Analysis of Language Play Found in The Simpsons.

(1)

ABSTRACT

Dalam skripsi ini, saya membahas aspek permainan kata dalam serial kartun televisi The Simpsons. Tujuan dari analisis ini adalah untuk membantu para penonton memahami dan mengerti arti kata baru yang terbentuk dari proses permainan kata yang terdapat dalam serial kartun televisi, The Simpsons.

Permainan kata sering kali kita temukan dalam kehidupan kita sehari-hari, baik itu dalam percakapan, film yang kita tonton maupun dalam novel yang kita baca. Permainan kata biasanya lebih dikenal dengan istilah ‘plesetan’. Tujuan dari penggunaan permainan kata sangat bervariasi, dapat digunakan untuk menghibur orang lain, untuk menimbulkan rasa ingin tahu, untuk memberikan gambaran yang jelas tentang suatu hal, bahkan untuk mengkritik orang lain.

(3)

LIST OF SYMBOLS

∗ Rhyming

Metathesis + Addition Clipping

÷ Blending

∑ Compounding

Infixation ⌃ Suffixation f Baby talk ⎠ Anagram

≈ Mime ฀ Allusion

(4)

APPENDIX

Table of Data

Linguistic Area Kinds of Language Play Significance

(5)

9. Impr-you-_vement Improvement Ν

(6)

Linguistic Area Kinds of Language Play Significance No Data Linguistic

Process

Ph Mp Sm Ot Rh Mt Ad Al Cl Bd Cp In Sf BT Pd Ag TN Mi Al Grp Sos.

Crt Ent

15. Monstromart Monstrosity,mart

÷ monstromart Τ Τ Τ

16. Beerquarium Beer, aquarium ÷

beerquarium Τ Τ Τ

17. Elfgrass Elf, grass ∑

elfgrass Τ Τ Τ

18. Trab pu kcip Trab pu kcip ⎠

pick up Bart Τ Τ Τ

19. Stampy Stamp ⌃ -y Τ Τ Τ

20. Rigelian Rigel ⌃ -ian Τ Τ Τ

21. Pinitchio Pinitchio ฀

Pinocchio Τ Τ Τ

22. _neducationRe- Re-neducation _re-education≈ Τ Τ Τ

(7)

Soc. Crt: Social Criticism

(8)

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Many people like watching humorous films because the films are

entertaining. In a humorous film, it is not only its pictures that can make the

viewers laugh but also its language. Language play performs a function of

language that can contribute humour. In his book, Language Play, David Crystal

(1998:1) says that the purpose of playing with language by bending and breaking

its rules is only for fun.

Nowadays, we often find that language play is used in our daily lives. It

can be found in a conversation, a novel or a humorous film. The understanding of

the language play can help us to get a better understanding about the conversation,

the novel, or the film. In addition, one of the products of language play is the

creation of new words. “Another common form of conventional language play is

the enthusiasm with which we make up new words.” (Crystal, 1998:30) I am

(9)

meaning of the new words which are the products of language play. The topic of

my thesis is Analysis of Language Play Found in The Simpsons.

In W. Keith Work’s paper, it is said that “Social commentary is made on

The Simpsons, but often almost without the audiences’ knowledge, while still

being entertaining and, as its creator, Matt Groening, has said, entertainment is

definitely the key.” (http://www.snpp.com/other/papers/wkw.paper.html, written

by W. Keith Work) Thus, we can see that according to Matt Groening The

Simpsons is meant to be entertaining. The Simpsons as a cartoon “…does what it

does really well; it is entertaining and it pleases people. It considers its art, that’s

great; but if it doesn’t so what?” (http://www.snpp.com/other/interviews/

groening00a.html)

The fact that The Simpsons is entertaining is one of the reasons for the

success of the film. This is also why a lot of people love The Simpsons. We can

see this from the awards that The Simpsons has won. Recently, The Simpsons’ The

Seemingly Never Ending Story (2006) has won Emmy for ‘Outstanding Animated

Program’. So far The Simpsons has won nine Emmy Awards for the episodes:

Life on the Fast Lane (1990), Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment (1991),

Lisa’s Wedding (1995), Homer’s Phobia (1997), Trash of the Titans (1998),

Behind the Laughter (2000), HOMЯ (2001), Three Gays of the Condo (2003).

