Grammatical errors in will I am`s songs.

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ABSTRACT

FENETTA, ALEXANDRA. Grammatical Errors in Will I Am’s Songs. Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2016.

People need grammar to understand a language and its meaning. Grammar contains the rules of combining word, phrase, clause, and sentence structures properly. The error of understanding the grammar in the language can influence their speech and written aspects. In some cases, the use of grammar follows a certain principle of language, for instance in the process of song writing.

Because Will I Am’s songs have two different characteristics of language, they trigger the researcher to see the numbers of grammatical errors in his songs. Will I Am

is one of famous singers and song writers in America. There are two objectives that are formulated in this research. The first objective is to find out the types of found in “Feeling My Self”, “I like to Move it”, and “The Travelling Song”. They are included in the informal theme, which means they do not follow America Standard English. On the other hand, the songs that have a less number of grammar errors are “We are the Ones” and “Yes We can”. They are included in the formal theme.

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ABSTRAK

FENETTA, ALEXANDRA. Grammatical Errors in Will I Am’s Songs. Yogyakarta: Jurusan Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2016.

Tata bahasa dibutuhkan oleh masyarakat agar dapat memahami bahasa dan makna yang terkandung di dalamnya. Tata bahasa berisi aturan untuk menyatukan struktur kata, frase, klausa, dan kalimat dengan baik. Kesalahan dalam pemahaman tata bahasa dapat mempengaruhi kemampuan berbicara dan menulis seseorang. Di dalam kondisi tertentu, penggunaan tata bahasa seseorang mengikuti kaidah bahasa tertentu, seperti yang terdapat di dalam penulisan lagu.

Lagu Will I Am memiliki dua karakter bahasa yang berbeda,sehingga hal ini mendorong peneliti untuk melihat seberapa banyak jumlah kesalahan tata bahasa di dalam lagunya. Will I Am merupakan salah satu penyanyi dan pencipta lagu yang terkenal di Amerika. Di dalam penelitian ini terdapat dua tujuan yang dibahas. Tujuan pertama adalah menemukan jenis kesalahan tata bahasa yang terdapat di dalam lagu Will I Am yang dianalisis menggunakan pendekatan morfologi dan sintaksis. Tujuan kedua adalah menemukan faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi kesalahan tata bahasa di dalam lagu Will I Am yang dianalisis menggunakan pendekatan sosiolinguistik.

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GRAMMATICAL ERRORS IN WILL I AM

‟S

SONGS

AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS

Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra

in English Letters

By

ALEXANDRA FENETTA

Student Number: 124214027

ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS

FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY

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ii

GRAMMATICAL ERRORS IN WILL I AM

‟S

SONGS

AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS

Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra

in English Letters

By

ALEXANDRA FENETTA

Student Number: 124214027

ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS

FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY

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iii

A Sarjana Sastra Undergraduate Thesis

GRAMMATICAL ERRORS IN WILL I AM

‟S

SONGS

By

ALEXANDRA FENETTA Student Number: 124214027

Approved by

Anna Fitriati, S.Pd., M.Hum. May 30th, 2016

Advisor

Dr. Bernardine Ria Lestari, M.Sc. June 24th, 2016

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iv

A Sarjana Sastra Undergraduate Thesis

GRAMMATICAL ERRORS IN

WILL I AM’

S SONGS

By

ALEXANDRA FENETTA Student Number: 124214027

Defended before the Board of Examiners on July 25th, 2016

and Declared Acceptable

BOARD OF EXAMINERS

Name Signature

Chairperson :Dr. F.X. Siswadi, M.A.

Secretary :Dra. A.B, Sri Mulyani, M.A., Ph.D. Member 1 :Wedhowerti, S.Pd., M.Hum.

Member 2 :Anna Fitriati, S.Pd., M.Hum. Member 3 :Dr. Bernardine Ria Lestari, M.Sc.

Yogyakarta, July 26th, 2016 Faculty of Letters Sanata Dharma University

Dean

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v

STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY

I certify that this undergraduate thesis contains no material which has been previously submitted for the award of any degree at any university, and that, to the best of my knowledge, this undergraduate thesis contains no material previously written by any other person except where due reference is made in the text of undergraduate thesis.

Yogyakarta, July 25th, 2016

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vi

LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIS

Yang bertanda tangan di bawah ini, saya mahasiswaUniversitas Sanata Dharma

Nama : Alexandra Fenetta

NomorMahasiswa : 124214027

Demi pengembangan ilmu pengetahuan, saya memberikan kepada Perpustakan Universitas Sanata Dharma, karya ilmiah yang berjudul

GRAMMATICAL ERRORS IN WILL I AM

‟S

SONGS

Beserta perangkat yang diperlukan (bila ada). Dengan demikian saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma hak untuk menyimpan, mengalihkan dalam bentuk media lain, mengelolanya dalam bentuk pangkalan data, mendistribusikan secara terbatas, dan mempublikasikannya di internet atau media lain untuk kepentingan akademis tanpa perlu meminta ijin kepada saya maupun memberikan royalti kepada saya selama tetap mencatumkan nama saya sebagai penulis.

Demikian pernyataan ini saya buat dengan sebenarnya.

Dibuat di Yogyakarta Pada tanggal: 25 Juli 2016

Yang menyatakan,

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vii

Keep your face to

the sunshine

and you can never see

the shadow

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viii

For My Beloved

Parents and

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ix

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Firstly, I would like to say my greatest gratitude to Jesus Christ. Because of His kindness, blessing, and mercy, I am given an opportunity to be able to finish my study of bachelor degree. He guides me whenever I get down. Without Him, I mean nothing.

Secondly, I would like to thank Anna Fitriati, S.Pd., M.Hum as my thesis advisor. Because of her kindness and patience, I am able to finish my study well. Furthermore, I would like to thank my co-advisor Dr. Bernadine Ria Lestari, M.Sc. who gives me lots of advices and suggestions that make my thesis better.

Thirdly, I would like to say thanks to papa, mama, Lia, Asmara and his family. They always give me supports and encouragements to finish my study. They always cheer me up whenever I feel hopeless. Thanks for giving me your supports and prayers.

