EUPHEMISM IN INDONESIAN NOVELS.

1HESIS

EUPHEMISM IN INDONESIAN NOVELS

Arranged and prop!Jsed

by :

Lanna Sari Putri Reg.No: 015010009

Has been defended before the Thesis Examination Committee

on

December 19 , 2003 and

declared to have fulfilled the requirements

Prof

M.

Silitonga, Ph.D

m

Head of English Applied Linguistics

r-Approved

By:

Director of Graduate Program UNIM

~~

ABSTRACT

Lanna Sari Putri. 2003. Euphemism in Indonesian Novels. S2 Thesis: English ·:

Applied linguistic Program of the State University of Medan (UNIMED) ··

The result of the findings give some implication to the study of figures of speech and conclusion and suggestion are directed to process of the euphemism. There were ten novels (five novels from Balai Pustat<:a Period and five from Contemporary Period). The classificatio of types of euphemism

is made based on Allan and Burridge's (1991: 14-20)' classification which

propose 16 types. The findings show that there are some differences on the

. . .

differences are based qn the frequency of using euphemism in which1 Balai

Pustaka Period domin.antly used figurative expressions and metaphors whereas the Contemporary Period dominantly use abbreviation and remodelling. Also the types of euphemism used in Balai Pustaka Period do not use acronyms, omission, general for specific, jargon, and colloquial whereas, the Contemporary Period do not use jargon. There are also similarities on the use of euphemism between Balai Pustaka and Contemporary Periods. The similarities are based on the frequency of using flippancy and circumlocution.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

In the name of Allah, The

Most

Gracious and The Most Merciful whom

she would like to bow her head and express very sincere gratitude, Allah the

Almighty who has given His Blessings her health, strength, and patience in

the process

of

completing this thesis.

She is most gratitude and would like to express

i

appreciation and gratitude to! the following persons : 0 t

Prof. M. Silitonga, Ph.D, her first consultant who in spite of his activities

has atways tried his very best to give special guidance,

encouragement, and suggestions for the improvement of her thesis.

2. Prof. Tina Mariany Arifin, MA, Ph.D, her second consultant who

despite her tight schedule can still share her valuable time in giving the

direct advice and encouraging her to finish her thesis.

Prof. Dr. Jawasi Naibaho. S.Pd, and Ora. Meisuri, MA as the Head and

Secretary of The English Applied Linguistic Program who have

assisted her in processing the administration requirement during the

process of her study in the S2 program.

Prof. D.P. Tampubolon, MA, Ph.D, Dr. Berlin Sibarani. M.Pd, and

Dr. Am.rin Saragih, MA, her reviewers for their suggestions. criticisms

and opinions for

the

improvement of this thesis

5. Ali Gaga Siregar, SH and Sulastri Panggabean, her beloved parents

who have given their love, patience, prayers and full support for the

completing of this S2 program as scheduled

6_ All the lecturers of The English Applied Linguistic Program of the State

University of Medan ( UNIMEO )

who

have given their valuable

knowledge to ber in their lectures.

All her friends, who have given her mental and spiritual,

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

APPROVAL .. ... ... ... .-.... ... .. ... ... .

TABLE

OF

CONTENTS...

ii

vi

CHAPTER

INTRODUCTION

1. 1. Background of the Research . . . .. . . .. . .. . . .. . 1

1. 2. Research Problems . . . .. . . 6

1.3.

Objectives of the Study... ...

7

1.4. Significance ofthe Study ... ... .. ... .

z

1.5. Theoretical Framework ... ... .. . REVIEW OF LITERATURE

2. 1. Theoretical Review ... ..

m

2.1.1

Figures that Emphasize Comparison ... .. 2. 1. 1. 1 Simile ... ... ..

2 .. t2

Figures Involving Association, ... ,...

