: one whose illocutionary

purpose is to get the Hearer to do something. Searle describes a request

specifically as act which counts as an attempt to get Hearer (H) to do an act which

Speaker (S) wants H to do, and which S believes that H is able to do; and which it

is not obvious that H will do in the normal course of events or of H’s own accord

(Searle, 1969: 66). This notion of an “act” which S attempts to elicit from H may

utterance attempt to get someone to do something. The expression of asking

someone to do something can be express in many ways.

There are three types according to the level of directness scale proposed by

Blum Kulka’s theory (1989) the three types of requests include: direct requests

(D), conventionally-indirect strategies (CI), and non-conventionally indirect

(NCI) strategies (hints). Direct requests fall under five types namely: mood

derivable, performatives, hedges performatives, obligation statements, wants

statement. Conventionally indirect requests fall under two types namely

suggestory formulae, query-preparatory. Non-conventionally indirect requests

also fall under two types namely strong hints and mild hints.

Commonly, the various ways in making requests depend on the speaker

who knows the addressee prefers to use direct request in order to express their

request. The example of direct request is “leave me alone!” This utterance

includes in mood derivable because it has clear sign that the illocutionary forces

of the request and it is obviously seen from the grammatical mood of the verb. It

is different from the request strategy used by the speaker who feels weird to the

addressee; they will use indirect request strategy to show their request, such as

“how about cleaning up the kitchen?” This utterance is counted as suggestory

formula because the utterance expresses as a suggestion to do something or as a

means of framing routine formula. In conclusion, The more direct the request, the

more transparent it is, and the less of a burden that the recipient bears in

interpreting the request.

The representation of gender in language can be realized in the form of

male and female use language is different. Male speak clearly, directly and

unambiguously ways. It is because male language indicates their dominance and

they inclined show less solidarity to the other people. It is different from female

language. Females are more often using the languages which show the solidarity

and it would be seen more polite. In fact, both genders have different quality and

quantity of language choice to use. In this case, male’s and female’s ways of

making request are also expected to be different from each other.

Holmes (2001: 266) mentions that women tend to favors more polite and

less direct forms of directives than men. For example, in a study of doctors’

directives to patients, male doctors typically used imperatives (like Eat more

fruit), while female doctors used less direct forms (like Maybe you could try fresh

fruit for dessert)”. The choice of direct and indirect request usually based on the

social distance between informants, their relative status, and the formality of the

context. According to Holmes (2001), the social distance between the informants,

the relative status, and the formality of the context are usually relevant. These

factors affects on the suitable language choice. Holmes also added that request

become less direct when there are less familiarity, togetherness, and solidarity

between the speaker and the addressee.

Based on the preliminary observation, the researcher took one of examples

of requestive speech act used by male and female at Puskesmas. This conversation

happened between the administration staff (male) and the patient (female) in the

registration room at Puskesmas Stabat in Langkat District.

Staf administrasi : “Bu bisa minta fotokopian KTP dan BPJS?” (Administration staff) (“Mom, can I ask KTP and BPJS’s photocopy?”) Pasien : “belum difotokopi pak”

Staf administrasi : fotokopi ya buk ! selembar saja. (Administration staff) (“Copy it, mom! Just one piece”)

Pasien : Aduh.. cemana ni pak kaki saya patah, ga bisa pulalah fotokopi cukup jauh. Mau minta rujukan pula ni pak.

(Patient) (“Ow... my leg is broken sir, I can’t copy it far enough. I

want to ask letter of recommendation, sir.”)

Staf administrasi : oh ya… (mengerti dan tidak meminta lagi fotokopian KTP dan BPJS)

(Administration staff) : (“oh I see…” (understand and not ask KTP and BPJS’s

photocopy anymore))

Based on the preliminary data above, the context is based on the

interaction between the administration staff to the patient in the registration room

to completed administration. In this case, the administration staff asked to

complete the administration of KTP and BPJS’s photocopy to the patient. The

utterance of “Can I ask KTP and BPJS’s photocopy” it used query preparatory. It

is to be said so because the utterance containing reference to preparatory

conditions (e.g., ability, willingness) as conventionalized in any specific language.

Then the utterance of “I want to ask letter of recommendation, sir”. It used want

statement. It is to be said so because the utterance shows the request strategies of

want statement which state the speaker’s desire that she wants to carries out the

act.

Based on this situation, the administration staff (male) and the patient

(female) in the registration room at Puskesmas, they make their request in

different ways when addressing to people. The administration staff (male) tends to

use more conventionally indirect request strategies in addressing to the patient by

means of query preparatory. It means that the administration staff (male) prefers

to resort to more conventionally indirect requests strategies when addressing to

the patient. While the patient (female) tends to use more direct strategies in

that the patient (female) prefer to resort to more direct request strategies when

addressing to the administration staff.

From the previous preliminary data, male tends to use more

conventionally indirect request strategies while female tends to use more direct

request strategies. This revealed that it is different from the theory which is

pointed out by Holmes (2001: 266) she mentions that women tend to favors more

polite and less direct forms of directives than men.

In requesting, male and female always faces several problems. One of

them is inappropriateness to perform requestive speech act will affect the

communication outcomes. The conversation may lead to an awkward situation

which is not realized by the speakers. “the appropriate usage and selection of

language in accordance with context and the ability to understand the social

conventions that govern communication” (Xiaole, 2009). When someone prefer

direct request it seems that face threatening act to the hearer. When a requester

makes request, he/she attempts to exercise direct power over the hearer, so in this

way, the requester has threatened the requestee’s negative face (Trosborg, 1995).