Fourthly, I would like to thank Widya, Yola, Irma, Priska, Carol, Gusti, Kristop, Christel, Della, Septi, Arum, Christine, Tiwi, Dikta, and Moren as my bestfriends. Thanks for giving me the enlightenment for finishing my study.

Lastly, I would like to thank my closest mates in college. They are Dian, Tjia, Ndoi, and Rany. Thanks for your care and supports.

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x

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1 The Distribution of Errors in Morphology ... 20

Table 2 The Distribution of Errors in Syntax ... 20

Table 3 Grammatical Error in Indefinite Article Incorrect ... 34

Table 4 Grammatical Error in Possessive Case Incorrect ... 35

Table 5 Grammatical Error in Third Person Singular Verb Incorrect ... 36

Table 6 Grammatical Error in Determiner ... 38

Table 7 Grammatical Error in Nominalization ... 40

Table 8 Grammatical Error in Number ... 42

Table 9 Grammatical Error in Use of Pronoun ... 44

Table 10 Grammatical Error in Use of Preposition ... 46

Table 11 Grammatical Error in Omission of Verb... 47

Table 12 Grammatical Error in Use of Progressive Tense ... 50

Table 13 Grammatical Error in Agreement of Subject and Verb ... 52

Table 14 Grammatical Error in Transformation ... 54

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xiv

ABSTRACT

FENETTA, ALEXANDRA. Grammatical Errors in Will I Am‟s Songs. Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2016.

People need grammar to understand a language and its meaning. Grammar contains the rules of combining word, phrase, clause, and sentence structures properly. The error of understanding the grammar in the language can influence their speech and written aspects. In some cases, the use of grammar follows a certain principle of language, for instance in the process of song writing.

Because Will I Am’s songs have two different characteristics of language, they trigger the researcher to see the numbers of grammatical errors in his songs. Will I Am

is one of famous singers and song writers in America. There are two objectives that are formulated in this research. The first objective is to find out the types of Standard English. On the other hand, the songs that have a less number of grammar errors are “We are the Ones” and “Yes We can”. They are included in the formal theme.

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xv

ABSTRAK

FENETTA, ALEXANDRA. Grammatical Errors in Will I Am‟s Songs. Yogyakarta: Jurusan Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2016.

Tata bahasa dibutuhkan oleh masyarakat agar dapat memahami bahasa dan makna yang terkandung di dalamnya. Tata bahasa berisi aturan untuk menyatukan struktur kata, frase, klausa, dan kalimat dengan baik. Kesalahan dalam pemahaman tata bahasa dapat mempengaruhi kemampuan berbicara dan menulis seseorang. Di dalam kondisi tertentu, penggunaan tata bahasa seseorang mengikuti kaidah bahasa tertentu, seperti yang terdapat di dalam penulisan lagu.

Lagu Will I Am memiliki dua karakter bahasa yang berbeda,sehingga hal ini mendorong peneliti untuk melihat seberapa banyak jumlah kesalahan tata bahasa di dalam lagunya. Will I Am merupakan salah satu penyanyi dan pencipta lagu yang terkenal di Amerika. Di dalam penelitian ini terdapat dua tujuan yang dibahas. Tujuan pertama adalah menemukan jenis kesalahan tata bahasa yang terdapat di dalam lagu Will I Am yang dianalisis menggunakan pendekatan morfologi dan sintaksis. Tujuan kedua adalah menemukan faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi kesalahan tata bahasa di dalam lagu Will I Am yang dianalisis menggunakan pendekatan sosiolinguistik.

Penelitian ini menggunakan lima lagu yang dikumpulkan dengan menggunakan sampel purposif. Hal ini bertujuan untuk melihat dua jenis lagu yang berbeda dalam lagu Will I Am. Dari hasil analisis ditemukan bahwa terdapat delapan belas kesalahan tata bahasa di kategori morfologi dan lima puluh tiga kesalahan tata bahasa di kategori sintaksis. Jumlah kesalahan tata bahasa yang banyak ditemukan terdapat di Feeling My Self”, “I like to Move it”, dan “The Travelling Song”. Ketiga lagu tersebut termasuk di dalam kategori tema lagu yang bersifat informal yang tidak mempertimbangkan Bahasa Inggris Amerika. Sedangkan, lagu-lagu yang memiliki sedikit kesalahan tata bahasa terdapat di “We are the Ones” dan “Yes We

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1

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

A. Background of the Study

Language is a fundamental medium for people to communicate to each other. It is a system which helps people to deliver the information. Language has a prominent function to express feelings, thoughts, and ideas. It triggers people to carry out messages and understand them.

Furthermore, language enables people to denote a personal’s identity. People can communicate with others by using their own style of language. It will trigger people to create language varieties while conveying the message. The influence of language towards the personal’s identity is quite powerful. Language can assess either their culture or their background through people’s utterances. The example is by choosing certain words that become a characteristic of a group.

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While conveying the message, people unconsciously make errors in their utterances. Error is the deviation process for learners to develop rules of language (Corder,1967: 52). It means that the mistakes people make ask them to understand more rules of certain languages. However, there are many factors causing the errors, for instance is the lack of knowledge. It will affect their competence in the process of communication.

This research aims to analyze errors of words, phrases, clauses, and sentences found in Will I Am’s songs. The research employs three distinctive studies as the principle of theoretical grounds. The studies include morphology, syntax and sociolinguistics. Morphology and syntax will give a profound understanding towards the categorization of grammar errors in Will I Am’s songs. The research overwhelms eleven types of grammar errors such as noun phrase errors, verb phrase errors and word order errors. Furthermore, the processes of grammar errors are categorized into four types of strategies namely omission, addition, misformation, and misordering.