12

2. 1.2. 1 Metonymy . .. . .. .. . ... . .. . .. .. ... . .. . . .. .. . .. .. ... .. 12

2.1. 2.2 Synecdoche ... ... 12

2.1.3 Figures that Stress a Personal Dimension ... 12

2.1.4 Figures Demanding Additions to Complete

the

Thought ... ~ .. . .. .. .... . . .. .. . .. . . .. .. . . . 13

Reversal of Meaning ... ... ... ·.i ... . . . ... ;.

2.1.5.1 Hyperbole .. ... .. ... .. .... .. ... . .. . ... .. . . .. . .. . . .. .. .. .. . 14

2.1.5.21rony... ... ... 14

2.1.6 Figures Involving Fullness of Thought... 14

2.1.6.1 Climax... ... ... .... ... .... ... 14

2.1. 7 Figures Involving Understatement... .... ... 15

2.1.

7. 1

Litotes or Meiosis ... .. 15

2.1.7.2 Euphemism ... . 15

2.1. 7 .2.1 Types of Euphemism ... ... ..

17

2. 1. 7.2.2 Function of Euphemism ... ... ... . 21

2. 1. 7 .2. 3 Meaning of Euphemism .. ... .. 21

2.2 Indonesian Novels . . . ... .. ... .. .. . .. .. . .... ... .. ... .. . .. . .. .... .. ... .. ... 23

2.2. 1.2 Marah Rusli ... .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. . . .. . .. . .. .. .. . . .. .. .. . 25

2.2. 1.3 Merari Siregar... ... .. . .. . . 25

2.2.1 .4 Tulis Sutan Sati... .. .... .. .. .. ... .. .. .. ... .. 25

2.2.1.5 Nur Sutaniskandar ... ... . _.. ... ... ... ... 26

2.2.2 Contemporary Period. ... 26

2.2.3 Language

Changes

from

the

Batai

Pustaka

to the Contemporary Periods...

21.

IJl

RESEARCH METHOD

. . . .. . . ~ • • •• • • • • • 0 • • -• • • • • • • • • • • •••• • • • • • •••••

-'S.2 soLrce of Data ... : ... ... ... ... : ... .

37

3.3 Technique of Analyzing the Data .... ... ... ... ... ... 3·8 FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS 4.1 Findings ... ... . ₄₀

4. 1.1 Euphemism in the Balai Pustaka Period ... .. ₄₃

4. 1.2 Euphemism in the Contemporary Period ... . ₄₃

4.1.3 Types of Euphemism in the Balai Pustaka Period ... ..

47

4. 1.4 Types of Euphemism in the Contemporary Period ....

49

Differences of Euphemism Used in the Bafai Pustaka and Contemporary Periods.... ... 50

4.1.5.1 The Difference on the Frequency of Occurences 50 4.1~.2 The Difference of The Application of 'The Types of Euphemism... ... . . .. .. .. . . 52

4 .1.6 The Similarit{es of Euphemism

ip

Balai Pustaka and Contemporary Period ... ... ,... 53

4.1.6.1 The Similarities on The Frequency of Occurences 53

4.6.2 The Similarities on the Types of Euphemism ... .. 54

4.2.1 Figurative Expression and Metaphor... 54

4.2.1.1 The Figurative Expression ... .... . .. 54

4.2.1.2 Metaphor... 55

4.2.2 Flippancy and Circumlocution ... . 4.2.2.1 Flippancy .. .... .. .... .. ... : .... .. 4.2.2.2 Circumlocution.. ... ... 57

4.2.2.3 The Reasons of Using Flippancy and Circumlocution ... ... .. 58

4.2.3 Acronym, Omission, General for Specific, and Colloquial... ... 59

4.2.3.1 Acronym... 59

4.2.3.2 Omission ... ... .

59

4.2.3.3 General for specific ... .

60

4.2.3.4 The Reasons of Using Acronym, Omission, General for Specific, and Colloquial ... . 60

4.2.4 Remodeling ... .

62

4.2.4.1 The Reasons for Using Remodeling.... ... 62

4.2.5 ~nderstatement .. ... ... 63

4.2.5.1 The Reasons for Using Understatement .. 63

4.2.6.1 The Reasons of not Using Jargon ... 65

V CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS

70

APPENDICES

.

