A STUDY ON PRESUPPOSITION USED
IN WEEKENDER MAGAZINE’S ADVERTISEMENTS
A THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree
in English Language Education
By
Ana Humardhiana
Student Number: 041214044
ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA
iv
I dedicated this thesis to:
The One and Only Allah SWT
My beloved parents, Bp. Istuk Hadi Prihatno and Ib. Maryati
My inspiring sisters and brother, Mbak Edi Kusumawati, Mbak Ida
Istiarti, and Mas David Wahyudi
My very very best friend, Leoni Afikawati
And my biggest enemy, my own self,, “I defeated you here, girl. And
I’ll defeat you in my tomorrows…”
“NO ONE SURRENDERS.
ONLY CONTENDERS IN THIS FIGHT….”
vi ABSTRACT
Humardhiana, Ana. 2009. A Study on Presupposition Used in WEEKENDER Magazine’s Advertisements. Yogyakarta: Sanata Dharma University.
In communicating, people usually share the same knowledge with each other. They generally make indirect assertions, i.e. via presupposition. In the world of advertising, presupposition is frequently used. Even it is obliged for the advertisers to use presupposition since they are not allowed to make direct assertion about their products. Although presupposition is frequently used in our daily-life, it is not easy to understand it linguistically, especially those in advertisement. As students of English Language Department, we need to also have knowledge on it.
In this study on presupposition, there are two problems formulated. The first problem is how many types of presuppositions are used in WEEKENDER magazine’s advertisements. The second one is what the functions of presupposition are. Those lead to the aims of the study which are to find out the types of presuppositions used in WEEKENDER magazine’s advertisements and to find out the functions of presuppositions.
For this descriptive research, the writer applied a qualitative approach. In this study, document or content analysis technique was utilized to answer question number 1 and library research for question number 2. This study used 100 WEEKENDER magazine’s advertisements as the objects to be analyzed. Since the study employed document analysis method, the researcher herself was the main instrument to gain the data, and helped by a checklist of presupposition in order to ease her analyzing.
The results of the study depicts that there were five types of presupposition in WEEKENDER magazine’s advertisements, namely existential presupposition, factive presupposition, lexical presupposition, structural presupposition, and non-factive presupposition. There were 51 existential presuppositions, 13 non-factive presuppositions, 28 lexical presuppositions, 6 structural presuppositions, and 2 non-factive presuppositions. There were also found four functions of presuppositions, such as presenting the existence of the product or service, implicit competition, making short and memorable message, and establishing a virtual poetic world.
vii ABSTRAK
Humardhiana, Ana. 2009. Penelitian tentang Presuposisi dalam Iklan di Majalah WEEKENDER. Yogyakarta: Universitas Sanata Dharma.
Dalam berkomunikasi, orang-orang biasanya saling berbagi pengetahuan yang sama. Pada umumnya, mereka membuat pernyataan secara tidak langsung, yaitu melalui presuposisi. Di dalam dunia periklanan, presuposisi sering digunakan. Bahkan pengiklan diharuskan menggunakan presuposisi karena mereka tidak diperbolehkan membuat pernyataan secara langsung tentang produk-produk mereka. Meskipun presuposisi sering digunakan dalam kehidupan kita sehari-hari, memahami presuposisi secara linguistik bukanlah hal yang mudah, khususnya dalam iklan. Sebagai mahasiswa jurusan Bahasa Inggris, kita juga harus mempunyai pengetahuan tentang presuposisi.
Dalam studi tentang presuposisi ini, ada dua rumusan permasalahan. Yang pertama adalah berapa banyak presuposisi yang digunakan di iklan-iklan majalah WEEKENDER dan apa saja itu. Yang kedua adalah apa fungsi dari presuposisi. Rumusan permasalahan tersebut merujuk pada tujuan dari studi ini, yaitu untuk menemukan jenis-jenis presuposisi dalam iklan di majalah WEEKENDER dan untuk menemukan fungsi-fungsi presuposisi.
Penulis menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif untuk penelitian deskriptif ini. Dalam studi ini, teknik document or content analysis digunakan untuk menjawab permasalahan nomor 1 dan teknik library research untuk nomor 2. Studi ini memakai 100 iklan di majalah WEEKENDER sebagai object yang dianalisa. Karena studi ini menggunakan metode document analysis, penulis sendiri yang menjadi instrumen utama untuk memperoleh data, tetapi dia juga dibantu dengan sebuah checklist presuposisi agar mempermudah penganalisaannya.
Hasil dari studi ini menunjukkan ada lima macam presuposisi, yaitu existential presupposition, factive presupposition, lexical presupposition, structural presupposition, dan non-factive presupposition. Mereka terdiri dari 51 existential presuppositions, 13 factive presuppositions, 28 lexical presuppositions, 6 structural presuppositions, dan 2 non-factive presuppositions. Ditemukan pula empat fungsi presuposisi, yaitu menunjukkan keberadaan suatu produk atau servis, kompetisi implisit, membuat pesan menjadi pendek dan mudah dingat, dan membangun suasana yang puitis.
viii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
In every single step I take, I pray to Allah SWT to always bless and guide
me in my path of life. And today, I praise Allah at the most for Allah’s blessing,
grace, love, and guidance. I’m very little here below, but with Allah’s blessing
and guidance I can make something big and even bigger than my own conceit. I
love my God, Allah. I know I would not have been able to accomplish this thesis
without Allah.
Conducting this thesis was a long journey for me. There were a lot of
obstacles in every turn, slope, and even red lights that stopped me for awhile.
However, I was sure there was no single deadlock I faced since I have my parents,
sisters and brother who accompanied me with love, support, and encouragement
so that I could finish my thesis and step forward. My Dad and my Mom are my
shining stars. I would like to apologize to them for making it hard and difficult but
I promise to be their best daughter they ever have. I love them and I thank them
for their love, patience, and support in every breath that I take. Mbak Edi, Mbak
Ida, and Mas David, they are my truly inspiration. I would like to say sorry for
breaking my promise to accomplish my thesis at the promised time, but today I
present this thesis for them. I thank them for their support, help, and
encouragement throughout this thesis. I love them very much.
This thesis was a competition for me. I made this a competition so that
I could be more enthusiastic and triggered to finish it. I fairly competed with my
ix
already graduated in 2008 or in early 2009, but I never stopped struggling. I never
surrendered. Throughout these years, my friends and I help each other, we
encourage each other, we support each other, but we actually are competing. I
would like to say to my friends that this is the best I can do as a 2004 student. I
hope they will be more motivated and encouraged. That’s the friends are for.