(http://www.simpsoncrazy.com/news/news.phpid=907, posted by Scott on

(10)

Besides the fact that The Simpsons is a humorous TV cartoon series, The

Simpsons is also different from other cartoon films. Generally, we know that most

cartoon films are for children. However, The Simpsons is one of the cartoon films

that are made for adults because this cartoon film emphasises on satires. The

satires in The Simpsons TV series are about the American lifestyle, culture, and

society. The satires are made in the form of humorous language that describes an

American family. As Brett Mullin says in his writing, The Simpsons uses

incongruity, sarcasm, exaggeration, and other comedic techniques, to satirise most

aspects of ordinary life, such as family, TV, and religion to achieve the true

essence of satire. For example, one of The Simpsons episodes satirises the parents

who push their children to succeed in sports to gain their parents’ love. Some

characters in The Simpsons give the descriptions about corrupt and promiscuous

politicians and The Simpsons also satirises people of a religious affiliation who

look down on those of other religions. (http://www.snpp.com/otherpapers/

bm.paper.html, written by Brett Mullin)

The scripts of The Simpsons that I get from the Internet become my

primary source of data. I choose The Simpsons scripts as my primary source

because the scripts are easier to get so it is not time-consuming to find. In addition,

the scripts are more accurate compared with the scripts that I would write by

watching the TV series. The secondary source is The Simpsons TV series. This

(11)

series I will be able to find the contextual meaning of the utterances containing

language play that I have got from the scripts.

Based on the fact that The Simpsons is created for satire and

entertainment, I will divide my data into two categories. One contains language

play for entertainment only and the other contains language play which reflects

the series being a social criticism. I hope through this analysis, the people who

watch The Simpsons will be able to appreciate the series better, both in terms of

social criticism and linguistics.

Statement of the Problem

In this thesis, I discuss some problems. They are:

1. What are the utterances containing language play in The Simpsons?

2. What language play is used in each of the utterances?

3. What is the significance of each of the utterances containing language play in

The Simpsons?

Purpose of the Study

In this study, I intend to show:

1. The utterances containing language play in The Simpsons.

2. The use of language play in each of the utterances.

3. The significance of each of the utterances containing language play in The

(12)

Method of Research

In gathering the data, I read The Simpsons scripts as the primary source

and I watch the film. Next, the data that I have got from the scripts are collected,

selected and classified according to the kind of language play used in the scripts.

The data can be in forms of words, phrases, or clauses. Afterwards, I analyse the

data based on some linguistics theories. Finally, I draw a conclusion based on my

analysis.

Organisation of the Thesis

This thesis consists of four chapters. Chapter I is the introduction. It

contains the background of the study, the statement of the problem, the method of

research, and the organisation of the thesis. Chapter II contains the linguistic

theories which are used to analyse the language play in The Simpsons. Chapter III

contains the analysis of language play found in The Simpsons. The last one is

Chapter IV, the conclusion, which contains my personal comments and opinions

based on my analysis in Chapter III. At the end of the thesis are the bibliography

(13)

CHAPTER IV

CONCLUSION

In this chapter, I would like to draw some conclusions based on my

analysis in Chapter III. So far The Simpsons TV series is well-known with its

criticism. However, through its language, The Simpsons as a cartoon series is

obviously created not only for social criticism but also for entertainment. It can be

seen in the use of language play in The Simpsons TV series. In my analysis, I

divide the language play that is used in The Simpsons TV series into two

categories. One contains the language play which reveals social criticism and the

other contains the language play used purely for entertainment. From the analysis,

we can see that the number of the language play used for entertainment is greater

than that used for social criticism. As a cartoon series, The Simpsons TV is created

for entertaining and pleasing people besides revealing social criticism. This is in

line with what the creator of The Simpsons, Matt Groening, says. Although The

(14)

Simpsons is for entertainment. (http://www.snpp.com/other/interviews/

groening00a.html)

The kinds of language play used for social criticism and those for

entertainment are different. Language play for social criticism uses morphological

aspects: anagram, infixation and blending; semantic aspects: total nonsense and

mime; and graphological aspect. Whereas, language play for entertainment uses

phonological aspects: rhyming, metathesis, addition and alliteration;

morphological aspects: clipping, baby talk, blending, compounding, anagram,

palindrome and suffixation; and semantic aspects: allusion and mime. I would say

that the linguistic aspect mostly-used in both categories is morphology. It shows

that The Simpsons script writers often play with the word formation. It is easier

for the script writers to create new words form than playing with word sounds or

meanings.