.

APPENDIX

2

EUPHEMISM·IN CONTEMPORARY PERIOD .... 74

LIST OF TABLES

Tables: _Page

2.1

_{Types of Euphemism ... ... ... . 18}

2.2

_{The Percentage of Indonesian Vocabulary}

Derived

from Local Languages .. ... » . . . . 33

3.1

37

3.2 List of Contemporary Period

Euphemism in Contemporary Period.. .. ... .. ... ... 43

4.3 _{Types of Euphemism in Balai Pustaka Period .. ... .... ... ..}

48

4.4 _{Types of Euphemism in Contemporary Period ... ... ... . 49} The Differences of Euphemism

in Balai Pustaka and Contemporary Novels ... .... ... .

so

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Research

______

,_._.__,

M!LIK PERPUSTAKAA"' ·

UNIMEU

Human beings are social creatures, one needs to interact with another.

It seems that it impossible for us to live alone. They need each other.

Therefore, they make communication contact in . their lives. In the

communication process a tool is needed, that is a language.

By

using a

anguage, people can communicate and. deliver their messages directly or

send written messages.

However, since there are so many languages in the universe and the

process of communication has been widespread around. The human beings

are required to be able to speak at least one or more languages. Moreover,

the people from one country have their own language. This is true to the

Indonesia people who have a typical culture in their use of characterized

language by the way they use the language for communication. In the

Indonesian language for instance, it is recognized the term of social classes.

When a younger speaker wants to speak to the older ones, then he/she

should use polite words to appreciate the audience and this is the cultural

realization in terms of communicalion and in terms of using the language.

lndo ~ esian people give special appreciation on the way they speak

and in what utterance they use. There is something that they cannot say

2

directly but rather use other expressions which show that they are very polite

persons. For example, it is impolite to say mati (die) to human being but they

should say meninggal or wafat (pass away) which implies the same

meaning as the former one. The word mati (die) is appropriate for animal.

The use of utterance implies that in the Indonesian culture there are

many things

that

should be expressed in certain ways. In other words, there

are so many euphemistic expressions in the Indonesian language. Siregar

1995: 94) states that the Indonesia~ people tend to say indirectly to their

main points of what they would like to say. They tend to go round which

requires the ability to understand the context of the communication so that the

audience will understand the meaning of the spoken words.

In speaking, the Indonesian people tend to select appropriate words,

not only in terms of literal meaning but also in politeness. This indicates that

the Indonesian people use figures of speech in their communication not only

in oral communication but also in written one. For example: it is more polite to

say koruptor (corrupt or) rather than to say pencuri uang negara (thief of

government's money).

Figures of speech are words or groups of words used to give partic~lar

emphasis to an idea or sentiment. The writer uses language in a creative way

(not in the literal sense) in order to give the reader a mental image. The

figures of speect) are forms of expression in which words are used differently

3

A figures of speech expresses an idea or experience vividly, forcefully,

and briefly. It has the quality of freshness about it. Sometimes figures of

speech may seem even more direct than literal language because it helps the

reader grasp important ideas immediately. Croll (

1986 :

65) state that figures

of speech are forms of expression that depart from normal word or sentence

order or from the common literal meanings for words, for the

Many traditional languages divided linguistic expressions into two

classes: literal and figurative expression.The words in literal expressions

denote what they mean according to common or dictionary usage, while

words in figurative expressions denote something other than what they mean

according to common or dictionary usage. Often, in this framework, a

particular instance of figurative language can/must be reduced to literal

language in order to find out what the expression might be intended to mean.

