ABSTRACT
Esterika, Triolinda. (2016). The Analysis of Swear Words that Are Used by White and Black Characters in 12 Years a Slave Movie. Yogyakarta: Sanata Dharma University.
The researcher investigates swear words uttered by White and Black Characters in 12 Years a Slave movie by using sociolinguistics approach. The movie is based on Solomon Northup’s true story in his 12 years of being a slave in 19th century when slavery period happened in America. He is a free African-American man who is abducted and sold into slavery. He and other slaves who are all black people get very brutal treatment from their masters or White people through physical violence and slur like swearing at them.
The research aims to analyze the swear words that are used by the characters in the movie, especially White and Black people. It will study swear words and ethnicity. Therefore, the objectives of this research are to identify the types of swear words and the speakers’ purposes of using the swear words.
This research employs content analysis as the method because the source of the data is from the movie and its transcription. The subject of the research is the dialogues from the movie which contain swear words. The primary instrument to collect and analyze the data was the researcher, while the second instrument was the data sheet. Several relevant books i.e. sociolinguistics, psycholinguistic and history are used as the references to answer the research questions.
Based on the analysis, this study found that the types of swear words in this movie are included in 3 types, namely epithet, profanity, and obscenity. It is also found that White characters are more often in uttering swear words than Black characters. Profanity is the most dominant type used by the characters in the movie, especially White people. In addition, White and Black characters have different purposes of swearing which are to attract attention, to discredit, to provoke, to create interpersonal identification, and to provide catharsis. The most common purpose of swearing is to discredit other people. It is employed by White characters in the movie. However, the purpose of swearing for Black characters in the movie is to attract attention.
▸ Baca selengkapnya: what are the chairs and tables in that island made of
(2)ABSTRAK
Esterika, Triolinda. (2016). The Analysis of Swear Words that Are Used by White and Black Characters in 12 Years a Slave Movie. Yogyakarta: Sanata Dharma University.
Penulis meneliti kata umpatan yang diucapkan oleh tokoh kulit hitam dan kulit putih dalam film 12 Years a Slave dengan menggunakan pendekatan sosiolinguistik. Film ini berdasarkan kisah nyata Solomon Northup dalam 12 tahunnya menjadi budak di abad ke-19 ketika masa perbudakan terjadi di Amerika. Dia adalah seorang pria merdeka keturunan Afrika-Amerika yang diculik dan dijual ke dalam perbudakan. Dia dan budak yang lain yang semuanya adalah orang kulit hitam mendapatkan perlakuan kejam dari tuan mereka atau orang kulit putih melalui kekerasan fisik dan hinaan seperti memaki mereka.
Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisa kata-kata umpatan yang digunakan oleh tokoh-tokoh dalam film, khususnya orang kulit putih dan kulit hitam. Studi ini akan membahas kata-kata umpatan dan etnisitas. Oleh karena itu, tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mengidentifikasi tipe-tipe kata-kata umpatan dan tujuan penutur mengucapkan kata-kata umpatan tersebut.
Penelitian ini menggunakan analisis isi sebagai metode karena sumber data berasal dari film dan naskah film. Subjek penelitian ini adalah dialog dalam film yang mengandung kata-kata umpatan. Instrumen utama untuk mengumpulkan dan menganalisa data adalah penulis sendiri, sedangkan instrumen yang kedua adalah lembar data. Beberapa buku yang relevan seperti sosiolinguistik, psikolinguistik, dan sejarah digunakan sebagai referensi untuk menjawab rumusan masalah.
Berdasarkan hasil analisis, penelitian ini menemukan bahwa tipe-tipe kata-kata umpatan dalam film ini mencakup 3 tipe, yaitu nama julukan, istilah religius, dan kata cabul. Dalam penelitian ini juga ditemukan bahwa tokoh kulit putih lebih sering mengucapkan kata umpatan daripada tokoh kulit hitam. Umpatan bersifat religius adalah tipe yang paling dominan digunakan oleh tokoh-tokoh di dalam film, terutama tokoh kulit putih. Selain itu, tokoh kulit putih dan hitam memiliki tujuan yang berbeda yaitu untuk menarik perhatian, untuk mendiskereditkan orang lain, untuk memprovokasi, untuk menciptakan identifikasi pribadi, dan untuk menyediakan katarsis. Tujuan yang paling umum dari mengumpat adalah untuk mendiskreditkan orang yang sering digunakan oleh tokoh kulit putih dalam film. Akan tetapi, tujuan mengumpat untuk tokoh kulit hitam di dalam film adalah untuk menarik perhatian.
THE ANALYSIS OF SWEAR WORDS THAT ARE USED
BY WHITE AND BLACK CHARACTERS
IN 12 YEARS A SLAVE MOVIE
A SARJANA PENDIDIKAN THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree
in English Language Education
By
Triolinda Esterika Student Number: 121214132
ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA
i
THE ANALYSIS OF SWEAR WORDS THAT ARE USED
BY WHITE AND BLACK CHARACTERS
IN 12 YEARS A SLAVE MOVIE
A SARJANA PENDIDIKAN THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree
in English Language Education
By
Triolinda Esterika Student Number: 121214132
ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA
iv
DEDICATION PAGE
Be someone else’s
sunshine. Be the reason
someone smiles today.
-Unknown-
v
STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY
I honestly declare that this thesis, which I have written, does not contain the work or parts of the work of other people, except those cited in the quotations and the references, as a scientific paper should.
Yogyakarta, 14 June 2016 The Writer
vi
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN
PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIS
Yang bertanda tangan di bawah ini, saya mahasiswa Univesitas Sanata Dharma:
Nama : Triolinda Esterika
Nomor Mahasiswa : 121214132
Demi pengembangan ilmu pengetahuan, saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma karya ilmiah saya yang berjudul:
THE ANALYSIS OF SWEAR WORDS THAT ARE USED BY WHITE
AND BLACK CHARACTERS IN 12 YEARS A SLAVE MOVIE
Beserta perangkat yang diperlukan (bila ada). Dengan demikian saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma hak untuk menyimpan, mengalihkan dalam bentuk lain, mengelolanya dalam bentuk pangkalan data, mendistribusikan secara terbatas, dan mempublikasikannya di Internet atau media lain untuk kepentingan akademis tanpa perlu meminta ijin dari saya maupun memberikan royalti kepada saya selama tetap mencantumkan nama saya sebagai penulis.
Demikian pernyataan ini saya buat dengan sebenarnya.