So, by studying and knowing how to make requests appropriately, of course, a

requester can minimize FTA toward the hearer.

There were some previous researchers have already done with the

discussion about requestive speech act. Prayogo, Tedjaatmadja and Maria (2013)

investigated request strategies used by five street dance group leaders to their

male and female members in the meetings. It was conducted to know the

influence of gender toward the request made by the leaders in the street dance

request uttered by the leaders. He found that the leaders mostly used the same

request strategy, which is direct strategy to both male and female members in the

meetings and the leaders used more indirect strategies, such as mild hints to the

female than the male members probably because the leaders tried to be more

polite to the female members

While in Hassal’s study (2003) here the focus was request strategies used

by an Australia English learner of Bahasa Indonesian. The data was elicited

through interactive role-play. He observed a high frequency of want statements in

the learner data suggesting that students’ resort to want statements when a

complication develops during the request speech event. In addition, Sofwan and

Rusmi (2011) investigated with request strategies realized by non-native speakers

of English by looking at the social variables of power, distance and rank of

imposition in the choice of request strategies. The findings showed that most of

the teachers utilized conventionally indirect strategies, followed by direct

strategies, and non-conventionally indirect strategies.

Then, Mardikayah and Noortyani, Rusma (2013) investigated the speech

act of clinicians and patients at the health center Peat Banjar District. The data in

this study was the utterances by physicians and patients in the health center. The

source of data obtained from physicians and patients in the form of speech

recordings and interviews. The result of this study concluded that directive speech

spoken male doctor is different from speech female doctors to patients of different

gender and age.

The result of previous researches above leads the researcher to conduct a

differences between male’s and female’s language is very interesting. Therefore,

the writer wants to do her study in the various way of making requests expressed

both by male and female especially at Puskesmas, because she wants to find out

whether or not the differences of gender also exist in this area. So, in this study

the researcher interest in requestive speech act used by male and female at

Puskesmas.

1.2 The Problems of the Study

Based on the background of the study above, the problems of the study

will be formulated as follows:

1) What types of requestive speech act are used by male and female at

Puskesmas?

2) How are those types of requestive speech act realized by male and female at

Puskesmas?

3) Why are requestive speech act realized the way they are?

1.3 The Objectives of the Study

In line with the problems, the objectives of the study are:

1) to investigate the types of requestive speech act used by male and female at

Puskesmas

2) to explain how those types of requestive speech act are realized by male and

female at Puskesmas

1.4 The Scope of the Study

This study is limited on requestive speech act particularly used by male

and female at Puskesmas which is located at Jl. Palang Merah Stabat, Langkat,

North Sumatra. It will investigate verbal interaction done by the doctors to the

patients.

The informants’ utterances will be analyzed based on the types of

requestive speech act stated by Blum Kulka (1989) namely (1) Direct requests fall

under five types namely: mood derivable, performatives, hedges performatives,

obligation statements, wants statement. (2) Conventionally indirect requests fall

under two types namely suggestory formulae, query-preparatory. (3)

Non-conventionally indirect requests also fall under two types namely strong hints and

mild hints.

1.5 The Significance of the Study

The findings of this study are expected to be useful for theoretically and

practically in some respects. Theoretically, the findings of this study will be

expected to enrich the theories of speech acts specifically requests, for students

who want to observe males’ and females’ language in making requests.

Practically, the findings are expected to be useful for other researchers

who are interested in analyzing requestive speech act used by male and female.

Firstly, for the students they can enrich their knowledge about requestive speech

act. Secondly, the result of this study can be a previous knowledge for the next

researcher who wants to gain a deep insight especially about requestive speech act

CHAPTER V

CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS

5.1 Conclusions

This study concerned on requestive speech act used by male and female at

Puskesmas. Based on the analysis, the conclusions were stated as the following:

1. All types of requests were used by male and female at Puskesmas.

They are direct, conventionally indirect and non-conventionally

indirect requests.

2. Male informants used direct requests in ways of mood derivable.

Conventionally indirect requests in ways of suggestory formulae and

query preparatory. Then, non-conventionally indirect requests in ways

of strong hints. While female informants used direct requests in ways

of mood derivable, obligation statement and want statement,

conventionally indirect requests in ways of suggestory formulae, query

preparatory and non-conventionally indirect requests in ways of strong

hints.

a. The reasons were as follows: first, direct request is the dominant one

that used by male and female in making requests. Both used direct

requests because the doctors kept efficiency in a short time to give

their services to their patients. So that they conveyed their request

clearly, briefly without ambiguity to avoid misinterpretation on the

patients’ mind so that the patients could understand clearly. Second,

are both different in quantities and the frequencies of using direct

requests. It is because when a male face a problem, he will respond to

it by giving advice or solution to the problem. It is different with

female; they are used to involve their feeling of sensitive and

solidarity, she will respond to it by offering matching troubles which

means that she understands and she can feel the same feeling. Third,

social distance was not influence on the linguistic choices in making

requests.

5.2 Suggestions

In relation to the conclusions, suggestions are offered as the following:

1. It is suggested to the doctors to spend more time to the patients in order to

get more indirect requestive speech act that is conventionally indirect and

non-conventionally indirect request.

2. The linguistic choices of the types of requests used by male and female

trigger the doctors to give polite requests that is indirect requests in order

the patients will be recovered by the polite request utterances as the law of

attraction in healing themselves.

3. Further research needs to be conducted in other social interactions except

gender and social distance to enrich the researchers and the readers’

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