Here, I would like to say thanks to my friends who helped me, gave their ideas,
and encouraged me, Agung, Adi, Mbak Ajeng, Mas Arif, and my best friend
Leoni Afikawati. Fika and I share good times and bad times. She is the best friend
I ever have. I thank her for everything that I cannot even mention them because all
my grateful words for her will never be able to depict what she have taught and
given to me. I love her like a sister. There are also friends that were willing to help
me in this thesis, but I cannot mention them one by one for they are so many.
However, I will never forget their kindness to me. I know I owe them a lot.
Last but not least, I would like to give my deepest gratitude to all lecturers
of English Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma University. I thank them
for teaching and educating me throughout these years. I am very indebted to
Carla Sih Prabandari, S.Pd., M.Hum. as the sponsor of my thesis and Drs. Concilianus Laos Mbato, M.A. as my previous sponsor before he left for Australia. I really thank them for their patience and guidance so that I could finish
this thesis. I would also like to give my gratitude to the Board of Examiners of my
Thesis Defense. I thank them so much for their trust to me in carrying the title
Sarjana Pendidikan.
x
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE ……….…….…… i
APPROVAL PAGES………..……… ii
DEDICATION PAGE ……….………..…… iv
STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY ………..……… v
ABSTRACT ………...……...…… vi
ABSTRAK ………...…….….… vii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ………...…...…..………… viii
TABLE OF CONTENTS ………...……… x
LIST OF APPENDICES ……….……… xiii
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION A. Research Background ………. 1
B. Problem Formulation ………. 3
C. Problem Limitation ………...………. 3
D. Research Objectives ………..………. 4
E. Research Benefits …………..………. 4
F. Definition of Terms ...………. 5
CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE A. Theoretical Description ……….………. 7
xi
a. Definitions of Advertising and Advertisement ………. 7
b. Copy Parts of an Advertisement ………...………. 9
2. The Language of Advertising ………. 11
a. Attention Seeking Devices ………..………. 12
b. The Characteristics of the Language of Advertising ……...……. 13
c. Persuasion as the Language of Advertising ………. 15
3. Regulation of Advertising ……….……. 15
a. Deception and Unfairness ………...…………. 16
b. Competitive Issues ………..………. 17
c. Advertising to Children ………...………. 18
4. Theories on Presupposition ………...………. 19
a. What is Presupposition? ………..………. 19
b. Types of Presupposition ………..………. 21
c. Presupposition and the Negation Test ………. 24
d. Presupposition Triggers ………..…………. 25
e. The Functions of Presupposition in Advertising ………. 31
5. Magazines as the Printed Media ………...………. 32
B. Theoretical Framework ………...………. 35
CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY A. Research Method ……….………. 37
B. Research Objects ………….………. 39
xii
D. Data Gathering Technique ………..………. 40
E. Data Analysis Technique ………. 40
F. Research Procedures ………...…. 41
CHAPTER IV: RESEARCH FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
A. Types of Presupposition in Advertisement ……….……. 45
B. Functions of Presupposition in Advertisement …………...………. 60
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS
A. Conclusions ……….………. 67
B. Suggestions ……….………. 68
xiii
LIST OF APPENDICES
Appendix 1: Numbers of Presuppositions ………...……. 73
Appendix 2: Checklist of Presupposition Types ……….……. 74
Appendix 3: Note ………. 86
Appendix 4: Checklist of Presupposition Functions ………...……. 98
1 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
This chapter is divided into six sections. The first section presents detailed
information about the background of the problem that leads to the study. The
second is the problem formulation of the study which forms in questions. The next
is the limitation of the problem that will make this study more specific. The
answers of the problems formulated are presented in the fourth section, the
research objectives. The benefits of the study become the fifth section; and the
definition of terms that occur in this study is presented in the last section.
A. Research Background
For many years, advertising has fulfilled our lives; and for more years, our
lives will never be separated from advertising. As the information, commerce, and
technology are developing rapidly, advertising has grown up and nurtured very
well. Seven days in a week, twenty four hours in a day, advertising – in any form
– is there right on our face, just from the very first minutes we open our eyes until
we lie over the blanket. Advertising surrounds us!
Advertising as a way of communication uses a language in order that its
purposes can be conveyed very well. Its language is persuasive, even in many
cases – provocative. Advertising tries to persuade as many people as possible to
do what it wants whether buying the products advertised or following the ideas
catchy advertisements to promote their products and ideas. The advertisements
themselves can be profitable magic spells, hypnotizing people to buy the products
advertised, even if they do not need them. This is exactly the role of the
advertising language. The language of advertising is unique, regardless that it
often breaks the grammar rules. Here is when presupposition takes its control.
People generally and advertisers especially “often make implicit
assumptions about the real world, and the sense of an utterance may depend on
those assumptions, which some linguists term presuppositions” (Brown, 1983:
229). Presuppositions are assumptions about the world whose truths are taken for
granted in discourse. Consider this sentence: Would you have another coke? This
sentence presupposes or implies that you have already had at least one glass/
bottle/ can of coke. Part of the meaning of the word another includes this
presupposition (Brown, 1983: 229). Both the speaker and the listener presuppose
the same. They share the same knowledge for they engage in a communication
act. This also happens between the advertisers and the readers (in printed media)
or the listeners (in radio) or the watchers (in TV). Usually, advertisers are not
allowed to make direct assertion about their products. They generally make
indirect assertions, i.e. via presupposition.
Under the field of pragmatics, presupposition has dragged the writer’s
interest to do a study on it, especially that relates to advertising. Therefore, she
tries to make a research on it. She will use descriptive method in her research in
order that she goes deeper in it. Here, she tries to analyze what types of
Indonesia, WEEKENDER. This magazine is issued by The Jakarta Post
newspaper industry. It is dedicated to give more value to subscribers and more
space for advertisers. Thus, there will be many advertisements can be found. In
this study, the writer also tries to find out the functions of presuppositions. Thus,
A Study on Presupposition Used in WEEKENDER Magazine’s Advertisements
becomes the best title for this research.
B. Problem Formulation
Considering the background presented above, the writer formulates the
problems of the study as follows:
1. How many types of presuppositions are there used in WEEKENDER
magazine’s advertisements?