The literal meaning of a particular figure of speech is clearer. For

example : The ground is dry. The literal meaning is clearer, because the

fact that the ground cannot literally feel thirst is just common sense.

The literal meaning of a particular figure of speech is less clear. The

figure, "When I t;rst saw her, my soul began to quiver'' might be intended mean, "When I first saw her, I began to fall in love," or "When

r

first saw

her, I began to panic," or something else. The literal meaning is less clear,

4

meaning" is not a special sort of meaning; it is only the meaning we are most

likely to assign to a word or phrase if

we

know nothing about the context in

which it is used. Expression said to be in figurative language are called

figures of speech.

There are twelve types of figures of speech which are categorized

based on the function of the figures of speech in communication to: (a.)

emphasize com~arison: Simile and Metaphor. (b.) involve association :

Metonymy and Synecdoche. (c.) stress a personal dimension: Personification

and Apostrophe. (d.) demand additions to complete the thought: Ellipsis. (e.)

Understatement: litotes or Meiosis and Euphemism (f.) an intensification or

reversal of meaning: Hyperbole and Irony. (g.) involve fullness of thought:

Climax.

Most important, they have an essenttal aesthetic purpose, widening

and deepening the range of perception and response to the world of objects

and ideas . The one type of figures of speech is euphemism. Euphemism is a

word or phrase which substitute a taboo word or it is used to avoid something

frightening and unpleasant (Fromkin and Rodman, 1997: 96). The use of

euphemism depends on the cultural background of the persons. Therefore,

different period will have different styles on the use of euphemism. For

example: in the Contemporary Period, there is an abbreviation of ABG (Anak

Baru Gede-Teenagers). This word did not exist in the Balai Pustaka Period.

5

but it does not exist in the Contemporary Period. Period is the classification of

time in which the Indonesian writers published their books. The classification

is basically based on the main characteristics of certain time. There are five

periods in the history of the Indonesian novels, namely : a. Balai Pustaka (

1908- 1929 ), b. Pujangga Baru ( 1930- 1944 ), c. The period of 45 {1945-1966 ), d. The period of 66 ({1945-1966- 1969), e. Contemporary ( 1970- now ). The present study focuses on the analysi~ of th~ use of euphemism in

written language, especially in the Indonesian novels, five from Balai Pustaka

Period and five from Contemporary Period. The reasons for choosing Balai

Pustaka and Contemporary Period are due to the following:

1. Balai Pustaka Period is the first period which the Indonesian writers

published their novels in one publisher company.

Balai Pustaka Period reflects the settings of the Indonesian language

used in that period, it is necessary to use the novels and being

compares them with the Contemporary novels in Contemporary

Period.

The five novels from Balai Pustaka Period are very popular Jor

Indonesian students, since the books are their reading in Indonesian

schools.

4. Some of the Balai Pustaka Period have been made in films and most

6

5. The five contemporary novels are the famous novels in this period.

Such: the novel Hidup Perlu Akar, Kembang Padang Kelabu and

Matahari di Batas Cakrawala were the novels taken from Femina

magazine. The novels are published in a continued-story version. So,

there are many readers that have already read the novels.

6. Cinta Seorang Play Boy has already been published in the form of

film and br9adcast~d in a national television channel ( TVRI ) .

The focus of this study has never been conducted especially on a

comparison between euphemism in the Balai Pustaka novels and

Contemporary novels.

1.2 Research Problems

The present study tries to answer the following questions:

What types of euphemism are used in novels of Balai Pustaka and

Contemporary Period?

What differences are there between the use of euphemism in the Balai

Pustaka and Contemporary Period?

What similarities are there between the use of euphemism in the Ba/ai

7

1.3 Objectives of the Research

The objectives of this research are to describe the:

1. types of euphemism used in Balai Pustaka and Contemporary Period.

2. differences of euphemism used in Balai Pustaka and Contemporary

Period.

3. similarities of euphemism used in Balai Pustaka and Contemporary

Period.