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B. Problem Formulation

There are two problems that will be discussed in the study. The problems are presented as follows:

1. What are the types of grammatical error in Will I Am’s songs?

2. What are possible factors that contribute to the errors in Will I Am’s songs?

C. Objectives of the Study

There are two objectives that will be analyzed in this research. The first goal is to observe profoundly grammatical errors in Will I Am’s songs. There are many grammatical errors that are found in phrases, clauses, and sentences. The errors are taken from pieces of song stanza in Will I Am’s songs. Moreover, the songs are not taken from specified albums in this research. The research aims to see the grammatical errors that are found in each album, soundtrack, and single. The

second goal is to see the possible causes of the grammar errors that appear in Will I

Am’s songs. The research employs the biography of William Adams or Will I Am’s

life and his profession. His biography has a crucial role in finding out certain characteristics of language that are used in his songs. In this case, the writer emphasizes how certain conditions influence his language use in the song writing.

D. Definition of Terms

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African American Vernacular English. The first terminology is grammar. According to Radford, grammar is a study that contains rules to form words into phrases and sentences. People are encouraged to construct sentence structures properly. Moreover, they are encouraged to understand the meanings of words, phrases, and sentences (1997: 2).

The second terminology is error. The error is defined as “the systematic

deviations due to the fact that learner is still developing of the language rule system” (Corder, 1967: 52). It means that there is a process of violating the rules of language in the communication process. People are encouraged to be accustomed to the system of language rules.

The third terminology is National Standards of English. The term is generally recognized as the acceptable English that is used as the communication process in English speaking countries (Quirk et al, 1974: 17). It means that by using certain Standard English, people whose various culture can understand others because they share similar set rules of English and similar meanings. In this research, it specifies American English as the basic rules to analyze the data. This research uses American English because the grammar rules that are applied in Will I Am’s songs tend to use principles of American English.

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6

CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

A. Review of Related Studies

In this part, there are three studies from previous researchers that contribute to this research. The studies conduct two types of discussions which are grammatical errors and African American Vernacular English. The related studies find out criticisms as the basic fundamental of the analysis. The criticisms trigger the researcher to state opinions. They help this research to develop ideas of the topic.

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On the other hand, she analyzes the errors of phrase, clause and sentence constructions in the syntactical aspect. The example of the error is after getting the script from the internet, the writer will check it while he watching the film (2003: 77). According to the case, there is a mistake on finite clause. It is an omission on to be after personal pronoun he. She puts the correctness of the error which is after getting the script from the internet, the writer will check it while he is watching the film. Furthermore, to describe the errors, Mardijono uses the theory of surface strategy taxonomy from Dulay, Burt, and Karshen’s theory. Based on the theory, she sees the process of sentence structures can change. The example of the analysis is in personal way (2003: 77). In this case, there is an omission of determiner to denote a singular object. Omission is one of processes in surface strategy taxonomy that produces the error of noun phrase.

The contribution of her study into this research lies on the use of theories. The theories that are used are linguistic category taxonomy and surface category taxonomy. This research takes Politzer and Ramirez’s theory by finding the errors from morphological and syntactical analyzes. Moreover, the process of changing sentence structures is seen by the theory of surface category taxonomy by Dulay,

Burt, and Krashen’s theory (2003: 81). As a result, the writer aims to conduct the

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The difference between Mardijono’s research and this research lies on the discussion of the study. This research explains how the grammar errors occur by seeing the background of Will I Am, yet Mardijono does not explain what aspects contribute to the errors. She does not provide the student’s backgrounds in analyzing

the data. The student’s background is very essential in forming the grammatical

errors. By understanding their backgrounds, Mardijono can understand the weakness

towards students’ grammatical performance in their proposals. Therefore, this study

is more extensive in terms of analyzing the background that contributes to the grammatical errors.

The second research is entitled A Phonological Analysis of Black English in

50 Cent‟s Song Lyrics in the Album „Curtis‟ by Estu Kuncoro Ismartono in 2009. The purpose of her research is to find out phonological processes and phonological

characteristics in 50 Cent’s Song. Ismartono lists characteristics of Black English

words in eighteen songs of 50 Cent. She provides the general rule of Black English linguistic features. The data analysis also compares with the linguistic system of Standard English (Ismartono, 2009: 34).

Furthermore, Ismartono provides the history of African American Vernacular to emphasize the language system (2009: 8). However, there is a prominent

difference found between Ismartono’s research and this research. The prominent

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This research aims to create a new study towards African American Vernacular English (AAVE). Ismartono inspires this research to analyze the language system of Black English through songs. She explains the language system of AAVE by seeing the linguistic features of phonetics and phonology. She provides the background of 50 Cent to find out what factors contribute to the language system. However, this research analyzes AAVE language system by seeing the linguistic features of morphology and syntax. In addition, this research provides Will I Am’s background to find out the factors that contribute to his language use in his songs.

The last research is entitled African American Vernacular English as Seen in

A Novel “The Help” by Kathyrn Stockett (2009) by Tifanny Hanna Pratiwi in 2015. She aims to analyze linguistic features of African American Vernacular English and the speech acts of two distinctive cultures among characters in the novel. She discusses three linguistic features of African American Vernacular English (AAVE) that are syntactical features, phonological features, and lexical features. Pratiwi contributes a theory of AAVE which presents classifications of African American Vernacular English linguistic features, for instance analyzing verbal tense marking, noun and pronoun in the syntactical features. Furthermore, she analyzes the speech theory to discuss the ways of conversation toward two distinctive cultures among the speakers (Pratiwi, 2015: 14).

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author’s background is necessary to be provided to explain more details about the

author’s contribution towards her work. The readers are able to understand the

author’s language style through the background. Thus, it does not give a strong proof

in explaining African American Vernacular English in Pratiwi’s research. However, this research encloses Will I Am’s background as the song writer of his works.

This research aims to commit the research on the different object. Pratiwi’s research uses a novel by Kathryn Stockett (2009). She finds out the characteristics of African American Vernacular English from the conversations that are uttered by the African Americans. However, this research uses a song from Will I Am. The writer finds out the characteristics of African American Vernacular English from a part of lyrics.

B. Review of Related Theories

There are three theories used to conduct the research. They are used as a scientific base to answer the problems. The theories are clarified as follows:

1. Linguistic Category Taxonomy

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are elements in a language component (Dulay, Burt, and Krashen, 1982:281). Indefinite articles, noun phrase, and verb phrase are some parts of linguistic categories in the grammars.