2. What are the functions of presuppositions?
C. Problem Limitation
This study limits the discussion on how many types of presuppositions are
used in WEEKENDER magazine’s advertisements and what the functions of
presuppositions. This study is a descriptive research. It employs descriptive
method which will analyze presupposition in WEEKENDER magazine’s
advertisements. This study will analyze 100 English advertisements in one year
editions of WEEKENDER magazine, from January – December 2007. Therefore,
the writer limits her study and the theories underlying presuppositions in printed
D. Research Objectives
There are two objectives that will be obtained in this study, namely:
1. To find out how many types of presuppositions are used in WEEKENDER
magazine’s advertisements.
2. To find out the functions of presuppositions.
E. Research Benefits
This study is expected to be able to give several contributions. They are
formulated as follows:
1. For those who are interested in pragmatics:
The result of this study will supply another insight on pragmatics,
especially dealing with presupposition used in advertisements. Advertising
language is unique and it is worth knowing how it is used in the advertisements
through presupposition.
2. For English teachers:
This study gives an understanding about English advertising language. It is
expected to be an outline for English teachers to teach functional text, especially
advertisement. They may use an advertisement in teaching-learning process. In
reading class, the students may be asked to answer some questions based on the
given English ad. The questions may be related to its information carried or the
3. For Sanata Dharma University:
The result of this study can be used as a reference to support future
relevant studies done by students of Sanata Dharma University.
F. Definition of Terms 1. Advertisement
Advertisement is “a marketing tool that helps sell brands of products and
helps to build confidence in companies and institutions by conveying accurate and
compelling information to consumers about the brand or company or institution”
(Weilbacher, 1984: 8). It is being compared to the term advertising, which is seen
as an act of communication the purpose of which is to convey concepts about
companies, goods, and services by means of words, pictures, diagrams, sounds,
music, color, shapes, and symbols on two levels of significance; the rational and
the emotional (Kelly, 1967: 404). If the advertising is an act of persuasive
communication; advertisement is a tool of the act of advertising.
2. Advertising Language
Advertising is an act of persuasive communication conveying about a
product, service, organization, or ideas. It is obvious that the language of
advertising is persuasive. It is not, however, like the everyday-life-language. It is
unique. Becoming more unique when the advertisers use their creativity in order
3. Presupposition
Presuppositions are the linguistic term for “implicit assumptions that the
speakers make about the real world; and the sense of an utterance may depend on
those assumptions” (Fromkin et al., 2003: 216). It means that presupposition is a
background belief that the speaker shares to the listener. For instance, if someone
says Mary’s car is red, the listener will take the understanding that Mary has a car
without the speaker saying it explicitly.
4. WEEKENDER Magazine
WEEKENDER magazine is a printed monthly by The Jakarta Post, the
famous English newspaper industry targeted at high-intellectuals. This magazine
was launched in the beginning of year 2007. It is dedicated to give more value to
subscribers and more space for advertisers. Since this magazine is targeted to
high-intellectuals, which are middle-high community, WEEKENDER magazine
has a little bit complicated and sophisticated language of advertising.
WEEKENDER is a monthly magazine; it is usually published in the middle of the
month. In this thesis, the writer will take the first year’s editions of the magazine
CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
This chapter is divided into two main parts, namely theoretical description
and theoretical framework. In the theoretical description, the writer reviews the
main theories which are used as the references in the study. In the second part of
this chapter, the writer draws a theoretical framework based on the theoretical
description which is used as the guideline to answer the problems formulated.
A. Theoretical Description
In the theoretical description, the writer discusses some theories which are
used as the main references in this study. They are the theories on advertising, the
language of advertising, regulation of advertising, theories on presupposition, and
magazines as the printed media.
1. Theories on Advertising
In Indonesia, advertising and advertisement are translated into periklanan
and iklan. There is a slight difference between advertising and advertisement, yet
they pursue the same goal. Considering the relation between both, some theories
in advertising are used for theories of advertisements. The followings are theories
from the experts about advertising and advertisement.
a. Definitions of Advertising and Advertisement
Clemente defines advertising as “one of the main action elements of the
persuasive information about a product, service, organization or idea” (Clemente,
1992: 8). Here, he sees advertising as an action of communication in the
marketing world. The action is persuasive and needs a paid media to inform about
a product, service, organization or ideas. Persuasion is the key of advertising as he
adds in his sentence, “the key benefits of advertising are providing product
information and influencing attitude changes among consumers” (Clemente, 1992:
8). He also adds that “advertising can be targeted to consumers in either narrow or
broad geographic areas” (Clemente, 1992: 8). It has three basic objectives:
(a) to inform consumers about new items, products uses, services available, or other useful information; (b) to persuade an audience to buy an item, change brand preferences, or perceive an item or service differently; (c) to remind consumers about the need for an item or service as where it can be bought.
Meanwhile, advertising decisions fall into two basic categories as follows
(Clemente, 1992: 8):
1) Message development
It refers to what is to be said. Messages may be intended to create
awareness of a brand that favorably predisposes consumers to the product. It may
convey product benefits, built familiarity of the brand while reinforcing a unique
selling proportion in the minds of consumers.
2) Media selection
This refers to determining where advertising communications will appear.
Kelley (1967: 404) adds that the means of advertising may be in words,
pictures, diagrams, sounds, music, color, shapes, and symbols on two levels of
Advertising is an act of communication the purpose of which is to convey concepts about companies, goods, and services by means of words, pictures, diagrams, sounds, music, color, shapes, and symbols on two levels of significance; the rational and the emotional. (Kelley, 1967:404)
If Clemente and Kelley see advertising as an act, Weilbacher (1984: 8) in
the businessman’s perspective sees advertisement as a tool. Weilbacher says the
businessman defines advertisement as “a marketing tool that helps sell brands of
products and helps to build confidence in companies and institutions by
conveying accurate and compelling information to consumers about the brand or
company or institution” (1984: 8). Clemente specifies the media of advertisement,
which is in print, in order to distinguish advertisement from commercial breaks.
They are similar, but not the same.
Advertisement is a paid announcement appearing in a print media outlet that is designed to reach a large audience. The goal of an advertisement is to promote a product, service, organization, or idea. It is designed to persuade, inform, or otherwise influence consumer attitudes. Space for an advertisement is purchased by an advertiser who controls what information will appear. However, advertisement content is often subjected by the medium in which it appears. (Clemente, 1992:7)
From the theories presented, it is obvious that advertising and
advertisement are different, yet have the same aim. Advertising is an act of
persuasive communication conveying about a product, service, organization, or
ideas; whereas advertisement is a tool of the act of advertising.
b. Copy Parts of an Advertisement
Advertisements are made up of numerous elements or components. These
elements may be moved, enlarged, reduced, reversed, changed, or eliminated in
order to achieve a new look or approach. According to Bovee and Arens (1986:
subhead, body copy, boxes and panels, slogans, logotypes (logos), seals, and
signatures”.