Dibuat di Yogyakarta Pada tanggal 13 Juli 2016 Yang menyatakan
vii
ABSTRACT
Esterika, Triolinda. (2016). The Analysis of Swear Words that Are Used by White and Black Characters in 12 Years a Slave Movie. Yogyakarta: Sanata Dharma University.
The researcher investigates swear words uttered by White and Black Characters in 12 Years a Slave movie by using sociolinguistics approach. The movie is based on Solomon Northup‘s true story in his 12 years of being a slave in 19th century when slavery period happened in America. He is a free African-American man who is abducted and sold into slavery. He and other slaves who are all black people get very brutal treatment from their masters or White people through physical violence and slur like swearing at them.
The research aims to analyze the swear words that are used by the characters in the movie, especially White and Black people. It will study swear words and ethnicity. Therefore, the objectives of this research are to identify the types of swear words and the speakers‘ purposes of using the swear words.
This research employs content analysis as the method because the source of the data is from the movie and its transcription. The subject of the research is the dialogues from the movie which contain swear words. The primary instrument to collect and analyze the data was the researcher, while the second instrument was the data sheet. Several relevant books i.e. sociolinguistics, psycholinguistic and history are used as the references to answer the research questions.
Based on the analysis, this study found that the types of swear words in this movie are included in 3 types, namely epithet, profanity, and obscenity. It is also found that White characters are more often in uttering swear words than Black characters. Profanity is the most dominant type used by the characters in the movie, especially White people. In addition, White and Black characters have different purposes of swearing which are to attract attention, to discredit, to provoke, to create interpersonal identification, and to provide catharsis. The most common purpose of swearing is to discredit other people. It is employed by White characters in the movie. However, the purpose of swearing for Black characters in the movie is to attract attention.
viii
ABSTRAK
Esterika, Triolinda. (2016). The Analysis of Swear Words that Are Used by White and Black Characters in 12 Years a Slave Movie. Yogyakarta: Sanata Dharma University.
Penulis meneliti kata umpatan yang diucapkan oleh tokoh kulit hitam dan kulit putih dalam film 12 Years a Slave dengan menggunakan pendekatan sosiolinguistik. Film ini berdasarkan kisah nyata Solomon Northup dalam 12 tahunnya menjadi budak di abad ke-19 ketika masa perbudakan terjadi di Amerika. Dia adalah seorang pria merdeka keturunan Afrika-Amerika yang diculik dan dijual ke dalam perbudakan. Dia dan budak yang lain yang semuanya adalah orang kulit hitam mendapatkan perlakuan kejam dari tuan mereka atau orang kulit putih melalui kekerasan fisik dan hinaan seperti memaki mereka.
Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisa kata-kata umpatan yang digunakan oleh tokoh-tokoh dalam film, khususnya orang kulit putih dan kulit hitam. Studi ini akan membahas kata-kata umpatan dan etnisitas. Oleh karena itu, tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mengidentifikasi tipe-tipe kata-kata umpatan dan tujuan penutur mengucapkan kata-kata umpatan tersebut.
Penelitian ini menggunakan analisis isi sebagai metode karena sumber data berasal dari film dan naskah film. Subjek penelitian ini adalah dialog dalam film yang mengandung kata-kata umpatan. Instrumen utama untuk mengumpulkan dan menganalisa data adalah penulis sendiri, sedangkan instrumen yang kedua adalah lembar data. Beberapa buku yang relevan seperti sosiolinguistik, psikolinguistik, dan sejarah digunakan sebagai referensi untuk menjawab rumusan masalah.
Berdasarkan hasil analisis, penelitian ini menemukan bahwa tipe-tipe kata-kata umpatan dalam film ini mencakup 3 tipe, yaitu nama julukan, istilah religius, dan kata cabul. Dalam penelitian ini juga ditemukan bahwa tokoh kulit putih lebih sering mengucapkan kata umpatan daripada tokoh kulit hitam. Umpatan bersifat religius adalah tipe yang paling dominan digunakan oleh tokoh-tokoh di dalam film, terutama tokoh kulit putih. Selain itu, tokoh kulit putih dan hitam memiliki tujuan yang berbeda yaitu untuk menarik perhatian, untuk mendiskereditkan orang lain, untuk memprovokasi, untuk menciptakan identifikasi pribadi, dan untuk menyediakan katarsis. Tujuan yang paling umum dari mengumpat adalah untuk mendiskreditkan orang yang sering digunakan oleh tokoh kulit putih dalam film. Akan tetapi, tujuan mengumpat untuk tokoh kulit hitam di dalam film adalah menarik perhatian.
ix
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
All beautiful words and praise go to my God Almighty, Jesus Christ for His mercies and blessings that always enlighten and guide my way in writing this thesis. His Guidance enables me to finish my study.
I would like to thank my thesis advisor Drs. Y.B. Gunawan, M.A. for sharing his idea and knowledge. I thank him for always giving me suggestions when I got confused in writing this thesis. My gratitude also goes to all of the lecturers and staffs of the English Education Study Program for all their help and guidance during my study at this university.
I would express my sincere gratitude to my beloved parents Sugeng and Sujiati, for giving me a chance to attend this university. Their everlasting love
and sacrifice are really meaningful. Besides, their motivation and prayer always accompany me in passing this journey of my life. My gratitude also goes to my great brothers and sisters, David Kristianto, Daniel Febrianto, Rabbany Hylmi, Nunik Natalia, and Ani Kristianti for their supports and motivations to work
harder in finishing this work. My family is the biggest energy source in my life. They are truly blessings for me.
I would like to give my countless gratitude to my wonderful friends, Tri Nur Utami, Ervyna Dewi, Tommy P. Nugroho, Tyara Dewi, Veronica, Ochi,
Elsa, Dini, Ryna Astuti, Kim Uyun, and Rosi who always help me and listen to
x
at Sanata Dharma University. The last but not least, I really thank everyone who helped me directly and indirectly in completing this work. Their presence in my life gives me strength to face all of the obstacles I found.