Linguistic category taxonomy contributes to the distributions of errors. This research takes the theory of Politzer and Ramirez (1973) reviewed by Dulay, Burt, and Krashen. Politzer and Ramirez’s theory analyzes the grammatical errors on two linguistic features which are morphology and syntax.

a. Morphological Analysis

In the morphology, the errors are classified into six categories. It focuses on the analysis of word structure. The classifications are presented as follows:

i. Indefinite Article Incorrect

The first category is indefinite article incorrect. The error focuses on the mistake of article use between article a and article an. The example is an ball. In this case, the error occurs when the article an is used before consonants (1982: 148).

ii. Possessive Case Incorrect

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iii. Third Person Singular Verb Incorrect

The third category is third person singular verb incorrect. The example is the sun rise on the east. There is an omission of suffix -s that influences the word formation of main verbs. Based on the example, the sun is categorized as third person singular. Thus, the main verb should be added suffix –s which is rises (1982: 148).

iv. Simple Past Tense Incorrect

The fourth category is simple past tense incorrect. This category has two types of errors. They are regular past tense and irregular past tense. They are explained as follows:

a. Regular Past Tense

In this type of errors, it focuses on the analysis of word formation for regular verbs. The example is I save my sister from the accident yesterday. The error occurs due to the omission of –ed. The omission of –ed influences the word formation in the past tense structure. Thus, it should be saved (1982: 148).

b. Irregular Past Tense

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v. Past Participle Incorrect

The fifth category is past participle incorrect. There is an incorrect of forming perfect and passive tenses. The example of this category is I was call. Based on the example, there is an omission of suffix –ed. The existence of suffix –ed is essential of word formation in the passive tense (1982: 148).

vi. Comparative Adjective or Adverb Incorrect

The last category is comparative adjective or adverb incorrect. The error occurs because an error of forming the comparative sentence structure based on Standard English. The example of the category is his score is more smaller than me. In this case, there are double marks of comparatives which are more and –er. Because small is only one syllable, it tends to maintain suffix –er instead of adding more (1982: 148).

b. Syntactical Analysis

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i. Noun Phrase

The first category is noun phrase. Based on Politzer and Ramirez, the errors are divided into five types (1982:148). They overwhelm determiners, nominalization, number, use of pronouns, and use of prepositions. The data are explained as follows:

a. Determiners

The errors are seen by the mistake of forming an element in determiners. The example is I put a book in the my room. In American English, it is incorrect because there are double marks of determiners. Possessive determiner which is my is not followed by article determiner which is the (1982: 148).

b. Nominalization

Nominalization is the second type of error in noun phrase. It is a process how adjective or verb is converted into noun. The error occurs because of a mistake of constructing the nominalization form. The example is cook is serving the delicious meal. Based on the example, there is an omission of determiner before the subject cook. The determiner has a function to denote that cook has changed its part of speech from verb to noun (1982:148).

c. Number

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the noun of bicycle is written as a singular noun. However, the determiner shows that the following noun is classified as a plural noun. Thus, the noun phrase should be some bicycles (1982:148).

d. Use of Pronouns

Use of pronouns is the fourth type in noun phrase. It focuses on the error that lies on the subject and object personal pronouns. The example is I found. In this case, there is an omission of object pronoun. The main verb found needs the direct object to denote what the object that becomes the theme (1982: 149).

e. Use of Prepositions

Use of prepositions is the last type in noun phrase. The error comes when there is a problem in prepositions. The example is I went the zoo. In this case, there is an omission of preposition to. Preposition to is used to the motion verbs, for instances are go, walk, and come (1982: 149).

ii. Verb Phrase

The second category is verb phrase. There are three types of errors in the verb

phrase that are classified by Politzer and Ramirez’s theory (1982: 149). The errors are

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a. Omission of Verb

Omission of verb can create the error. The example is I at home yesterday. In this case, there is an omission of auxiliary verb to be. It should be added was after subject I in the context of past tense. To be has a function as a connector between subject and predicate complement. Moreover, the use of to be should follow the tense form and the subjects (1982: 149).

b. Progressive Tense

The error occurs because of an incorrect construction of the progressive sentence structure. The example is I cooking rice now. Based on the example, there is an omission of to be which is am. In American English, to be is needed in the construction of progressive tense (1982: 149).

c. Agreement of Subject and Verb

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iii. Verb and Verb Construction

The third category is verb and verb construction. The discussion focuses on the way how two verbs are combined into one sentence. The example is Rina hopes go to USA. In this case, there is an omission of preposition to before the main verb hopes and the second verb go. Contextually, the meaning of preposition to is to express her willingness to be able to go to USA (1982: 149).

iv. Word Order

The fourth category is word order. The error occurs when the sentence is not constructed properly by considering principles in American English. The example is who they are? Based on the example, there error lies on the position of auxiliary. In the form of interrogative sentence, the auxiliary should be placed before the subject (1982: 149).

v. Transformation

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a. Negative Transformation

Negative transformation is an altering process of an affirmative sentence into a negative sentence. The example is I don‟t have nothing. In this case, the error is caused by a use of double negations. The sentence tends to show the positive meaning instead of the negative meaning. The meaning implies that the agent has something. In American English, the grammar structure is incorrect. The negative sentence usually does not enclose the negative object because the negative statement has been denoted by do not. If the sentence aims to show the negative meaning, the structure should omit nothing (1982: 150).

b. Question Transformation

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c. There Transformation

The form of there is intended as demonstrative pronoun. However, it can be placed as subject pronoun or object pronoun. The example is there is birds. In this case, there is placed as subject pronoun. It functions as a reference of the existence of something. It means that birds are somewhere. There is an incorrect form of structure. The auxiliary follows the type of noun. Birds are categorized as plural nouns. Thus, the auxiliary is should be replaced into are (1982: 150).

d. Subordinate Clause Transformation

Subordinate clause transformation is two combined clauses marked by a subordinating conjunction. It functions to connect two ideas of a sentence. The example is I will leave you, so you are poor. There is an error of naming a conjunction. It can produce an ambiguity on the meaning of a sentence. The conjunction so in the example should be replaced into for. The subordinate clause refers to the cause of the condition of the main clause (1982: 150).