1) Headline
Arens (2006: 417) states headline is the words in the leading position in
the advertisement – the words that will be read first and are situated to draw the
most attention. Thus, headlines usually appear in larger type than other parts of
the ad in order to be eye-catching.
2) Subheads
The size of the subhead is smaller than the headline but larger than the
body copy or text. Subhead may appear above the headline or below it. A subhead
above the headline is called a kicker (or overline) and may be underlined.
Subheads may also appear in body copy. Like a headline, the subhead transmits
key sales points fast.
3) Body copy
Body copy or text tells the complete sales story. It is a logical continuation
of the headline and subheads. The body copy is set in smaller type than headlines
or subheads.
4) Boxes and panels
Boxes and panels are usually used in advertisements that contain coupons,
special offers, contest rules, and order blanks. The boxes and panels are used to
set these features apart from the rest of the advertisement. Specifically, a box is
usually runs the whole length or width of an ad. Boxes and panels are used to
draw greater attention to a specific element or message in the advertisement.
5) Slogans
Many slogans (also called themelines or taglines) begin as successful
headlines. Through continuous use, they become standard statements, not just in
advertising but for salespeople and company employees. Effective slogans are
short, easy to understand, memorable, and easy to repeat. Good slogans help set
the product apart from its competitors.
6) Seals, logotypes, and signatures
Seals are given only when a product meets standards established by the
relevant institutions, for example the Good Housekeeping Institute, Underwriters
Laboratorics, and Parents Institute. The term seal also refers to the company seal
or trademark. These are actually called logotypes. Logotypes (logos) and
signature cuts (sig cuts) are special designs of the advertiser’s name or product
name. They appear in all advertisements and are like trademarks because they
give the product individuality and provide quick recognition at the point of
purchase.
2. The Language of Advertising
Advertising as an act of communication needs a language in order that its
purposes can be conveyed. Its language is persuasive, even in many cases,
provocative. It is provocative when it “hypnotizes” people to buy the products
advertising language. Advertising is the usage of language in such a way that
advertising must be able to grab the readers’ attention.
a. Attention-Seeking Devices
It is not difficult to see why advertisers want to– in fact, should –make
their advertisements capture the readers’ attention. The whole aim is to get the
readers to register their communication either for purposes of direct action or
indirect action. Thus, the copywriters have to find ways to shout at the readers
from the page. Below are the attention-seeking devices used by the copywriters
according to Angela Goddard (2003: 9-21).
1) Image
The startling image is one attention-seeking strategy to increase levels of
sophistication. Deciding the best image to be used to present the product
advertised can draw some extra attention.
2) Verbal text
Just as the way an image is presented can suggest certain ideas, the verbal
language can also suggest particular qualities. It is because readers do not simply
read images in isolation from the verbal text that accompanies them; nor do they
read the verbal text without reference to accompanying images. The variation of
verbal text created may be based on handwriting versus typed print, different
fonts, different font styles, different font sizes, emboldened fonts or not,
3) Layout
In addition to the effects that can be created by the choice of particular
typographical features, writing can also be used to create larger textual shapes by
means of different layouts. In this respect, adverts sometimes come very close to
the way concrete poetry works – as verbal language making pictures of its own
subject matter. Adverts may also use 3-D effect or empty spaces to create
different layouts.
b. The Characteristics of the Language of Advertising
The language of advertising is unique, different from most of other
languages people use in everyday lives. Over the years, the uniqueness has been
influenced by the frequent changing of the texture of the advertising language.
The changing includes the styles and the creative concept. According to O’Neil in
Goshgarian (1987: 99), there are at least four distinct general characteristics of the
language of advertising that make it different from other languages. Below are the
characteristics:
1) It is edited and purposeful
The language of advertising is edited and purposeful. Advertising
language cannot be aimless; it does have a specific purpose, which is to sell
something (Goshgarian, 1987: 99). In addition, according to Asher (1994: 42-44),
the language of advertising is the language that is used in efforts to persuade or
2) It is rich and arresting
The language of advertising is rich and arresting. The language is
specifically intended to attract and grab the reader’s attention. Advertisements
cannot succeed unless they capture the reader’s attention. Therefore,
advertisement should contain a ‘hook’ in order to arouse the reader’s attention.
The hook can take the form of strong visuals (photos or illustrations with
emotional value) or a disarming, unexpected set of words. Besides, advertisements
need a creative strategy based on some arresting idea or concept in order to be
effective (Goshgarian, 1987:100).
3) It involves the readers
The language of advertising involves the readers. The copywriter must
have ability to express such product differences and to exploit and intensify them
after the reader’s attention has been captured. At this stage, an image is fixed in
the consumer’s mind. Therefore, the advertising becomes powerful because the
consumers are brought directly into the process. As we read an advertisement or
watch it on television, we become more deeply involved. Our imagination is set
through the attractive packaged message. Once we have been brought into an
advertisement, we become the participants (Goshgarian, 1987:104).
4) It is simple
The language of advertising is simple. The difficult words are edited out
and replaced by simple words in order to avoid misinterpretation (Goshgarian,
laudatory, positive, unreserved; it emphasizes the uniqueness of a product; and its
vocabulary tents to be vivid and concrete.
c. Persuasion as the Language of Advertising
The language of advertising is the language that is used in efforts to
persuade or otherwise entice people to purchase products or service (Asher, 1994:
42-44). Here, advertisers use persuasion to convey their message through
advertisements.
As quoted by Ross (1994: 8), Mary John Smith, a rule theorist, defines
persuasion as “a symbolic activity whose purpose is to effect the internalization or
voluntary acceptance of new cognitive states or patterns of overt behavior through
the exchange of messages”. She believes that a process of persuasion has occurred
when people internalize the meanings they assign to messages in an atmosphere of
perceived choice. Herbert Simons (Ross, 1994: 8) adds it well, “persuasion is a
form of influence that predisposes, but does not impose”. Ross (1994: 9) himself
draws a conclusion that persuasion is “a process of skillfully and ethically using
logical thoughts, affective appeals, credibility, and ethical proof to influence and
motivate others to respond as you wish them to”.
For this study, Ross’ definition of persuasion fulfills the writer’s sea of
understanding.
3. Regulation of Advertising
Advertising as business tools for advertisers to gain consumers remains a
competing with the other advertisers. Thus, in order to make the competition fair,
some regulations must be made.