Besides, the kinds of language play used for entertainment are more

varied than the kinds of language play used for social criticism so that there are

many kinds of language play used for entertainment. To the script writers, it is

easier to play with words to create language play for entertainment than for social

criticism. There is no hidden message in the use of the language play for

entertainment as long as it can entertain and please the audience. Therefore, the

script writers can play with words freely. Whereas, to create language play for

social criticism in The Simpsons, the script writers have to be sure that the

(15)

words as freely as when they use the language play for entertainment. There are

many things that the script writers should consider to reach the purpose.

The kind of language play that is mostly-used for social criticism is

anagram. The dominance of anagram makes the use of the language play for

social criticism more complex than the use of the language play for entertainment.

As we know, anagram is one of the most complicated types of language play. It is

difficult for the audience to find the significance of the words only by watching

the TV series. The audience should relate the meaning of the words to the context

in the film and the situation in the United States nowadays so that the audience

will get the significance of the words and know what social criticism the film

reveals.

The use of language play for entertainment is simpler because it is to

please and entertain the audience. If the script writers used complex language play,

the audience would not enjoy The Simpsons TV series because the audience

would not understand what the films shows. This fact makes the kinds of language

play for entertainment easier to find. In addition, to get the significance of the

words, the audience only needs to watch the films.

From the analysis, I find that The Simpsons TV series criticises what

happens in the American society nowadays. The critics show that there is a

change in the American lifestyle and social life. For example, many American

youths idolise a brat or adopt a bad eating habit. Nowadays, many Americans

(16)

new lifestyle or belief which fits their modern life. The freedom of the Americans

cause the change in the American lifestyle and social life. They have much

freedom to do anything they want. Moreover, a busy lifestyle also causes the

change. Many Americans have no choice but to change their lifestyle because of

their activities.

In The Simpsons TV series, it is not only its funny pictures that can make

the audience laugh but also its language. The script writers use language play to

entertain and amuse the audience. The use of the language play for entertainment

in The Simpsons TV series is not only to create humour but also to make the

audience feel curious about something, to get a clear description about something

or to give the audience a new impression about a character. All of the effects that

appear through the use of language play makes the audience put more interest in

watching The Simpsons TV series.

After doing the analysis, I would say that the use of language play in The

Simpsons TV series shows the creativity of The Simpsons script writers in creating

new words or playing on words to make the audience take an interest in watching

The Simpsons TV series. The use of language play in The Simpsons is not only to

entertain the audience but also to criticise the American lifestyle by presenting the

audience with the knowledge about what is happening to the Americans nowadays,

so that it can be a lesson, especially for the Americans, so that they would be

(17)

The language play for social criticisms in The Simpsons makes me

realise that the use of language play is not only for entertainment or for fun but we

can reveal something such as criticisms or satires through the use of language play.

It shows that the use of language is not limited to communication but it may be

used for other purposes.

The use of language play in The Simpsons TV series shows that

language is dynamic and flexible. It always develops throughout the course of

time and it is not bound by strict rules. Nowadays, people feel free to express

themselves through language and they are more creative in using language. The

(18)

BIBLIOGRAPHY

References:

Bauer, Laurie. 1988. Introduction Linguistic Morphology. Edinburgh: Edinburgh

University Press.

Blanchard, Karen and Christine Root. 2001. American Roots: Reading on U.S.

Cultural History. New York: Addison Wesley Longman, Inc.

Collins, Cobuild. 1990. English Language Dictionary. London: William Collins

Sons & Co Ltd.

Crane, L.Ben, Edward Yeager and Randal L. Whitman. 1981. An Introduction to

Linguistics. Boston: Little, Brown and Company.

Crystal, David. 1998. Language Play. London: Penguin Group.

Datesman, Maryanne Kearny, JoAnn Crandall and Edward N. Kearny. 1997. The

American Ways: An Introduction to American Culture. New York:

Prentice Hall Regents.

