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AN ANALYSIS OF EUPHEMISMS IN HEADLINE COLUMN OF JAKARTA POST NEWSPAPER
Oleh:
AYU ANDIRA*)
**)Yulmiati dan **)Hevriani Sevrika Staf Pengajar Program Studi Bahasa Inggris STKIP PGRI Sumatera Barat
ABSTRAK
Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menemukan tipe-tipe dan fungsi-fungsi pemakaian kata pelembut atau eufemisme di surat kabar. Penelitian ini termasuk dalam kajian pragmatik. Metode penelitian yang digunakan adalah metode deskriptif untuk menganalisis data dalam bentuk tertulis, serta menggambarkan dan mengolah data berdasarkan situasi. Data pada penelitian ini diperoleh dari berita yaitu pada kolom headline Jakarta Post pada 17 February 215.
Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa terdapat 9 kata eufemisme di kolom headline Jakarta Post. Dari 9 eufemisme yang ditemukan, ada 4 tipe dan 2 fungsi didalamnya. 4 tipe itu adalah compounding, derivation, metaphor, and litotes. Berdasarkan tipe-tipe tersebut yng paling sering digunkan yaitu compounding. Sedangkan fungsi yang ditemukan yaitu avoiding taboo and identity markers.. Dari ke dua fungsi tersebut, surat kabar ini lebih sering menggunakan fungsi eufemisme avoiding taboo.
Key words: Euphemism, Types of Euphemism, Functions of Euphemism
*) Peneliti
**) Pembimbing INTRODUCTION
Language cannot be separated in human life, because it is very influential thing in making a good communication. A good communication need social interaction to know them. It will make, build, and develope a culture in continuing their life. By having good communication, people can understand what, where, why, when, and how their life should be. It has developed rapidly in such way that people may notice various functions as well as intentions in using language.
In using language, people should be careful to choose their words with other in public to keep the relationship among them. The reason of people should be careful because the people have different perceptions in making or understanding meaning or perception. People have sensitive feeling if hear or read something that rude or unpolite. It makes negative thinking if someone chooses the bad words in using language. The other reason is to avoid a taboo words, because of something that scary, uncomfortable, and inappropriate, for example, people tends to avoid the term sex, death, social status, social occupation and others. The best way to decrease them is by using euphemism. It means people can change the unpolite words or sentences in many ways to express their ideas, feeling and opinion by using euphemism.
Euphemism is a kind of the polite words or sentences that are used in society by human from the negative opinion of hearer’s. Euphemismcan replace the word or phrase to preserve the stability and keep social relationship among the society or community members. Euphemism exists in areas of daily life and communication which relates to society or communities members. To have euphemism, knowing the context or what in societies’ mind are really necessary.
Some phenomena were found in euphemism, like in teaching learning process, in daily communication, in mass media, and so on. The use of a euphemism is not only found in daily communication, but also found in the language used by the authorities and mass media. Interestingly, mass media language must be absolutely clear, short, dense, simple, concise, and interesting but it cannot leave to use of euphemism. The mass media should consider who is the reader because mass media has to avoid of using unpleasant word to give a good understanding to the readers.
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE Euphemism
In society, the polite language is the best way to avoid negative meaning of the hearers. Any some words that should be changed in society
2 environment like: ‘died’ change to be ‘pass away’,
‘woman loves woman’ can be ‘lesbian’, etc. It is supported by an expert Holder (2002: 1) “euphemism means the use of a mild or vague or periphrastic expression as a substitute for blunt precision or disagreeable use”. Moreover, Webster’s New Dictionary (2003: 3)states that “euphemismrefers to euphemism as, substitution of agreeable or offensive expression for one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant”. It is that euphemism is a nice expression that people used in communication from bad word in language society or something unpleasant. The expression is important for people environment in communication and make the communication as well as possible to be heard by the hearer especially in society.
Euphemism explanation is also clarified by other expert like Wardhaugh (2006: 240)
“Euphemistic words and expressions allow us to talk about unpleasant things and disguise or neutralize the unpleasantness, e.g., the subjects of sickness, death and dying, unemployment, and criminality.” The euphemism is used in the some conditions like the subjects of sickness, death and dying, unemployment, and criminality, for example to sickness like cancer, tuberculosis, and so on. And also for death and dying like passing away, for unemployment like someone who did not have an occupation, and the last is criminality like a thief, killer, etc.