The theory of this segment is taken from Advertising and Integrated Brand
Promotion by O’Guinn, Allen, Semenik (2003). According to them, “there are
three basic areas of advertising regulation: deception and unfairness in
advertising, competitive issues, and advertising to children” (2003: 130).
a. Deception and Unfairness
Agreement is widespread that deception in advertising is unacceptable.
There are three elements that declare an ad deceptive:
1) There must be a representation, omission, or practice that is likely to mislead
the consumer. It means that the message of advertising must not mislead the
consumer.
2) This representation, omission, or practice must be judged from the perspective
of a consumer acting reasonably in the circumstance. It means that the
advertising must not carry compulsion and coercion. The advertising is purely
persuasive.
3) The representation, omission, or practice must be a “material” one. The basic
question is whether the act or the practice is likely to affect the consumer’s
conduct or decision with regard to the product or service. If so, the practice is
material, and consumer injury is likely because consumers are likely to have
chosen differently if not for the deception.
In short, deception of the advertising material which can affect the
Unlike deception, the definition of unfairness in advertising has been left
relatively vague until recently. Yet, there was a congress that ended a dispute by
approving legislation that defines unfair advertising as “acts or practices that
cause or are likely to cause substantial injury to consumers, which is not
reasonably avoidable by consumers themselves, and not outweighed by the
countervailing benefits to consumers or competition” (O’Guinn, Allen, Semenik,
2003: 131). This definition obligates the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to
assess both the benefits and costs of advertising, and rules out reckless acts on the
part of consumers, before a judgment can be rendered that an advertiser has been
unfair.
b. Competitive Issues
Because the large money amounts spent on advertising may foster
inequities that literally can destroy competition, several advertising practices
relating to competition can result in regulation. Among them are cooperative
advertising, comparison advertising, and using monopoly power. Vertical
cooperative advertising is “an advertising technique whereby a manufacturer and
dealer (either a wholesaler or retailer) share the expense of advertising” (O’Guinn,
Allen, Semenik, 2003: 131).
Comparison advertisements are those in which an advertiser makes a
comparison between the firm’s brand and competitors’ brand. There are certain
guidelines for comparative advertising. The first guideline is the intent and
connotation of the ad should be to inform and never to discredit or unfairly attack
exists in the marketplace as significant competition. Third, the competition should
be fairly and properly identified, but never in a manner or tone of voice that
degrades the competitive product or service. Fourth, the advertising should
compare related or similar properties or ingredients of the product, dimension to
dimension, feature to feature. Fifth, the identification should be for honest
comparison purposes and not simply to upgrade by association. Sixth, if a
competitive test is conducted, it should be done by an objective testing source,
preferably an independent one, so that there will be no doubt as to the veracity of
the test. Seventh, in all cases, the test should be supportive of all claims made in
the advertising based on the test. Eighth, the advertising should never use partial
results or stress insignificant differences to cause the consumer to draw an
improper conclusion. Ninth, the property being compared should be significant in
terms of value or usefulness of the product to the consumer. And the last,
comparatives delivered through the use of testimonials should not imply that the
testimonial is more than one individual’s thought unless that individual represents
a sample of the majority viewpoint.
Finally, some firms are so powerful in their use of advertising that
monopoly power by the virtue of the advertising can be come a problem. This
issue normally arises in the context of mergers and acquisitions.
c. Advertising to Children
Critics argue that continually bombarding children with persuasive stimuli
can alter their motivation and behavior. Thus, some guidelines are made for
should be sensitive to the level of knowledge and sophistication of children as
decision makers. The guidelines also urge advertisers to make a constructive
contribution to the social development of children by emphasizing positive social
standards in advertising, such as friendship, kindness, honesty, and generosity.
Similarly, the major television networks have set their own guidelines for
advertising aimed at children. The guidelines restrict the use of celebrities,
prohibit exhortive language (such as “Go ask Dad”), and restrict the use of
animation to one-third of the total time of the commercial.
4. Theories on Presupposition
Under the field of pragmatics, presupposition is an interesting topic to deal
with. Pragmatics, which is “the general study of how context influences the way
sentences convey information” (Brown, 1983: 227), gives a vast space for
presupposition to us to study. Although pragmatics, presupposition particularly,
becomes an additional topic in the subject of Semantics when the writer was in
semester 6, the writer is attracted to explore further about presupposition and do a
study on it.
a. What is Presupposition?
When we discuss about presupposition, we will discuss about pragmatics.
Pragmatics deals with linguistic performance. It is the way people’s use of
language in contexts. Context, according to ideaPivot.com, is the environment or
situation in which something exists or occurs. The human mind uses context to
such as work, family, friends, and community. Using context, people quickly
decipher what information is relevant in a given situation. As people, we can
recognize the contexts we are in, know what information is applicable to each
context, and derive information from each context. For an instance, if a customer
in a computer store says burner, the store clerk will take the customer to the CD
and DVD recorder section. Stove burners, Bunsen burners, and wood burners are
all out of the dialogue for the interaction is in the context of a computer store.
In the term of presupposition, context cannot be neglected. Presupposition
is the requirements that the context must satisfy so the utterance can be interpreted
at all. It has the different territory with assertion. Assertion is the claims that are
made, based on the context.
Some linguists term presupposition as the “implicit assumptions about the
real world, and the sense of the utterance may depend on those assumptions”
(Fromkin et al., 2003: 216). It means that presupposition is a background belief
that the speaker shares to the listener. It is something that sits, unsaid, and helps
provide meaning about what a person says. When a person says something –
makes an utterance– the meaning of that sentence has to do with the words, but
the meaning only exists within the context of what else is in the person's head that
provides meaning.
When two people are trying to communicate, and their presuppositions are
not known to each other, that's when misunderstanding takes place. Consider the
sentence below: Would you have another coke? This sentence presupposes or
meaning of the word another includes this presupposition (Brown, 1983: 229).
Both the speaker and the listener presuppose the same. They share the same
knowledge for they engage in a communication act. The question makes no sense,
however, without that supposition, since why would a person ask you to have
another if you have had nothing yet?
Let’s have another example: Did you stop beating your wife? The above
sentence presupposes that you have a wife. It also presupposes that you WERE
beating your wife. The communication, however, will not be intelligent if the
background belief that the speaker share is different from the listener’s. What will
happen is a nasty argument.
b. Types of Presupposition
The categorization of presupposition varies, depending on the linguist that
explores it. In this thesis, the writer uses the theory from Yule (1996) in
classifying presuppositions. His theory is also used by Christoph Haase, a lecturer
and researcher in English linguistics (Chemnitz University of Technology: 2009),
in his site about presupposition on the internet.