xi
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
TITLE PAGE ... i
APPROVAL PAGES ... ii
DEDICATION PAGE ... iv
STATEMENT OF WORK’SORIGINALITY ... v
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINGAN ILMIAH ... vi
ABSTRACT ... vii
ABSTRAK ... viii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ... ix
TABLE OF CONTENTS ... xi
LIST OF TABLES ... xiii
LIST OF FIGURES ... xiv
LIST OF APPENDICES ... xv
CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION A. Background of the Study ... 1
B. Problem Formulation ... 5
C. Problem Limitation ... 5
D. Objectives of the Study ... 6
E. Research Benefits ... 6
F. Definition of Terms ... 7
CHAPTER II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE A. Theoretical Description ... 9
1. Language and Society ... 9
xii
3. 12 Years a Slave Movie ... 25
4. Review of Related Research ... 26
B. Theoretical Framework ... 27
CHAPTER III. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY A. Research Method ... 31
B. Research Setting ... 32
C. Research Subject ... 32
D. Research Instruments and Data Gathering Technique ... 33
E. Data Analysis Technique ... 35
F. Research Procedure ... 36
CHAPTER IV. RESEARCH RESULTS AND DISCUSSION A. Types of Swear Words ... 39
1. Epithet ... 41
2. Profanity ... 49
3. Vulgarity ... 56
4. Obscenity ... 57
B. The Purpose of Using Swear Words ... 59
1. To Create Attention ... 61
2. To Discredit ... 63
3. To Provoke ... 68
4. To Create Personal Identification... 69
5. To Provide Catharsis ... 72
CHAPTER V. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS A. Conclusions ... 76
B. Recommendations ... 78
REFERENCES ... 79
xiii
LIST OF TABLES
Table Page
xiv
LIST OF FIGURE
Figure Page
xv
LIST OF APPENDICES
Page
1
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
This chapter discusses six sections. They are background of the study, problem formulations, problem limitations, objectives of the study, benefits of the study,
and definition of terms.
A. Background of the Study
Human beings are known as social creatures. They cannot live without other people. To survive, one of the things to do is building a relationship with others. We need to have good communication skills as a social process. It can be fulfilled by using a medium that we call language. As a means of communication, language has several functions. Generally, people use language to communicate their intention to others. Specifically, language is used by people to convey messages or to send information in order to make the conversation activities run smoothly. In addition, Chaika (1982) also states that people use language to reveal or conceal personal identity, character, and background without realizing that they are actually doing so. Therefore, every person has their own way to choose the language variation which can confirm someone‘s identity (p. 2).
society and culture associate swear words with something bad. Therefore, they do not prefer using them in a conversation. Svensson says ―some people find swearing rude and disrespectful, while others find it quite useful in their everyday vocabulary‖ (as cited in Beers-Fägersten, 2007, p. 4).
Besides, swear words are not just a collection of words that sound impolite, rude, and inappropriate to be said. Each word is more than their literal meaning— they also carry an emotional connotation as a result of how they are used within the language (Pinker, 2007, p. 12). Therefore, saying some words will give different meanings for the listener. As an example, when people say sweet pussies, it will mean a little cat that is sweet. However, when “pussies” is used in the different context, like “fucking pussies”, it will be bad language that carries emotional function. It means each swear word has different types and meanings based on the contexts when it is uttered. Karjalainen (2002) states that there are also some reasons influencing people to swear. Reasons of uttering swear words depend on the purposes of the speakers, e.g. to express surprise or shock, to indicate friendship, to insult, and to amuse (p. 12).
It is clear that the use of swear words is quite common in speaking. We often hear and use them both in private and in public settings. Besides, we find them in films, monologues, songs, on television and on radio. In other words, the use of swear words does not only exist in our real daily conversation. The researcher chose a movie to be analyzed in accordance with the use of swear words. It is because movie is a reflection of human‘s real life. The content of the movie, such as the way the characters speak, get dressed, act, and communicate to each other, usually reflects the real life of the society in which a movie is based on. One of the examples is an American movie entitled 12 Years a Slave that was released in 2013. It is an adapted movie based on Solomon Northup‘s true story in
his 12 years of being a slave. This movie represents a real life society which is about slavery in America.
the brutal way Mr. Epps treats his slaves. Solomon confides his kidnapping to Bass and he finally can go back to his family as a freeman after 12 years being a slave.
This thesis will analyze further the swear words that are uttered by the characters in 12 Years a Slave movie, especially White people and Black people. Other studies, particularly in the area of sociolinguistics, have highlighted the more nuanced and varied meanings of swearing in an interpersonal context. Like other forms of speech activity, the functions and effects of swearing are highly dependent on the context in which it occurs, hence taking account of a range of social variables such as social norms, expectations, status differentials and relationships (Chen 1999; Beers-Fägersten 2007; Jay and Janschewitz 2008). Sociolinguistics is ―the branch of linguistics which studies the properties of language which require reference to social contexts and circumstances, including contextual factors in their explanation‖ (Downes, 1984, p. 15). Therefore, the research will study the swear words in the movie based on the context of the society as portrayed in the movie. It is about slavery and ethnicity in which the researcher wants to find out how the different ethnic characters speak to other people, especially in uttering swear words as seen from both social and language aspects. The topic of swearing is focused on the verbal expressions uttered by someone and it is associated with emotional feeling towards something.
In the education aspect, the use of swear words is highly restricted and taboo. It is supported by Fairman (2006) that ―public school students do not shed
gate‖ (p. 61). Jay (2000) adds ―taboo topics are not regarded as a legitimate topic
for scholarly examination due to the nature of the taboo itself, which perpetuated and strengthens the taboo within the culture‖ (p. 91). By having knowledge and better understanding about swear words, the ELESP students who will be the future English teachers should be able to teach ESL students well about swear words and their implementation. The EFL students are expected to be able to use swear words appropriately based on the situation where they have to say them or not. For example, the University of Texas have a subject which discusses ―Maledicta‖ bad language, race, class and gender in American popular culture (the
syllabus can be seen in appendix B). By using the references from 12 Years a Slave movie, this thesis tries to provide information and analysis about swear
words which might help the teachers make the course design.
B. Problem Formulations
This study addresses two research questions:
1. What the types of swear words are uttered by White and Black characters in 12 Years a Slave movie?
2. What are the purposes of using swear words uttered by White and Black characters in 12 Years a Slave movie?
C. Problem Limitation
Slave movie. The scope is sociolinguistics field which aims to know the relationship between language and the society. The setting of the movie is in the slavery period in America in which Black people got very brutal treatment as the slaves of White people. The other words, phrases, or sentences which do not contain swear words or do not have relation with those words are not going to be analyzed further. This study focuses on analyzing the types of swear words and the purposes of using them.
D. Objectives of the Study
Based on the problem formulations above, the researcherformulates two research objectives, they are:
1. To find out the types of swear words that are uttered by White and Black characters in 12 Years a Slave movie. These various swear words provide different meanings based on the contexts in the dialogues found in the movie. If necessary, the researcher will describe the historical contexts from which the swear words originate.