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Table 1. The Distribution of Errors in Morphology

Linguistic Categories Error Types

Indefinite article incorrect -

Possesive case incorrect -

Third person singular verb incorrect -

Simple past tense incorrect Regular past tense incorrect Irregular past tense incorrect

Past Participle incorrect

Comparative adjective/adverb incorrect

-Table 2. The Distribution of Errors in Syntax

Linguistic Categories Error Types Agreement of subject and verb

Verb and verb construction -

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2. Surface Strategy Taxonomy

Surface strategy taxonomy analyzes how elements in a sentence are changed. Researchers recognize that the elements of language are changed in specific and systematic ways (1982: 150). The changing process of elements is determined by Dulay et al into four categories. They are omissions, additions, misformations, and misorderings. Furthermore, it is systematic because the process of analysis organizes the errors based on their own categories and finds out the grammatical error process.

a. Omission

The first process of grammatical errors is by seeing omissions. In American English, there are some cases of sentences that can be omitted such as I knew (that) she was wrong. In this case, that can be omitted to show the sentence in informal use.

However, Dulay, Burt, and Krashen’s theory states that there is a process of omitting

linguistic elements which can create the errors (1982: 154). The errors occur because there is a missing of an item in the sentence that is not appropriate with the rule of American English.

b. Addition

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Dulay, Burt, and Krashen divide the addition into three types. They are double markings, regularizations, and simple additions (1982: 156). The types of addition are explained as follows:

i. Double Marking

Double marking is believed to be able to create the errors. The error in the double marking is pointed by two items within a sentence that are marked for the same features. The example of double markings are seen in a sentence of He doesn‟t knows my name (1982: 156). In this case, the error of tense marker is shown by the placements of doesn‟t and knows in the same feature. The auxiliary and the main verb are similar of using –s to indicate the present tense. In American English, it is not necessary for the main verb of adding suffix –s in the negative statement as like as the sentence above.

ii. Regularization

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iii. Simple Addition

Simple addition can cause the error in a grammar. This process commonly occurs when there is an addition of unnecessary item which is not in the same feature. The example of simple additions can be seen towards a sentence I am going to buy much flowers. In this case, there is an addition of article much that creates the error. In American English, the quantifier much can not be followed before the countable nouns. Much tends to be used for the uncountable nouns. To show the countable nouns, much can be omitted. Based on the fact, the sentence should be I am going to buy flowers (1982: 158).

c. Misformation

The third process of grammatical errors is misformation. The errors are assessed by the use of the wrong form of words in a sentence (1982: 158). Misformation divides their types into three categories. They are explained as follows: i. Regularization

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ii. The Use of Archiform

The use of archiform is the second process of grammatical errors in this category. The use of archiforms is the use of one form for several elements in a paragraph. The use of an item that represents other items can create the errors. The example of archiforms is seen in the sentence of Him is fine. I like him. In this case, the use of object personal pronoun is also used for subject personal pronoun that is marked by the word him (1982: 160).

iii. The Alternating Form

The alternating forms are the third process of grammatical errors in misformations. The errors occur because people misuse in alternating certain elements. The example of error is many sugar. In this case, sugar can not be mixed with many. Many refers to countable nouns, while sugar is uncountable nouns (1982: 161).

d. Misordering

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3. African American Vernacular English

Baugh and Cable state “vernacular refers to nonstandard features of English”

(2002: 361). It means that a certain group has their typical linguistic features that are not complying to the Standard features of English. Vernacular is the language that is used for people in the similar ethnic group. In English, vernacular distinguishes the language style of white people and black people. AAVE is one of Vernacular English that indicates the language for African Americans in America.

Trudgill provides five characteristics of AAVE which are seen through grammatical features. The characteristics have a function to see grammatical system of African American Vernacular English. The first characteristic is AAVE system does not use –s in the third person singular in the present tense form (2000: 54). It can be seen through the example as he eat breakfast. However, American English system uses –s to refer third person singular in the present tense form.

The second characteristic is the absence of copula in a sentence (Trudgill, 2000: 55). The absence of copula means the absence of verb to be. Trudgill argues

“the copula absence is commonly a linguistic feature which is spoken by African American people” (2000: 55). The example of this characteristic is seen through the sentence she really nice. On the other hand, American English system does not omit the copula in the sentence.

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through a sentence she usually be having breakfast. In this case, the sentence refers the repeated activities which are marked by invariant be. In contrast to AAVE, American English uses variant be to refer subject personal pronoun.

The fourth characteristic is AAVE system omits verb auxiliaries for perfect tense (2000: 56). The example of this characteristic is seen through a sentence I been talked with him. In this case, the auxiliary is omitted that makes the reader confused about the time marker of the pattern. In AAVE, been becomes the marker of past tense pattern. However, American English system omits verb auxiliary been to form the past tense.

The last characteristic is AAVE system uses multiple negations. It can be seen through a sentence of Can‟t somebody do nothing about it (2000: 57). In American English, the sentence implies the positive meaning which is somebody can do everything about it. On the other hand, AAVE maintains the use of double negation into the negative one. It is added by the statement from Fromkin and Rodman who state that the use of double negation in AAVE in a negative sentence which has a negative word implies a negative meaning (1983: 256). Thus, it should be described as can‟t somebody do anything about it.

C. Theoretical Framework

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last theory is African American Vernacular English. The first and the second theories focus on the grammar analysis. On the other hand, the third theory tends to see the language construction of African American English.

Linguistic category taxonomy and surface category taxonomy function to provide the types of errors based on their own taxonomies. Linguistic category taxonomy aims to see the errors by analyzing language components and their constituents. However, surface category taxonomy sees the changing process of a sentence that causes the errors. The errors will be classified based on the available process of grammar errors. Both theories will be helpful to reveal the errors based on their own groups.

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28

CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY

This part is arranged into three parts. They are object of the study, approach of the study, and method of the study. The object of the study elaborates linguistic features that will be analyzed based on the data. The approach of the study explains what kinds of approaches that are used to analyze the linguistic features. The method of the study defines the ways of collecting and analyzing the data.