According to Yule (1996: 25-34), there are six types of presupposition,
which are elaborated as follows:
1) Existential presupposition
This type of presupposition is a basic kind of presupposition. It typically
presupposes the existence of something or some ideas. It is usually triggered by
definite descriptions which are formed by using proper names, definite article,
Example:
Mary’s car is red.
The sentence presupposes that Mary has a car.
2) Factive presupposition
Such presupposition is information following verbs like know, realize,
regret, surprise(d), stramge, and a fairly large number of other verbs, predicate
adjectives, and predicate nouns which take a clause as subject or object. The
information is considered as fact. In other words, this kind of presupposition
presupposes truth of what is stated.
Examples:
• She didn’t realize John was ill.
It presupposes that John was ill.
• I regretted telling him.
It presupposes that the speaker told another person.
• I’m glad it’s over.
It presupposes that the situation (it) is over.
3) Lexical presupposition
A lexical presupposition is a presupposition, that another, non-asserted
meaning is understood. Unlike factive presupposition, lexical presupposition
presupposes an unstated concept.
Examples:
• Sarah managed to win in the contest.
• Sarah didn’t manage to win the contest.
The sentence presupposes that Sarah failed in the contest. But if the two
sentences above are combined, they presuppose that Sarah tried to win the
contest.
• She stopped smoking.
The sentence presupposes that the person mentioned used to smoke.
• She started smoking.
The sentence presupposes that the person mentioned didn’t smoke before.
4) Structural presupposition
It presupposes that part of structure is already assumed to be true.
Examples:
• When did he leave?
The question presupposes that someone mentioned has left.
• Where did you buy the cake?
The question presupposes that the listener (you) bought cake.
• How fast was the car when it ran the red light?
The question presupposes that the car ran the red light.
5) Non-factive presupposition
This type of presupposition is opposite to factive presupposition. The
information carried is considered not true or unreal.
Examples:
• I dreamed I was rich.
• He pretends to be ill.
The example above presupposes the person mentioned is not ill.
6) Counterfactual presupposition
The last type is in the distinct area, which is what is presupposed is not
only not true but contra to what is true.
Example:
If you were my friend, I would go with you.
This presupposes the listener (you) are not the speaker’s (my) friend.
c. Presupposition and the Negation Test
As stated before, presupposition has different territory with assertion.
Assertion is the claims that are made, based on the context. On the other hand,
presupposition is the requirements that the context must satisfy so the utterance
can be interpreted at all. The obvious distinction lays on the fact that assertion can
be negated, while presupposition cannot. In order to get better understanding, let
us see the examples below:
The present king of France is bald.
ASSERTION
The present king of France is not bald.
From the above examples, we can see that assertion is vulnerable with
negation. However, presupposition is not. The both sentences carry the same
presupposition, which is there is at present a king of France. Thus, such a
d. Presupposition Triggers
Where do presuppositions come from? Presuppositions are somewhat
special among pragmatic categories in that they often have syntactic or lexical
signals, also called presupposition triggers (Levinson, 1983: 181). These triggers
are responsible for the occurrences of certain presuppositions. Linguists singled
out the presuppositional component of utterances and classified presuppositional
signals (presupposition triggers) in an utterance. Lauri Karttunen (Levinson, 1983:
181-182) has collected 13 kinds of such triggers, and the following list is a
selection from these (the examples provide positive and negative versions
separated by ‘/’ to allow the reader to check the inferences; the
presupposition-triggers themselves are underlined; the symbol >> stands for ‘presupposes’):
1) Definite descriptions
John saw/ didn’t see the man with two heads.
>> There is a man with two heads.
2) Factive verbs
Martha regrets/doesn’t regret drinking John’s home brew.
>> Martha drank John’s home brew.
Frankenstein was/wasn’t aware that Dracula was there.
>> Dracula was there.
John realized/didn’t realize that he was in debt.
>> John was in debt.
It was odd/ it wasn’t odd how proud he was.
Some further factive predicates: know; be sorry that; be proud that; be
indifferent that; be glad that; be sad that.
3) Implicative verbs
John managed/didn’t manage to open the door.
>> John tried to open the door.
John forgot/didn’t forget to lock the door.
>> John ought to have locked, or intended to lock, the door.
Some further implicative predicates: X happened to V >> X didn’t plan or
intend to V; X avoided Ving >> X was expected to, or usually did, or ought to
V, etc.
4) Change of state verbs
John stopped/didn’t stop beating his wife.
>> John had been beating his wife.
Joan began/didn’t begin to beat her husband.
>> Joan hadn’t been beating her husband.
Kissinger continued/didn’t continue to rule the world.
>> Kissinger had been ruling the world.
Some further change of state verbs: start; finish; carry on; cease; take (as in X
took Y from Z >> Y was at/in/with Z); leave; enter; come; go; arrive; etc.
5) Iteratives
The flying saucer came/didn’t come again.
>> The flying saucer came before.
>> You once could get gobstoppers.
Carter returned/didn’t return to power.
>> Carter held power before.
Some further iteratives: another time; to come back; restore; repeat; for the
nth time.
6) Verbs of judging
Agatha accused/ didn’t accuse Ian of plagiarism.
>> (Agatha thinks) plagiarism is bad.
Ian criticized/didn’t criticize Agatha for running away.
>> (Ian thinks) Agatha ran away.
7) Temporal clauses
Before Strawson was even born, Frege noticed/didn’t notice presuppositions.
>> Strawson was born.
While Chomsky was revolutionizing linguistics, the rest of social science
was/wasn’t asleep.
>> Chomsky was revolutionizing linguistics.
Since Churchill died, we’ve lacked/we haven’t lacked a leader.
>> Churchill died.
Some further temporal clause constructors: after; during; whenever; as (as in
As John was getting up, he slipped).
A cleft sentence is a complex sentence in which a simple sentence is expressed
using a main clause and a subordinate clause. In English the prototypical cleft
sentence has the following form:
it + be + X + subordinate clause. Take a look the examples:
It was/wasn’t Henry that kissed Rosie.
>> Someone kissed Rosie.
Unclefted sentence: Henry kissed Rosie.
What John lost/didn’t lose was his wallet.
>> John lost something.
Unclefted sentence: John lost his wallet.