2. To find out the purposes of using swear words that are uttered by White and Black characters in 12 Years a Slave movie. The researcher will determine the intention of the speakers in the movie in uttering swear words by considering the contexts provided based on their dialogues in the movie.
E. Research Benefits
1. For the Students
The information and knowledge in this research will help the students understand the concept of swear words. Although it is forbidden to use swear words openly, they might use them as information in learning English as a second language.
2. For the Readers
This research hopefully can help the readers to have more understanding in the context of sociolinguistics field about swear words and ethnicity.
3. For Future Researchers
As this research contains information about the types of swear words and the purposes of uttering swear words, the researchers who want to conduct similar research can use the information in this research as a reference.
F. Definition of Terms
There are several keywords which deal with the research. Here is the definition of these key terms related to this research:
1. Swear Word
2. Character
Character is a person in a novel, play, or film (Oxford dictionary). In this study, what the researcher means about character is the actor or actress as seen in the 12 Years a Slave movie. The characters of the movie are Solomon Northup, Tibeats, Mr. Epps, Mistress Eps, Patsey, and Bass.
3. 12 Years a Slave
12 Years a Slave is an American movie that was released in 2013 starring
Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Benedict Cumberbatch, Lupita Nyong'o, Sarah Paulson, and Brad Pitt.
4. Ethnicity
9
CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
This chapter reviews some related literature to support this research. There are two main points that will be discussed in this chapter. The first point is about theoretical description in which provides theories and previous studies relevant to the topic. The second point is the theoretical framework which summarizes and synthesizes all major relevant theories. This section will help the researcher conduct the study to solve the problems.
A. Theoretical Description
This point will elaborate the basic concept of swear words and some related topics before going further to analyze the problem formulation.
1. Language and Society
There is a relationship between language and society because sociolinguistics examines the way people use language in different social contexts and the use of language to convey messages. As language that is functioned to convey messages, there must be social interactions among the members of community. Those social interactions can indicate the relationship of the people who are involved in it (p. 1).
In addition, the way people use language in different social contexts produces different dialects and this will be different for different layers of society. The different layers of the society include age, gender, social class, ethnicity, and cultural groups (Baron, 2005; Howe, 2012). Furthermore, as stated by Mesthrie et al. (2000), ―language does not only deliver meaning or ideas of certain events or entities, but also indicates the speaker‘s social group background, such as social class, status, origin, gender, age group, etc.‖ (p. 6). In this case, they emphasize that speech features can be a way to identify someone‘s social group to which he
or she belongs, a brief description of the group, and the lifestyle he or she is associated with.
Being more specific, every speech feature that comes from a certain speaker can be judged by the listeners for identifying the speaker‘s status or affiliation. This judgment leads to the emergence of attitude towards the style of speech uttered by a certain person of a particular group of society. People are capable to automatically give value to the language variety they hear. Moreover, Whorf says ―different societies may value certain things and do them in a certain way, yet
almost all of the societies that exist in this world have the same requirements of the categorization of good and bad language‖ (as cited in Wardhaugh , 2006, p.
Good language is usually measured when someone speaks properly and politely in the context. Good language must contain dense meaning which is shown in beautiful and sweet words. On the other hand, bad language is considered to be non-standard and wrongly used, which is sometime resulting in annoyance for the other person who hears it (p. 222).
Besides, Jay (2000) classifies taboo words also as bad language (p. 10).
From the explanation above, it can be said that language and society have relationship and influence on how language is used. Language can be reflected in the language of a society. Moreover, the values that arise in a society also influence how they distinguish what is considered as good or bad things as seen in language. There are good and bad languages including taboo words. Different society also has different vocabularies to address the bad languages including the taboo words and swear words. Therefore, here the researcher will discuss further the bad languages in English society as portrayed in 12 Years a Slave movie.
2. The Concept of Swear Words
Using swear words or expletives is usually associated with breaking language rules, as most people would regard swearing as ―bad language‖. From
the explanation above also shows that taboo word considered as the part of bad language. There is a certain similarity which makes taboo and swear word share the same definition. The similarity is the root of swear word which is also derived from taboo.
word cannibalism is obviously taboo in some cultures, yet we do not have any swear words to be used as swearing. Stapleton adds ―swearing is a linguistic practice based on taboo, or that which is forbidden; expletives or swear words can be seen as referring to areas of social or cultural taboo, such as sex or bodily functions‖ (as cited in Locher & Graham, 2010, p. 289). This statement is also
supported by Ljung (2011) by stating the criteria.
Swearing is the use of utterances containing taboo words, means swear words are used to utter something taboo.
The taboo words are used in swearing do not retain their literal meaning. It means taboo words that are used with literal meaning cannot be regarded as swearing.
Swearing as formulaic language means formulaic language partly overlap with grammaticalization, a process that brings about changes in lexis, phonology and syntax.
Swearing is emotional language. Its main function is to reflect, or seem to reflect the speaker‘s feelings and attitudes.
(Ljung, 2011, p. 4)
In line with Crystal, Allan and Burridge (2006) state ―taboos arise out of social constraints on the individual‘s behavior where it can cause discomfort, harm, or injury‖ (p. 12). In short, taboo and swear words can affect someone‘s
behavior when he feels discomfort, harm, and injury.
To be more specific about swear words, Andersson and Trudgill (1990) say
that swearing can be defined as a type of language usage in which the expression:
refers to something that is taboo and/or stigmatized in the culture;
should not be interpreted literally;
can be used to express strong emotions and attitudes. (Andersson and Trudgill, 1990, p. 53)
In his book, Ljung (1984) also states:
The first important point in defining a swear word is that it should be used in a non – technical sense, i.e. the word bitch, it will be non-swearing when it means a female dog, but it will be swearing when used to disparage a woman. In line with the requirement of non-technicality, the word Jesus in the sentence “The life and teachings of Jesus” is not a swear word. However, it becomes a swear word when it is used in an exclamation like ―Jesus fucking Christ!” (p. 23).
There are some kinds of swear words and taboo words we can find in our daily lives. Crystal (2003) explains:
Swearing may be found in religious, legal, and the other formal contexts for example someone who was swearing that he did not steal the money, ―I swear I never steal the money‖. There are also many examples of swear words to express surprise, frustration, or anger, such as ass and fuck. The most common taboo expressions that involve ‗parts of the body‘ are fuck (to have sexual intercourse – the word is used both as a noun and as a verb) and shit (bodily excrement – the word is used both as a noun and as an adjective) (p. 61).
Besides, George Carlin in his well-known monologue entitled Seven Words You Can‟t Say on TV explains why there are some words cannot be used on television.