Earle-Carlin, Susan and Colleen Hildebrand. 2000. American Perspectives. New

York: Pearson Education.

Farb, Peter. 1973. Word Play: What Happens When People Talk. New York:

(19)

Hornby, A.S. 2000. Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. New York: Oxford

University Press.

Leech, Geoffrey N. and Michael H. Short. 1981. Style in Fiction: A Linguistics

Introduction to English Fictional Phrase. Essex: Longman.

Nash, Walter. 1994. The Language of Humour. New York: Longman Group, Inc.

Perrine, Laurence. 1978. Literature Structure, Sound and Sense. New York:

Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc.

Schiffrin, Deborah. 1994. Approches to Discourses. Massachusetts: Blackwell

Publisher.

Stevenson, Douglas K. 1996. American Life and Institutions. Washington D.C.:

English Language Programs Division.

--- 2000. Longman Advanced American Dictionary. Essex: Pearson Education

limited.

--- 1988. Webster’s New World Dictionary. New York: Simons & Schuster,

Inc.

Website:

Davidson, Ros. Santa Consumerism Gone Mad The Sunday Herald

<http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4156/is_20001217/ai_n1395580

(20)

Dillon, Lucinda. Wasted Youth Deseret News (Salt Lake City) 28 March 2004

<http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4188/is_20040328/ai_n1144816

5>

Grenz, Stanley J. Christian Spirituality and the quest for identity: toward a

spiritual-theological understanding of life in Christ: we live in a

"spiritual" era. In a manner unprecedented is the late modern era,

contemporary North American, appear to be open to the spiritual

dimension of life - 1 – 2 Spring, 2002 <http://findarticles.com/p/

articles/mi_m0NXG/is_2_37/ai_94160844>

Hoffmann, Curtis. <currmann@pnet51.orb.mn.org>

Idato, Michael. Matt Groening The Age (Melbourne, Australia) 18 July 2000

<http://www.snpp.com/other/interviews/groening00a.html>

Lee, Hayness. Simpsons Anagrams <http://www.snnp.com/guides/anagrams.

html>

Mullin, Brett. The Simpsons, American Satire <http://www.snpp.com/other

papers/bm.paper.html>

Motavalli, Jim. Enough! – Dissatisfaction with the Consumer Culture – Cover

Story The Enviromental Magazine March-April 1996 <http://

findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1594/is_n2_v7/ai_18375318>

Paakkinen, Jouni. Don’t Have a Cow, Mickey! <http://www.snpp.com/

news/040398.html>

(21)

Veith, Gene Edward. WorldMag.com <http://www.studentnewsdaily.com/

Homers_odyssey.shtml>

Vogl, Bastian. The Simpsons and Their World – A Mirror of American Life?

<http://www.snpp.com/other/papers/bv.paper.html>

Work, W. Keith. The Simpsons from an Obscure Hell to Life in the Fast Lane

<http://www.snpp.com/other/papers/wkw.paper.html>

Source:

The Simpsons’ script (http://www.snpp.com/guides/ql.html)

The Simpsons TV series:

1. Bart the Genius (1992)

2. Krusty Gets Busted (1992)

3. Blood Feud (1991)

4. Dead Putting Society (1991)

5. Itchy and Scratchy and Marge (1991)

6. Oh Brother, Where Art Thou (1991)

7. One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish (1991)

8. Three Men and A Comic Book (1991)

9. When Flanders Failed (1991)

10.Selma’s Choice (1993)

11.Lisa the Beauty Queen (1993)

(22)

13.Homer and Apu (1994)

14.Homer Loves Flanders (1994)

15.Bart Gets an Elephant (1994)

16.Itchy and Scratchy Land (1994)

17.Bart vs Australia (1995)

18.Brother from the Same Planet (1991)

19.Treehouse of Horror (1991)

20.Treehouse of Horror V (1994)

21.Treehouse of Horror III (1994)

22.Bart Gets an F (1991)

23.Bart’s Comet (1995)

24.Lisa’s First Word (1992)

25.Some Enchanted Evening (1992)

26.Principal Charming (1991)

27.Flaming Moe (1992)

28.Homer’s Odyssey (1992)

29.New Kid on the Block (1993)

(23)