9) Implicit clefts with stressed constituents
The particular presuppositions that seem to arise from the two cleft
constructions seem also to be triggered simply by heavy stress on a
constituent, as illustrated by the following examples where upper-case
characters indicate contrastive stress:
Linguistics was/ wasn’t invented by CHOMSKY!
>> Someone invented linguistics.
(cf. It was/wasn’t Chomsky that invented linguistics.)
John did/didn’t compete in the OLYMPICS.
>> John did compete somewhere.
(cf. It was/wasn’t in the Olympics that John competed).
Comparisons and contrasts may be marked by stress (or by other prosodic
means), by particles like too, back, in return, or by comparative constructions:
Marianne called Adolph a male chauvinist, and then HE insulted HER.
>> For Marianne to call Adolph a male chauvinist would be to insult him.
Adolph called Marianne a Valkyrie, and she complimented him back/in
return/too.
>> to call someone (or at least Marianne) a Valkyrie is to compliment them.
Carol is/isn’t a better linguist than Barbara.
>> Barbara is a linguist.
Jimmy is/isn’t as unpredictably gauche as Billy.
>> Billy is unpredictably gauche.
11)Non-restrictive relative clauses
Note that there are two major kinds of relative clause in English – those that
restrict or delimit the noun phrase they modify (restrictive as in Only the boys
who are tall can reach the cupboard) and those that provide additional
parenthetical information (non-restrictive as in Hillary, who climbed Everest in 1953, was the greatest explorer of our day). The later kind is not affected
by the negation of the main verb outside the relative clause and thus gives rise
to presupposition:
The Proto-Harrappans, who flourished 2800 – 2650 B.C., were/were not great
temple builders.
>> The Proto-Harrappans flourished 2800 – 2650 B.C.
If Hannibal had only had twelve more elephants, the Romance language
would/would not this day exist.
>> Hannibal didn`t have twelve more elephants.
If the notice had only said ‘mine-field’ in English as well as Welsh, we
would/would never have lost poor Llewellyn.
>> The notice didn’t say mine-field in English.
13)Questions
Questions will generally share the presuppositions of their assertive
counterparts. However, interrogative forms themselves introduce further
presuppositions, of a rather different kind. It is necessary to distinguish
different types of questions: yes/no questions will generally have vacuous presuppositions, being the disjunction of their possible answers. There are the
only kinds of presuppositions of questions that are invariant under negation.
WH-questions introduce the presuppositions obtained by replacing the WH-word by the appropriate existentially quantified variable, e.g. who by
someone, where by somewhere, how by somehow, etc. These presuppositions
are not invariant to negation.
Is there a professor of linguistics at MIT?
>> Either there is a professor of linguistics at MIT or there isn’t.
Is Newcastle in England or is it in Australia?
>> Newcastle is in England or Newcastle is in Australia.
Who is the professor of linguistics at MIT?
e. The Functions of Presupposition in Advertising
Presupposition has a great deal of importance in persuasive language,
particularly in advertising language. Usually advertisers are not allowed to make
direct assertion about their products. They can generally make indirect assertions,
however, via presupposition. Therefore, advertisers frequently use presuppositions
in language to help advertising realize its functions.
There are some functions of presupposition in advertising language based
on some experts. They are elaborated as follows:
(1) Presenting the existence of the product or service
According to Sells and Gonzalez (2002), “presuppositions are a crucial
part of advertising as they can cause the reader to consider the existence of
objects, propositions, and culturally defined behavioral properties”. They state
“presuppositions typically involve the existence of some object or idea”. They
also state that most product ranges have some cultural values imposed on them in
this way.
(2) Implicit competition
Another function of presupposition is for the sake of implicit competition
among advertisers. There is regulation that says “the intent and connotation of the
ad should be to inform and never to discredit or unfairly attack competitors”
(O’Guinn, et al., 2003: 131). Thus, in order to avoid breaking the law,
presupposition can be used as comparative device to set implicit competition
without directly discredit or unfairly attack competitors. This reflected in the text
that Windows didn't work properly. In that advertisement, “the words do not
directly assert that Windows does not work properly, but they presuppose this”
(Sells and Gonzalez, 2002). This creates an implicit competition between Apple
Computer and Windows.
(3) Making short and memorable message
According to Nilsen (1974), by using presupposition, information can be
shared between the reader and advertiser without explanation or a need for
convincing. Bovee and Arens also state “effective slogans are short, easy to
understand, memorable, and easy to repeat” (1986: 262-274). Therefore, instead
of making a long statement listing, advertiser can make a short and memorable
statement via presupposition.
(4) Establishing a virtual poetic world
Advertisers largely rely on presuppositions to set up an economic
emphatic poetic text. As stated by Goddard “adverts sometimes come very close
to the way concrete poetry works” (2003: 9-21). Presupposition, as a vital device
to express more than what is uttered literally, can build an aesthetic language of
advertising. Thus, presuppositions in idioms, metaphors, or other figures of
speech arrest the reader’s attention.
5. Magazines as the Printed Media
Among all the kinds of print media, newspapers and magazines are the
most considerable space for advertisers to buy. However, unlike newspapers that
a very selective audience. It makes magazines become the more reasonable media
selected for the advertisers to reach the target audience.
According to Bovee and Arens (1986: 418-419), there are several special
characteristics that attract advertisers to use magazines as an element of the
creative mix. Below are the special features of magazines:
1) Selectivity
Magazines generally tend to reach a very selective audience. There are
magazines written for special-interest groups. “Golf Digest helps a golf club
manufacturers reach golfers; Business Week reaches business-people; Seventeen
reaches teenage girls; and Ebony, a black-oriented magazine, helps advertisers
reach the black market” (Bovee and Arens, (1986: 418).
2) Flexibility
Magazines offer flexibility in both readership and advertising. For
advertisers, magazines dare to offer “a great deal of flexibility in terms of the
type, size, and placement of the advertising material. Some magazines offer (often
at extra charge) a variety of special options that can enhance the creative appeal of
the ad and increase attention and readership. Examples include gatefolds, bleed
pages, inserts, and creative space buys” (Belch and Belch, 1987: 403).
3) Color
Color sells. This fact can be seen through magazines. “Magazine color
spreads a spectrum of exciting visual pleasure before the reader. Nowhere can
better color reproduction be seen than in the slick magazines. Color enhances
4) Authority and Believability
People believe what magazines say. Their influence affects people’s ideas,
opinions, and desires. This enables magazines to counsel people on daily issues
and everyday-life topics.