Carlin proposes ―a simple list of words that we have decided not to use all the time especially in a public; the words are shit, piss, cunt, fuck, cocksucker, motherfucker, and tits” (Pinker, 2007, p. 207)
It can be said that swear words occur frequently in people daily conversation. It causes swear words are considered as powerful words to express someone‘s feelings. When uttering swear words, it will give different effects for
the listeners. Compare the effects of saying: That meal was fantastic! Versus That meal was fucking fantastic! In the second case, the word fucking acts as an intensifier which strengthens both the force of the adjective fantastic and the speaker‘s personal evaluation of the meal.
its literal meaning which is female dog. However, it means an annoying or unpleasant woman, a prostitute, and an empowered woman when someone uttered it emotionally.
Another example is the word motherfucker. In his 1970 book Seize the Time, Bobby Seale attributes the terms to slaves in the South of American:
Eldridge [Cleaver] ran it down to me once…he said, ―I‘ve seen and heard brothers use the word four and five times in one sentence and each time the word had a different meaning and expression. Motherfucker actually comes from the old slave system and was a reference to the slave master who raped our mothers, which society today doesn‘t want to face as a fact (p. 232). Montagu (2001) adds that ―the word motherfucker is used as a pejorative and obscenity among Black people which is used as curse, expletive, epithet and intensifier‖ (p. 213). Hence, when it is used in the personal sense strongly antagonistic and conflicting emotions, it often provokes violent reactions. According to psychiatrist Renatus Hartogs who has had much experience with juvenile delinquents in New York tells that ―the emotional dread surrounding the term motherfucker is so strong‖ (as cited in Montagu, 2001, p. 214). Wickman adds:
The word motherfucker first used in the late 19th century or around 1889 in a Texas court to call a defendant ―a Goddamned mother-fucking, bastardly son-of-a-bitch” and it is usually considered highly offensive; it is rarely used in the literal senses of one who engages in sexual activity with another person‘s mother, or his mother. Rather, it refers to mean, despicable, or vicious person, or any frustrating situation (as cited in Mohr, 2013, p. 171).
speakers and the listeners should consider their real meaning. McEnery (2006) in his book defines some meanings of swear words and their applications. He says:
Damn is often used to curse and express annoyance, disgust, or surprise. It can be addressed to someone or something. Bastard does not mean an illegitimate child, but it is used to swear at an unpleasant and despicable person. Commonly it is addressed to a man. The word cunt is often used to address a woman or female genitalia. It has derogatory meaning. It is clear that swear words have meaning which different from their literal meaning. (pp. 99-100).
Hence, the speakers should consider the non-literal meaning of swear words and to whom the words are addressed before saying them.
The use of swear words also has different degree of their offensiveness. Beers-Fägersten (2007) in her research classified swear words based on their level. She found:
The word nigger is the most offensive word among African-Americans since it is related to racial slurs. Among the swear words, the sexual terms motherfucker and fuck are rated higher than bastard and bitch. Sexual anatomy, such as ass, asshole, shit, cunt, and dick which are rated higher than damn and hell. (p. 19).
However, the offensiveness level of each swear word evolves and it is different from 19th century swear words. Burnham states that in early America, profanity and obscenity belonged together in the category of taboo language. However, ―during 19th
century and the late 19th century taboos words and swear words focused primarily on religious ideas and symbols, especially taking the Lord‘s
(2006), ―as the 19th century progressed, swear words also can fall from their
popularity and some words change the function and some of them are evolved and ameliorated. Vulgar terms related to sexual anatomy were also avoided and replaced because of the developing of the refinement of manners in the society‖ (p. 99).
In conclusion, people need to know the meaning of each swear words and the contexts when they are saying them. Different swear words will give different meaning and the level of offensiveness.
a. The Types of Swear Words
Most of swearing and taboo expressions in English refer to religion or to the parts of the body and bodily process, especially those associated with sexual activity or secretion process. There are several types of swear words. Batistella (2005) suggests four types of swear words, i.e. epithets, profanity, vulgarity, and obscenity (p. 72).
1) Epithet
2) Profanity
Battistella says that profanity can be categorized as religious cursing because it usually includes the foul-mouthed use of what is considered to be sacred. Moreover, Jay describes profanity as the expression involving the use of religious terms in a profane, secular or uncaring manner. The aim of the speaker is ―not to vilify or denigrate God or anything connected with religion but it may be
used to express emotional response to certain motives‖ (as cited in Doyle, 2006, pp. 2-3). The words that belong to this type are God, Jesus Christ, hell, damn, damnation, and goddamn it. Saying God or Jesus Christ as an expression of
surprise or annoyance is considered by many people to be blasphemy, mostly because one of the Ten Commandments says not to use God‘s name in vain
(without substance or without relevance). Mbaya (2002) states that ―using swear words must be considered because words that contain sacred functions can be tabooed if they are uttered in the context of sacred ceremonies‖ (p. 224). Saying Jesus Christ or Goddamn it can be so sacred and it is more likely showing our disrespect to God if it is uttered outside the religious context.
3) Vulgarity
4) Obscenity
It is a kind of expression that is prohibited from public use because it is considered as lacking of morality since people mention sexual activity and bodily function which can generate disgust. The examples are fuck and shit. Usually obscene words replace the position of other words in a sentence, e.g. “I need to finish this shit as soon as possible” in which the word shit refers to ―assignment‖,
for example. The word shit becomes the object of disgust. The literal meaning actually is feces then it is transformed into swear words (saying shit). In addition, Fairman states that ―the word fuck has various functions not only as a verb which means literally to copulate, but also can be as a noun, adjective, adverb, intensifier, and interjection‖ (p. 44). Thus, this word has more tendencies to be used as a reference to nonsexual things than to having sex. For example, the word fuck in “It‟s fucking freezing” can be intensifier. Therefore, when these words are used, they will give different meanings depending on the contexts and purposes of saying it.
b. The Purposes of Using Swear Words
Swearing is the process when someone seeks to use the power of something to chastise the object of one‘s swearing (Montagu, 2001, p. 15). Most people
associate swearing with being angry or frustrated, but people swear for a number of reasons and in a variety of situations. In his research in 2007, Pinker states:
contexts in which it occurs. Therefore, a range of social factors has been taken into account, such as social norms, cultures, relationships between speaker and listener, settings of physical environment and expectations (p. 23).