A. Object of the Study

The object in the research focuses on song lyrics by Will I Am. He has produced a lot of songs, such as “Feeling My Self”, “I Like to Move It”, and “The Travelling Song”. His songs are famous in America. There are several aspects that influence the formation of lyrics. The constructions of word, phrase, clause, and sentence violate the American English rule.

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In addition, the errors of phrases, clauses, and sentences can be caused by two factors. The first factor is by evaluating the misconstruction of certain parts within their grammatical construction. It can be seen through a verb phrase he in the water. In this case, there is an omission of verb part towards the phrase. The second factor is by observing the mistakes in arranging the sentence construction. The example can be seen through the sentence I know what is it. In this case, the construction is incorrect because it aims to refer the statement form. Thus, it should be I know what it is.

B. Approach of the Study

This research applies morphological and syntactical approaches as the groundwork of analysis for the classification of errors. The morphology deals with the analysis of lexical formations. However, the syntax study deals with the analysis of phrase, clause, and sentence constructions. The main purpose of both studies is to find out the errors and their process on Will I Am’s songs. The morphological and syntactical studies provide the types of error categories.

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C. Method of the Study

This part aims to explain study methods. There are two means in conducting the study. The first means is to collect the data. The second means is to analyze the data. The means are organized as follows:

1. Data collection

This research conducts a sample study. It covers five songs to be analyzed. The sample study that is used is the purposive sample. Teddlie and Yu restate the argument of Tashakkori and Teddlie about purposive sampling which is “a technique which involves selecting certain units or cases based on a specific purpose rather than

randomly” (2003: 80). It means that the research takes samples with a certain

purpose. Its purpose is to analyze the grammar errors on two different themes in Will I Am’s songs. Moreover, the research aims to find out the factors that contribute to the errors through his style of language from each album, soundtrack, and single.

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Secondly, the writer marked each sentence, clause, and phrase that contained the grammar errors. The writer made tables to organize the data. The tables are aimed to help the writer to classify the errors. The tables are divided into two linguistic features that are morphology and syntax. The tables are classified into the language categories and their own types of errors.

Lastly, the writer attempted to find out the factors that contributed to grammatical errors. The data were organized through a table of the English construction of African American Vernacular English. The tables were aimed to find out parts of sentences that are influenced by the vernacular. The organized data would be connected to the background of Will I Am. The table aims to show that Will I Am uses African American Vernacular English on some of his lyrics.

2. Data analysis

This research conducts an error analysis in Will I Am’s songs. It aims to see how many grammatical errors, which are not appropriate with grammar rules of American English, occur on the data. The grammar errors are grouped into their own elements, for instance is on the phrase of big room. According to Politzer and

Ramirez’s theory, it is categorized as the error of noun phrase. Then, the errors will

be compared with grammar rules of American English which are helped by Quirk’s grammar book.

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due to the error. It is seen by the example in the phrase of big room. According to

Dulay, Burt, and Krashen’s theory, the error is caused by the omission towards the

phrase. The omission can lie on the article to denote a singular noun or suffix –s to denote plural nouns.

AAVE aims to reveal the connection between the grammatical errors and the causes of their errors. To connect the causes of the errors is done by finding the errors in phrases, clauses, and sentences which characterize AAVE. The example of AAVE characteristic is seen by the sentence she give me money. AAVE system does not use

–s verb in the third person singular. AAVE is put in this research as proofs to find out

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33

CHAPTER IV

ANALYSIS RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

This chapter will be divided into two main parts of discussions. The first part analyzes the categories of grammatical error in Will I Am’s songs. It answers the first problem. The second part discusses the factors that contribute to the errors. It answers the second problem of the study.

A. The Distribution of Error Categories and Their Types in Will I Am‟s Songs The researcher has collected and categorized data of five songs. The analysis uses two types of theories to present the distribution of error categories. The first theory that is used is linguistic category taxonomy. It aims to find out the grammatical errors and their types of errors. The second theory that is employed for the study is surface category taxonomy. It aims to find out the processes of the grammatical errors occur.

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1. Morphological Analysis

The first analysis is morphology. This analysis focuses on the discussion of the word construction in Will I Am‟s lyrics. According to the whole data, there are three language categories that are found in morphological analysis. The categories include indefinite article incorrect, possessive case incorrect, and third person singular verb incorrect. The results of analysis are presented as follows:

a. Indefinite Article Incorrect

The first language category covers indefinite article incorrect. There are two songs that are included in this category. The data are described on the table as follows:

Table 3. Grammatical Error in Indefinite Article Incorrect

Songs Grammatical

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Based on surface strategy taxonomy, they are influenced by the process of alternating forms. It means there is a misuse of placing article a and an. In American English, vowels are followed by the article an, while consonants are followed by the article a. However, the example is against the American English rule because the article a is not followed by the consonants. Thus, the phrases should be an expert instead of a expert and an earthquake instead of a earthquake.

b.Possessive Case Incorrect

The second language category is possessive case incorrect. It is the error that influences the word formation that marks the possessive case. There is a song included in this category. The error is described on the table as follows:

Table 4. Grammatical Error in Possessive Case Incorrect

Songs Grammatical Errors

Grammatical

Processes American English

Feeling My

Self

Will power Omission Will‟s power

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The example shows that possessive case incorrect is included in the morphological analysis. It focuses on the analysis of the word Will. The omission of inflection „s on the word Will influences the formation of possessive case. The apostrophe „s aims to show that Will is the ownership of the power.

c. Third Person Singular Verb Incorrect

The third language category is third person singular verb incorrect. There are two songs included in this category. The data are presented through the table as follows:

Table 5. Grammatical Error in Third Person Singular Verb Incorrect

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The data shows that the errors get the omission of suffix –s on verbs give, get, and say. The missing suffix –s influences the formation of verb in the present tense. Based on the data, she and somebody are included as third person singular subject. She is categorized as the definite pronoun because it points to the specific one. However, somebody is categorized as the indefinite pronoun. It represents the subject he or she that does not mention to a specific person. Thus, the verbs give, get, and say should be changed into gives, gets, and says

Moreover, the verb mean should be changed into means. It occurs because she give me IQ as the main clause represents the form of third person singular subject which is it. Based on the analysis, the examples above show that third person singular verb incorrect is included in the morphological analysis. It focuses on the analysis of the words give, mean, get, and say. The omission of suffix –s on the words influences the form of verb in the present tense.