5) Permanence
For the advertiser who wants to communicate lasting information and
enjoyment, magazines give the reader more opportunity to appraise ads in
considerable detail. Magazines also enable advertisers to generate reprints and
materials, which further promote and merchandise their corporate advertising
campaigns.
6) Prestige
Advertising a product in such magazines as Sports Illustrated, Time, and
House Beautiful provides the advertiser with prestige for the product. The
professionalism that publishers strive to maintain can be a great asset in building
prestige through institutional advertising.
7) Cost Efficiency
By selecting the specific magazines and editions that reach prospects, the
advertiser can keep wasted circulation to a minimum. The selling power of
magazines has been proved and results are measurable, so they are the growing
choice of many leading advertisers.
There are also other advantages of using magazines as the creative media,
such as extensive “pass-along” or secondary readership, more prospects than
the hard-to-reach occupational groups, such as doctors and entertainment
personalities.
B. Theoretical Framework
The language of advertising is unique. It is different from the daily-life
language. Its language is persuasive. The language of advertising is the language
that is used in efforts to persuade or otherwise entice people to purchase products
or service (Asher, 1994: 42-44), either for purposes of direct action or indirect
action. Thus, the advertisers have to find ways to shout at the readers from the
page.
In order to shout at the readers, the advertisers must use the attention
seeking devices that the media provide, in this case print media, magazines
particularly. Whether it is from the image, verbal text, or layout, the advertisers
have to be very creative in designing the attractive and catchy advertisements to
promote their products and ideas. Moreover, they are not allowed to make direct
assertion about their products for there are regulations of advertising to be obeyed.
They generally make indirect assertions, i.e. via presupposition. Thus,
presupposition plays a big role in advertising language.
In this study, the writer tried to make research on presupposition in
advertising language. She used descriptive method in her research in order that
she went deeper in it. Using the guidelines of the theory presented earlier, here,
she tried to analyze what types of presupposition used in the advertisements of
also tried to find out the functions of presuppositions. There are two major
theories in order to answer the problems formulated; they are The Types of
Presupposition and The Functions of Presuppositions in Advertising. The former
theory is based on Yule (1996), and the last theory is taken from some experts,
such as Sells and Gonzalez (2002), O’Guinn, et al. (2003), Nilsen (1974), and
Goddard (2003).
According to Yule (1996), there are six types of presupposition, namely,
existential presupposition, factive presupposition, lexical presupposition,
structural presupposition, non-factive presupposition, and counterfactual
presupposition. Those presuppositions are triggered by 13 kinds of
presuppositional signals (presupposition triggers). They are definite description,
factive verbs, implicative verbs, change of state verbs, iteratives, verbs of judging,
temporal clauses, cleft sentences, implicit clefts with stressed constituents,
comparisons and contrasts, non-restrictive relative clauses, counterfactual
conditionals, and questions (Levinson, 1983).
Since advertising works to persuade consumers to purchase some products
or follow the idea and to gain the profits on it, there is an arena of business
competition among advertisers. Thus, there must be laws that regulate them in
order to make the competition fair. Here, advertisers are not allowed to use direct
assertion in their advertisers, but to use presupposition. Based on the theory in
Chapter II, there are four functions of presupposition in advertising. They are
presenting the existence of the product or service, setting the implicit competition,
CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY
This chapter presents detailed information about the methodology used to
accomplish the study. This methodology was used to answer the two major
questions. First is to find out how many types of presuppositions are used in
WEEKENDER magazine’s advertisements. Second is to find out the functions of
presupposition. Those problems were answered by using certain methodology that
is divided into six sections namely: research method, object of the research,
research instruments, data gathering technique, data analysis technique, and
research procedures.
A. Research Method
This thesis is descriptive research. It uses the understanding of Best and
Kahn (1986) and Sprinthall (1991) in defining what descriptive research is.
According to Best and Kahn (1986: 24), descriptive research is a type of research
that describes what is, describing, recording, analyzing, and interpreting
conditions that exist. Sprinthall (1991) is more specific; he states “research is
typically called descriptive when the primary purpose is description” (Sprinthall,
1991: 98). In this research, the writer tries to describe what is found or observed.
Thus, the research is merely a description or explanation, not an experiment.
For this descriptive research, the writer applied a qualitative approach.
ordinarily expressed in quantitative terms”, which are numerical measures (Best
and Kahn, 1986: 147). Bogdan and Biklen state in Fraenkel (1993: 381) that the
data collected in qualitative study are in the form of statements or pictures rather
than numerical or statistical data. It is not that numerical measures are never used
but that other means of description are emphasized. Numerical data can be
integrated in qualitative study to portray what have been observed, to make the
result more understandable. Thus, this research covered both numerical data and
non-numerical data. Numerical data portrayed how many types of presuppositions
occur in WEEKENDER magazine’s advertisements as formulated in the first
problem of this research. Non-numerical data explained the functions of
presupposition, which becomes the second problem.
According to Gay (1992: 13), descriptive research involves “collecting
data in order to test hypothesis or answering questions concerning the current
status of the subject of the study”. In this study, the writer tried to answer two
questions that become the problems in this research by using document or content
analysis technique for question number 1 and library research for question number
2. Here, document analysis means the activity of analyzing the written or visual
contents of a document (Fraenkel and Wallen, 1993: 389). The content of
document to be analyzed here was the language of advertising, presupposition
specifically; and this study used WEEKENDER magazine’s advertisements as the
object to be analyzed. Library research was utilized to gain the answer of the
the writer used the theory from Chapter II, The Functions of Presupposition in
Advertising, as the basic foundation of her analyzing.
B. Research Objects
There are two kinds of medium used in advertising, namely: print medium
and electronic medium. However, in order to focus, the writer only took magazine
as the print medium to be analyzed. Here, she chose WEEKENDER magazine
issued in one year editions, from January – December 2007, which are available in
the library of Sanata Dharma University. She chose WEEKENDER magazine
since WEEKENDER magazine is dedicated to give more value to subscribers and
more space for advertisers. Thus, there will be many advertisements can be found.
However, the writer only limited to 100 advertisements that she chose randomly
to be analyzed. This magazine is a monthly magazine that is usually published in
the middle of the month. It was launched in the beginning of year 2007 by The
Jakarta Post newspaper industry. Since this magazine is targeted to
high-intellectuals, which are middle-high community, WEEKENDER magazine has a
little bit complicated and sophisticated language of advertising.
C. Research Instrument
Since this research employed the document analysis method, the
researcher herself was the main instrument to gain the data. This kind of