The purpose of swearing is most commonly to express strong feelings, especially feelings of anger. When we swear, we commonly use interjections. These can be a single word or short phrase or clause. Swearing also serves multiple purposes in social interactions. According to Rothwell (1973), the principal purposes of using swear words are:
1) To Create Attention
People who use swear words want to attract attention from the society surrounding. They want to be the central attention among other people with the purpose that people can know his condition and listen to him. Mc. Edward explains ―the speakers should gain the interest through the use of strong and
powerful language whose connotation can stimulate an instant reaction from the audience‖ (as cited in Mc Guire, 1973, pp. 5-6). Therefore, people use swear
words which are believed to have power in gaining listener‘s attention because of their strong connotation. They want other people to listen to them. In the public forum, attention is created through the use of shock rhetoric. Those who use this way can gain attention by strong and passionate language whose connotations evoke an immediate emotional response from the listeners.
2) To Discredit Someone or Something
suitable with public opinion. Rothwell asserts that verbal obscenity communicates a significant hatred for society's rule, a rebellion against power as well as impertinence for things that are considered sacred. In other words, people use swear words because they want to express their disappointment about a reality that is different from what they have expected.
3) To Provoke
When someone swears, he or she may have a purpose to provoke a certain response like violation or anger from others. Rothwell says ―verbal obscenity can be the most efficient symbolic process offered to protester intended for inviting chaotic reaction‖ (as cited in Fitzgerald, 2007, p. 17). It means that certain swear word can bring violent when the speaker expended a certain respect from the listeners. When the listeners are not satisfied, it will make confrontation that can be dangerous.
4) To Create Interpersonal Identification
5) To Provide Catharsis
When somebody is angry, annoyed, or hurt physically and mentally, he or she will show their feelings. The use of swear words or taboo words spontaneously conveys the emotional burst of the speaker in response to something happens to him or her. If a person uses swear words to provide catharsis, it means he wants to express anger, surprise, pain, relief, or upset because of somebody or something. Crystal (2003) adds that uttering swear words might ease the emotionally psychological burden of the swearer, which he claims as ―excellent relief mechanism‖ (p. 55). Freud has viewed swearing as a form of
catharsis or emotional and tension release (Locher & Graham, 2010, p. 290).
c. Swear Words and Ethnicity
Ethnicity belongs to a group that shares the same characteristics, such as country of origin, language, religion, ancestry and culture. Ethnicity is a matter of biological and historical fact and it is not changed by the culture in which a person grows up. According to Eriksen, the term ethnicity refers to the relationships between groups whose the members consider themselves distinctive and these groups may be ranked hierarchically within a society (as cited in Beers-Fägersten, 2007, p. 11).
Ethnicity also refers to a person‘s hereditary membership in a distinct group
use and ethnicity, Trudgill (2000) states that ―language has a setting and it consists of different dialects, accents, and vocabularies. The use of language can indicate someone belongs to what race or ethnicity (or number of races)‖ (Trudgill, 2000, p. 39). Thus, different races or ethnicities will have different language styles, and of course including the swear words too.
It is often said that swearing in Germanic language like English uses only a handful of words. It may be true that only a few taboo concepts or words are used, but these can be combined with other words used in fixed expression to make up a fairly elaborate system of swearing (Ellis, 1999, p. 143). For example, the words for feces are typical swear words in European languages i.e. shit (English), scheisse (German), skit (Swedish), merde (French), mierda (Spanish), and so on.
In an Asian ethnic group, Chinese cannot be induced to swear by the Bible, the Americans will swear by anything in the heavens above or in the earth beneath (Foner, 1970, p. 275). According to Ellis (1999):
social status. Meanwhile, the Americans can swear to everyone, not only to their close social distance (p. 39).
Being more specific, Americans and African-Americans have had a long history of race and ethnicity relations. People can see the conflicts between White-Americans and African-White-Americans. The differences between one race with another sometimes create some problems. Racism is the belief that one group of people with a particular biological make up is superior to other groups. From 1619 to 1863, many white landowners (especially in the southern states) kept Africans or African-Americans as slaves. In this century and before then too, racism comes out from the slave trade. Foner (1970) states that ―in the slave trade, many Blacks can be bought and sold like things and they are seen as a thing that is less than a human. There were dislike and hatred‖ (p. 309). Many of the names that people used to call other people of another ethnic group were derogatory and offensive that can be said as taboo words and swear words. For instance, the word niggers recalled great cruelty and oppression. Middleton and Pilgrim (2001) states:
Historically, the word nigger ridiculed all Blacks. It was a term of exclusion, a verbal reason for discrimination. Whether used as a noun, verb, or adjective, it strengthened the stereotype of the lazy, stupid, dirty, worthless nobody. No other American surname carries as much purposeful cruelty (p. 3).
3. 12 Years a Slave Movie
12 Years a Slave movie is an American drama movie directed by Steve
McQueen. The screenplay was written by John Ridley. It is an adaptation of narrative memoir entitled Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Notrthup, a free African-American man who was kidnapped in 1841 and sold into slavery. This movie involves some famous Hollywood stars, such as Chiwetel Ejiofor as Solomon Northup, Michael Fassbender as Edwin Epps, Benedict Cumberbatch as Mr. Ford, Lupita Nyong‘o as Patsey, Sarah Paulson as Mistress Epps, and Brad
Pitt as Samuel Bass. The movie itself was released in 2013 in United States by Fox Searchlight Pictures. The language that is used is full of swear words. It is often uttered by the masters or White people when they get mad to their slaves who are Black People.
Solomon Northup is a free African-American man working as a violinist, living with his wife and two children. His happiness becomes his nightmare when one day two men offer him job as a musician. Once they arrive in Washington D.C, these men conspire to sell him to a slave trader then he is shipped to New Orleans together with others Black people.
that he is actually a free man, but it is useless. He meets with a woman slave named Patsey who often get sexual harassment from Mr. Epps. It is caused Mistress Epps‘ jealousy and hatred. He also gets abusive treatment and scorn
through swearing. His master often says nigger, damn, or bastard to him.
Some times later, cotton worm plague attacks Mr. Epps' plantation. Being unable to work on his fields, Mr. Epps leases his slaves included Solomon to Judge Turner. Not long after that, he returns to Mr. Epps and starts working on a gazebo with a Canadian carpenter named Samuel Bass. Bass does not like the way Mr. Epps treat his slaves. Knowing that, Solomon confesses his true identity to Bass. He asks for help in sending a letter to Saratoga Springs. Bass agrees to send it. One day, a local sheriff and his friend come to free him. After being enslaved for 12 years, he gets his freedom and returns to his family.