1.4 Significance of the Study

The findings of this research will be useful for those who want :

1. conduct the use of euphemism in Indonesian language.

research findings will be their valuable literature resources in their

study.

2. deepen understanding of the use of euphemism in lndonesiar-~

language and give contributions to the Indonesian language or

especially to the Indonesian novel writers. They can use appropriate

utterances.

3. better understand deeply on the characteristics of Indonesian novels.

1.5 Theoretical Framework

Tl:le theoretical framework of this research is based on the theory of

8

Burridge (1991: 3) Euphemism is characterized by avoidance language and evasive expression; that is, the speaker uses words as a protective shield

against the anger or disapproval of natural or supernatural beings.

In addition, the theory of this research refers to the research that was

conducted by Hanum (2002) on the use of euphemism in Malay culture.

· i

a

z

~

~

~

m

m

CHAPTERV

CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS

This thesis on

the

use of euphemism in Indonesian novets has

5.1 Conclusions

-- ---- ~~---- ~~~~ ~~e finffi~~ti~te~r ~ w~o~u~ld ~ li ~k¥e ~ to~pAr~aa~~~ ~~-- -- --~

conclusions as follows:

There are some differences on the use of euphemism between Balai

Pustaka and Contemporary Periods. The differences are based on the

frequency of using euphemism in which Balai Pustaka Period used

dominantly figurative expression (14.97%} whereas in the

z

Contemporary Period, it is used 3.94 % and metaphor 26.95% in Balai

Pustaka. and Contemporary Period, it is used 4.93 %, whereas the

Contemporary Period used dominantly abbreviation about 3. 94

%

whereas in Balai Pustaka Period, it is used 1.20 % and remodelling in

Contemporary Period is used 10.84 % but in Balai Pustaka Period is

used 1.80 %. The reasons for the differences were due to the fact that

the Balai Pustaka authors tended to use metaphor and figurative

expression more rather than Contemporary l?eriod in which they tried

to stimulate associations and emotions of the readers and the settings

68

in which the writers' live were emphasized on the pofiteness in

communication whether

it

is in writing or in speaking and the cultural

beliefs in Malay cuHure, that is they used taboo words for saying

certain words that are impolite

if

the

words are

said

literally. Also the

types of euphemism used in both periods in which Balai Pustaka

Period did not use acronyms, omission, general for Specific, jargon,

and colloquial whereas, contemporary period did not use jargon.

There are some similarities on the use of euphemism between Balai

Pustaka and Contemporary Periods. The similarities lie on the

frequency of using flippancy and circumlocution.

The use of acronym, omission, general for specific, remodelling, and colloquial dominantly in the Contemporary Period rather than in the

Balai Pustaka Period refers to the change of culture.

The conclusions have some suggestions, the suggestions are:

m

The students of language and art department are suggested to study

the difference and

the

similarities on the use

of

euphemism in

both

Balai

Pustaka and Contemporary Period.

By

learning those differences

and similarities,

the

students wilt ooderstand their prior culture and the

69

change of the culture from Balai Pustaka Period up to the

Contemporary Period.

2. Students of language

and

art department are also suggested to

fearn

intensively on the use of euphemi-sm depicted in the novels in Balai

Pustaka and Contemporary Period. By learning it in the Balai Pustaka

P$riod, then they are able to compare the expressions that.~re 'use~ in

.the prior time to their present day.

Further study should

be

conducted to investigate the following terms:

a. Indonesian language in Balai Pustaka Period is different from

that in Contemporary structurally, therefore, further research

should be conducted to find out the difference in structures

between Balai Pustaka and Contemporary Periods.

b. The diction in Balai Pustaka Period has some differences from

that of the Contemporary Period. Therefore, further research

should be conducted to find out the difference in choosii1S_

words for communication which are reflected in their novels.

c. Furtfl.er research also can be conducted to fL.nd out the

difference in meaning and function on the use of euphemism

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ti

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