2. Syntactical Analysis

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a. Noun Phrase

The first language category that is analyzed is noun phrase. Based on the data, the errors in noun phrase are found into five types of errors. They are determiner, nominalization, number, use of pronoun, and use of preposition. The errors that emerge in each type will influence the form of noun phrase. The errors are described as follows:

i.Determiner

Quirk et al state that determiners are a way to determine a noun whether it has definite or indefinite status (1974:137). It means that determiner can explain that the noun can be addressed into a common or specific thing. The examples of determiner are a which is to indicate a common thing and this which is to indicate a specific thing. Based on the data, the errors found in four songs are described on the table as follows:

Table 6. Grammatical Error in Determiner

Bottles on deck Omission Bottles on a deck

I Like to Move It

Speaker Omission a speaker

The Travelling Song

lion out of the jungle

Omission a lion out of the jungle

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Determiners are classified into a lot of categories, such as article determiners, possessive determiners, demonstrative determiners, and quantifiers. Based on surface strategy taxonomy, the errors are caused by omission. The data shows that there is an omission of article determiners. In American English, articles are usually used by preceding the noun. Articles are one of elements to form noun phrase. Articles function to denote a member of the noun.

The nouns that get the omission of articles are deck, speaker, lion and equality. Deck, speaker, and lion are categorized as the concrete nouns, while equality is categorized as an abstract noun. All of the objects are included as countable nouns. Moreover, the analysis sees the process by considering the context of the songs.

According to the context on each song, deck, speaker, and lion do not refer to the specific object. Thus, the objects should be followed by the article a or the article an. The use of articles follows initial sound of the noun. Deck, speaker, and lion start with an alphabet which has a consonant sound. Thus, they should be preceded by the article a instead of the article an.

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The examples have shown that the errors in determiner are included in the syntactical analysis. It focuses on the analysis of the formation of noun phrase. It is shown by the omission of articles of the noun phrase. In American English, singular countable nouns are usually preceded by the indefinite articles. In this case, the omission of articles influences the construction of noun phrase.

The previous analysis also shows the discussion of article use towards the noun phrase. It analyzes the misuse of the article a and the article an to the following nouns. However, this analysis discusses the omission of article determiners that create the errors in the noun phrase. In American English, the article determiners are usually used before the common nouns to refer to the form of the noun.

ii. Nominalization

Nominalization is the process of changing another part of speech into the noun. It is a part of conversion. Quirk et al state that conversion is a process that an item is converted to a new word class without providing the addition of suffix (1974: 1009). It can be concluded that the process of nominalization is done without changing the form of item. In this case, the error is found in one song. The error is described on the table as follows:

Table 7. Grammatical Error in Nominalization

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According to surface strategy taxonomy, the error in noun phrase is influenced by the process of nominalization. The example shows that the error occurs because of the omission of determiner. In the nominalization process, a converted item is preceded by the determiner. In this case, the noun change needs the article the to show the specific object. The addition of the article the emphasizes the meaning of change. It aims to tell the condition of a new world such as the world peace and the prosperity.

The example above shows that the error is included in the syntactical analysis. It influences the construction of noun phrase in the nominalization process. There is an omission of definite article. The article the is essential to be placed before change. It aims to refer to the implied meanings that have been expressed through some lyrics, which are I would like our environment to be safe and I want a better future for my children.

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iii. Number

Number is the process of denoting the number of count and mass nouns. The form of number includes singular or plural noun. In American English, the number in noun phrase follows the form of noun itself. Based on the data, there are two songs that are included in this category. The errors are explained through the table as follows:

Table 8. Grammatical Error in Number

Grammatical

The Travelling

Song

Peoples Regularization People

Feeling My

Self

don’t give a

bread

Simple Addition I don’t give bread

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The second example is a bread. In American English, bread is categorized as a singular uncountable form. The error is influenced by simple addition. There is an addition of item which does not lie on the same feature. The addition of indefinite article is actually addressed for countable nouns. However, in this case the addition of the article is placed before an uncountable noun. According to the principle of American English, bread is not followed by article a to show that it is a singular form. The examples show the errors are included in the syntactical analysis. The addition in the certain items influences the formation of noun phrase. The addition of suffix –s creates the error for the irregular countable form. Moreover, the addition of indefinite article creates the error for the uncountable form.

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iv. Use of Pronoun

Pronoun is stated as the way to replace nouns (Quirk et al, 1974: 203). In the Standard English, pronouns usually occur without the determiners. According to the data, the errors are found in three songs. They are described on the table as follows: Table 9. Grammatical Error in Use of Pronoun

off the floor Omission You keep on jumping off the floor

Omission I have been around the planet in the foreign land

Based on surface strategy taxonomy, the errors of the data are caused by two reasons. The first reason is by getting double marks. The example is all these car keys drive them chickens to my crib. In this case, there are two items that are marked in the same feature. There is a repetition of the object personal use. They are them and chicken. Them has referred to chicken, thus the use of them should be omitted.

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It”, the subject that misses is you. It is shown by the referent on the next lyric which is Dancing 'til your feet is sore. Moreover, the subject that misses in “The Travelling

Song” is I. It is referred through the previous lyric which is See I‟ve been traveling. The examples above show that the errors are included in the syntactical analysis. The errors influence the construction of noun phrase, such as the addition of similar item in object pronoun. Moreover the errors influence the construction in the sentence structure. There is missing of subject although subject plays an important role in the grammatical structure. In the context, subject pronoun is able to denote the person who is speaking or performing certain action.