4. Review of Related Research
Virgin movie are certain game animal terms, such as “anjing” (dog). The second research is from the thesis of Kurniawan (2015) from Sanata Dharma University. The title is ―The Analysis of taboo words and Swear Words in George Carlin‘s
Monologue Seven Words You Can‟t Say on Television‖. In his thesis he discussed the reference or senses of the taboo words and swear words in the monologue. Besides, he told about how those swear words were used in the monologue. He used document analysis to conduct his research. He classified the swear words and taboo words that were found by using Pinker‘s typology (2007) about swear words and Ljung‘s theory (2011).
Meanwhile, the researcher in this research has different aims. Firstly, it will describe the classification of the swear words as portrayed in 12 Years a Slave movie and then the purposes of swearing that are employed by the characters in the movie. She uses Battistela‘s classification about swear words and Rothwell‘s theory to decide the purposes of using swear words. The method used is also document analysis by using the movie transcription to obtain the data.
B. Theoretical Framework
the characters speak and act related to the implementation of swear words. Since language and society cannot be separated, the scope of the research is sociolinguistics which discusses the way people use language in different social contexts and the use of language to convey messages (Holmes, 2013). This research study both good language and bad language which are often prohibited to be spoken in a society like taboo words and swear words. The theories will be applied as the basic understanding to analyze the problems. The intentions of uttering swear words can be explained by paying attention to the context in which swearing takes place (Beers-Fägersten, 2007). Thus, to know the reasons and the purposes of swearing, it is needed to see the context because it is highly context-dependent.
This research aims to investigate 12 Years a Slave movie covering two major points of objectives, i.e. types of swear words and the purposes of using the swear words based on the characters‘ utterances. To answer the first research
question, the researcher refers to Batistella‘s categorization of the types of swear words. They are epithets, profanity, vulgarity, and obscenity (Batistella, 2005).
Language and Society (Sociolinguistics)
Society Language
Bad language Good language
Taboo Words
Swear Words
Types of Swear Words Batistella (2005)
Profanity Epithet
Vulgarity
Obscenity
Purposes of Using Swear Words
Rothwell (1973)
To create attention
To discredit
To provoke
To create interpersonal identification
The Analysis of Swear Words that Are Uttered by White and Black Characters in 12 Years a Slave Movie
12 Years a Slave Movie
Ethnicity
[image:48.595.88.555.94.732.2]To Provide Catharsis
31
CHAPTER III
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
In this chapter, in order to answer the research questions as mentioned in Chapter I, the researcher would like to discuss the method used in this research. This chapter contains some parts. They are the research method, research setting, research subjects, research instruments and data gathering technique, data analysis technique, and research procedure.
A. Research Method
The research method that is used by the researcher is qualitative approach. This provides descriptive information about the research topic. According to Ary et al. (2010), ―the qualitative approach is a study of social and behavioral phenomena like human behavior. It seeks to understand and interpret human and social behavior as it is lived by participants in a particular social setting‖ (p. 420). Strauss and Corbin (1998) add that ―qualitative research does not merely emphasize the findings on quantity, but it is acceptable that some of the data may be quantified with the background information of the subjects under the study. However, the more important thing is its interpretation‖ (p. 11).
through an analysis of their communication (Fraenkel & Wallen, 2008, p. 472). In addition, Ary et al. (2010) state ―content or document analysis is a research method applied to written or visual materials for the purpose of identifying specific characteristics of the material such as textbooks, newspapers, web pages speeches, television programs, advertisements, or other types of documents‖ (p.
457). The researcher chose this method since it can be the best way to analyze the phenomenon related to swear words as portrayed in 12 Years a Slave movie.
B. Research Setting
The researcher conducted the research in a place where some literatures which became the source of information like books, articles or journals related to linguistics study were available. The purpose of choosing the place is to make it easier for the researcher to obtain the data and the information.
C. Research Subject
D. Research Instruments and Data Gathering Technique
The instrument which was used to collect and analyze the data was the human investigator. Here the researcher became the planner, data collector, data analyzer, and data reporter. Moleong also states that the researcher is directly and personally involved in the research which is conducted (2004, p. 56). Moreover, Ary et al. (2010) add:
Qualitative inquiry relies on fieldwork methods (interviewing, observation, and document analysis) as the principal means of collecting data. It can be done by talking with people in setting, observing their activities, reading their documents and written records, and recording the information in the field notes and journals (p. 424).
Table 3.1 Types of Swear Words and Purposes of Using Swear Words in 12
Years a Slave Movie
No. Data Types Purposes Speaker Explanation
Dialogue Swear
words
E P V O T C A T D T P T C I I T P C
1. Mistress Epps: No other. Sell her!
Mr. Epps : I will not! Mistress Epps: You will remove that black
bitch from this property...or I'll take myself back to Cheneyville.
Bitch White Mistress Epss thinks that her husband has an affair with Patsey. Thus, she swears bitch at Patsey. The purpose of swearing is to create identification because her behavior is like a bitch.
Types of Swear Words Purposes of Using Swear Words (Battistella, 2005) (Rothwell, 1973)
E : Epithet P : Profanity V : Vulgarity O : Obscenity
TCA : To Create Attention TD : To Discredit
TP : To Provoke
TCII :To Create Interpersonal Identification PC : To Provide Catharsis
contained the sufficient data that might help the researcher to answer the research problems.
The second step was downloading the transcript of 12 Years a Slave movie. This step was needed to help the researcher have the accurate dialogues of the movie and make sure that the researcher was not wrong in understanding the dialogues through the characters‘ utterances.
The next step was re-watching the movie to obtain better understanding about the story line and checking the accuracy of the movie transcript. In this step, the researcher marked the dialogue containing swear words in the movie transcript. After being marked, each swear word was categorized based on the types of swear words and the purposes of using swear words. The dialogues which did not contain swear words were omitted.
E. Data Analysis Technique
Here the researcher describes the technique in analyzing data. In this research there were several steps conducted to analyze the data.
[image:53.595.95.513.216.637.2]First, the researcher categorized the dialogue which contain swear words. The data would be transferred into categorization system which was drawn to a table presented as Table 3.1.
the swear words found in the movie. Then, numbers in the form of percentages of each phenomenon were employed to support the description of the data.
Third, the researcher discussed the data to describe the types of swear words and the purposes of using the swear words. The types of swear words that are suggested by Batistella (2005) and the purposes of using swear words by Rothwell (1973) can help the researcher to answer the research problem number one and two. To enrich the references, the researcher also used other theories about swear words from some experts and linguists. The context shown in the movie was also involved in the process of discussion the findings
Fourth, the researcher watched again the movie to see whether the purposes of the swear words matched with the discussion. It is needed to help the researcher interpret the dialogues in the movie.
The last step to do was reporting the findings and the discussion. In addition, she also drew conclusions based on the results of the research
F. Research Procedure.
In conducting this research, the researcher did some steps of procedure. Here were the steps:
1. Deciding the topic and the research problems
which did not only use swear words in the dialogues but also had the relation with the social environment and ethnicity.
2. Looking for related literature or studies
The researcher read several books as the references to analyze the data. There were some authors and linguists that the works were used by the researcher, such as Jay, Trdugill, Batistella, and some other experts. The theories should be relevant with the problem that would be discussed.
3. Determining related methodology
The researcher chose qualitative approach to get more detailed and in-depth information about the topic. The method used was content analysis because the source of the data was from the movie and its written transcription.
4. Collecting the data
The researcher collected the data from the movie by marking the dialogues which contained swear words. The data gathered then were transferred into the categorization system by using the data sheet.
5. Analyzing the data
The researcher studied the collected data and counted the swear words based on their types and the purposes of uttering them to support the description of each phenomenon in the movie and to see the swear words uttered by Black and White people
6. Interpreting and discussing the data
After the data were analyzed, the researcher interpreted and discussed the data based on the relevant literature review. The researcher presented the interpretation in a descriptive form.
7. Interpreting and discussing the data
After the data were analyzed, the researcher interpreted and discussed the data based on the relevant literature review. The researcher presented the interpretation in a descriptive form.
8. Reporting the result
39
CHAPTER IV
RESEARCH FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
This chapter is divided into two parts. The first part discusses the types of swear words found in 12 Years a Slave movie. The types of swear words will be the answer of the first research question as stated in the problem formulation. The types of swear words include four classifications i.e. epithet, profanity, vulgarity, and obscenity. The second part is about the purposes of the swear words that are uttered by White and Black characters in the movie to answer the second research question. This part employs Rothwell‘s theory about the purposes of swearing, i.e.
to create attention, to discredit, to provoke, to create personal identification, and to provide catharsis.
A. Types of Swear Words
[image:57.595.89.511.236.629.2]Table 4.1 The Types of Swear Words in 12 Years a Slave Movie
Types of Swear
Words
The Occurrence in Conversations
Total White People
(Tibeats, Mr. Epps, Mistress
Epps)
Black People (Solomon, Clemens, Patsey)
Epithet 12 3 15
Profanity 17 3 20
Vulgarity 0 0 0
Obscenity 1 0 1
Total 30 6 36
Percentage 83% 17% 100%
There are four types of swear words, i.e. epithet, profanity, vulgarity, and
specific, each of them will be explained one by one and followed by examples taken from the dialogue uttered by the characters of the movie.
1. Epithet
Epithet is characterized by the existence of several types of slurs, such as bitch and fag. Other references that are included as epithet are connected to race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, one's appearance, and disability, such as nigger, bastard, and motherfucker. Associating somebody like animal also can be included as epithet, such as dog, bitch, or bullshit. Therefore, he or she will use emotional language by uttering the swear words which are addressed to somebody. Here are the utterances belong to epithet.
a. Clemens : If you want to survive, do and say as little as possible. Tell no one who you really are and tell no one that you can read and write. Unless you want to be a dead nigger.
(Datum No. 1)
which carries emotional meaning which means can be classified as a swear word. Clemens says nigger as the reflection of his own hatred toward himself and his ethnic. He is one of well-educated Black people, points out although he is actually a nigger and a slave, he warns the other niggers to be quiet because a nigger who can write and read will be killed. He knows that to survive, a nigger just needs to keep silent and act carefully because they are just black slave with no value as human beings. Showing their ability and intelligence will lead them to death.
b. Robert : I say we fight.
Solomon : The crew is fairly small. If it were well planned, I believe they could be strong armed.
Clemens : Three can‘t stand against a whole crew. The rest here are niggers, born and bred slaves. Niggers ain‘t got the stomach for a fight, not a damn one.
(Datum No. 2) The scene in the movie shows they are in a steamboat and will be shipped to Orleans to be sold as slaves. Robert tells the others to fight against the crew because they are just a small group. Solomon thinks it will be hard to fight for escaping because they must be strong crew. Clemens warns again to others emotionally with high tone that three niggers cannot stand against a whole crew because they were born as niggers and bred to be slaves. He recognizes the niggers‘ fate is just being slaves and not fighting because they do not have strong
the theme of profanity. Another swearword found is niggers. The reference is connected to race and ethnicity. Since swear word is emotional language, its main function is to reveal the speaker‘s feelings and attitudes. So, based on the situation above, as the reflection of his feelings in this situation, he prefers saying niggers to Black People.
c. Tibeats : Goddamn you! I thought you knowed something!
Solomon : I did as instructed. If there's something wrong, then it‘s wrong with your instructions
Tibeats : You black bastard! You goddman black bastard!
(Datum no. 6)
The swear words in the dialogue above are the combination of epithet and profanity. It happens when a White carpenter named Tibeats watches over and checks Solomon‘s work to build a hut as he has instructed. He is arrogant because
he thinks he is more superior and better than the slaves. He hates Black people including Solomon. He thinks Solomon tries to seek attention from Mr. Ford that makes him jealous. Thus, he tries to look for his fault just for blaming him. Solomon does not feel he has made a mistake. He has done the instruction, so if he makes mistakes, it is caused by the instructor namely Tibeats. Tibeats does not accept it and he directly gets mad. He expresses his anger by swearing and saying bastard to Solomon.
period, there was no word which had a similar meaning to the word bastard. The speaker uses this word because it is an offensive term for insulting name for someone who has made him angry. Its literal meaning is an illegitimate child, a child born to unmarried parents (OED). Certainly, in non-literal meaning it does not mean that Solomon is an illegitimate child but it is more as swearing. It is like general insult hurled toward someone who is considered bad, stupid, or foolish. It just means that Tibeats does not like Solomon and to express it, he uses offensive word by saying bastard. Moreover, Tibeats emphasizes by saying black bastard referring to Solomon as a black person or an African-American.
d. Tibeats : You will not live ta see another day, nigger!
(Datum no. 7)
e. Mr. Epps : Yah menfolk got no shame letting Patsey out-pick you? The day ain't yet come she swung lower than five hundred pounds. Queen of the fields, she is.
Treach : 138 pounds…
Mr. Epps : I ain‘t done, Treach. Ain‘t owed a minute to luxuriate on the work Patsey done?
Treach : Yes, sir