There are two characteristics that create the error in the pronoun case. The first characteristic lies on the error of determining the personal pronoun. In the first example, there are two nouns, them and chicken, that refer to the similar object personal pronoun. The second characteristic lies on the omission of pronouns that loses the existence of the main element in the noun phrase. Pronouns can replace the form of noun for the position of subject and object.

v. Use of Preposition

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Table 10. Grammatical Error in Use of Preposition

Grammatical

Feeling My Self Look up in the mirror

Alternating Form Look at the mirror

Based on surface strategy taxonomy, The error is caused by the alternating forms. There is a misuse of forming the right preposition. The example is look up in the mirror. The error lies on the preposition up in. In American English, the meaning of look up is the action of gazing someone else (McKean, 2005: 1000). However, the context does not show that the agent does the action of gazing someone else.

Moreover, the meaning of in is to express something which is surrounded by something else (2005: 851). Based on the context, the agent does not aim to see something in the mirror. The context aims to show that somebody does the action of seeing themselves through the mirror. Thus, the correct preposition of the example should be at instead of up or in. The meaning of look at is the action of gazing something or someone directly with a specified direction (2005: 1000).

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syntactical analysis. The error of choosing preposition can influence a purpose of the action to the object. The choice of preposition should consider the contextual meaning on the verb to the noun.

b.Verb Phrase

The second language category is verb phrase. The data shows that the errors are classified into three types. The types overwhelm omission of verb, progressive tense, and agreement of subject and verb. They are explained as follows:

i. Omission of Verb

Verb is a part of speech to express an action or a state (Quirk et al, 1974: 36). It means that the verb can express a certain condition. In this case, the errors are found in four songs. The data are described on the table as follows:

Table 11. Grammatical Error in Omission of Verb

Omission hundred bottles are on me

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Grammatical

Yes We Can Yes we can to opportunity and prosperity

Omission

Yes we can (main verb) to opportunity and prosperity

According to surface strategy taxonomy, the errors are caused by omission. There are two aspects which are influenced by the omission. The first aspect lies on the error of auxiliaries. Auxiliaries are a helping verb to make up lexical verbs (Quirk et al, 1974: 65). The errors of auxiliaries are seen in Feeling My Self and I Like to Move It. The data above shows their lyrics get the omission of auxiliaries to be. To be in hundred bottles on me has a function as a linking verb between subject and the prepositional complement on me. The meaning of to be indicates the location that is addressed between the subject and the prepositional phrase on me. In this context, the sentence becomes hundred bottles are on me instead of hundred bottles were on me because the lyric tells about the habitual condition of the agent that he or she often enjoys to drink.

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In The Travelling Song, the error lies on the auxiliary have. The function of auxiliary have is a helping verb of the main verb in the form of perfect tense. The tense is in the form of present perfect because based on the context the agent aims to show his or her experiences of travelling to many places in the world. The form of auxiliary have is determined by the subject pronoun. Because it is determined by the first personal pronoun I, the auxiliary have maintains its form as have.

Moreover, the error lies on the example Yes we can to opportunity and prosperity in Yes We Can. In this context, the sentence does not have a pause between Yes we can and to opportunity and prosperity for indicating an expression statement between two forms of sentences. It aims to show one form of sentence that gets an omission of lexical verb. The sentence construction on the last example is incorrect. The modal auxiliary can is not allowed to be directly followed by the preposition. Modal is followed by bare infinitive verbs which mean that the verbs maintain the origin form. The sentence does not express the particular state or action due to the omission of the main verb.

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The examples above show that the errors are included in the syntactical analysis. They influence the construction of the verb phrase. The errors can be seen in the omission of lexical verb and the auxiliaries. The omission of lexical verb wipes out the main element in the verb phrase construction. Moreover, the omission of auxiliaries wipes out the supporting element in the verb phrase.

The previous analysis also discusses the errors on verbs in simple present tense. They analyze the word formation of the verbs that indicates a particular tense. However, this discussion analyzes the omission of verbs that violates the principle of American English. There are two types of verbs that are omitted. The first type is the omission of the auxiliaries that have a function as a supporting verb of the main verb. The second type is the omission of the main verb that loses the main element in the verb phrase.

i. Use of Progressive Tense

Quirk et al state that progressive tense is a tense to indicate an action which is in progress (1974:92). The tense aims to stress the activity that is going on. In this case, the errors are found in two songs. They are explained on the table as follows: Table 12. Grammatical Error in Use of Progressive Tense

Grammatical

Feeling My Self Now everybody tripping likes they popping molly

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Grammatical

I Like to Move

It Speaker blasting Omission Speaker (is) blasting

Based on surface strategy taxonomy, the errors are caused by omission. Both examples show that they get the omission of auxiliary to be. To be has an influence in the formation of progressive tense. It functions as a linking verb between the subject and the main verb in the progressive tense. To be should follow the tense to know whether it is in the present or past form. Moreover, to be accustoms its form based on the following subject, for instance, if it is followed by third person singular, the sentence should employ is or was as a form of to be in the sentence.

Based on the context in Feeling My Self, the tense is included in the present progressive. It aims to show that the agent is dancing and having a party at the time. Moreover, the sentence provides the time indication of progressive tense. It is expressed by the adverbial of time now. In the main clause, to be is added into is because it is followed by the subject of third person singular. However, in the subordinate clause, to be is added into are because it is followed by a subject of third person plural which is they.

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The data above shows that the errors are included in the syntactical analysis. The errors influence the construction of progressive tense. They can be seen through the omission of auxiliary to be. The omission of auxiliary to be wipes out the supporting verb in the progressive tense.

The characteristic in this category is the discussion of the errors in the progressive case. The errors are caused by the omission of auxiliary to be. To be is one of the important elements in the progressive case. The existence of auxiliary to be in the progressive tense is to denote the time indication of the action.

ii. Agreement of Subject and Verb

The agreement of subject and verb is the conformation of construction of subject and predicate based on the Standard English principle. Based on the analysis, the errors are found in one song. The errors are described on the table as follows: Table 13. Grammatical Error in Agreement of Subject and Verb

Grammatical

Processes American English Feeling My

Self

I be everywhere Regularization I am everywhere

Feeling My Self

cause I’m a get it all