There are basically four types of euphemism (Linfoot, 2005): word formation devices, phonemic modification, loan words, semantic innovation.
1) Word formation devices.
Word formation device is able to form new word that come into language and develop the word in a brief and simple way such as compounding, derivation, acronym and onomatopoeia.the first, compounding type is a word out of two or more root morpheme. Compounds can be either native or borrowed. The second, derivation involves affixing bound (non-independent) forms to existing lexemes, whereby the addition of the affix derives a new lexeme. The third, acronym is word from the initial letter of other words or major parts of a compound term and pronouncing them like as a word. The acronym is taken from the initial sounds (or letter) of the words of a phrase and uniting them into a combination which is itself pronounceable as a separated word. The last, onomatopoeia is a process of word formation by representing an aspect of the thing that they name.
2) Phonemic modification.
Phonemic modification is the form of an offensive word is modified or altered such as slang, phonemic replacement, and abbreviation. First, Slang is something nearly everyone uses and
recognize. Slang is commonly found in informal situation to which language that used with friends, mostly used by teenagers. The form of slang can be a whole sentence but usually slang is categorized as a word. Slang itself can be described as deviating away from standard language use.
Second, phonemics is a branch of phonology that studies sounds of a language by concerning the function of the sound to distinguish meaning. The last, abbreviation is a way of word formation process in alphabet, part of word, and then combining it to make a word.
3) Loan words.
Loan words are a word which is borrowed from another language. Borrowing is taking a word from one language and incorporating it into another.
Generally, some speakers of the borrowing word know the source of language too; at least enough of it utilizes the relevant word. Schendl (2001) adds, speakers may feel the need for borrowing is not only because their own language does not have a word for an object or concept, but because they think that the same word in the source language is somehow better or more prestigious.
4) Semantic innovation.
Semantic innovation is some established words or word combinations are created such as metaphor, metonym, reversal: or 'irony', understatement: or 'litotes', and overstatement: or 'hyperbole'. Metaphor shifts the meaning of a word from a concrete one into the abstract. Moreover, Cruse (2006) defines metaphor is different with simile because in metaphor the similarity or the analogy of the word is not stated explicitly. Metaphor is a comparison of two domains or two unlike thing in which no word of comparison is used. Metonymy is a powerful category and it can describe many types of change which cannot be accommodated. Metonymy involves a relation of association. Brief, metonymy describes with the other thing which has close connection or relation to it.
Irony is used to express the exact opposite of its literal meaning. Because of this, it depends on the perceived and real attitude of the speaker. Litotes (understatement) uses a negative form to express the contrary. Litotes (understatement) refers to expression in restrained language.
There are 3 functions of this theory. That are naming and greeting, avoiding taboo, and identity markers based on Allan and Burridge (1991).
a. Naming and greeting.
In daily environment the people usually use greeting to others. The greeting depends on ages and position of who want to greeting and who will be addressed.
b. Avoiding taboo
Taboo refers to the prohibited things or
3 avoided things. In society the sex words are felt
taboo and prohibit to say them. Taboo words also refers to body parts, body effluvia, menstruation, illness, mental disability and body, body’s waste products, death, and arts.
c. Identity markers
In society, the people can not be separated of the social status. Each society has position and ability in the different way. Then, in communication the people have the difference naming based on the their position.
RESEARCH METHOD
This research was conducted by using a descriptive research because the research described phenomena of language used in writing newspaper found in Jakarta Post and identified the data based on the theory which have been found. According to Gay and Airasian (2000: 275), a descriptive research determines and describes the way things are.
The data of this research were the words, phrases and clauses contain euphemism. The source of data was taken from the newspaper. It was Jakarta Post which are published on February 17, 2015 in headline column. The Jakarta Post is an English newspaper that was published daily in Indonesia especially West Sumatera, in which some euphemisms were also used there. Thus, the researcher got the data from Jakarta Post in headline column.
The instrument in this research was the researcher herself by collecting and noting the word related to the euphemism (Pujaningrat, 2011: 6).
Because, the researcher only took a documentation from Jakarta Post newspaper as a source of data. The word or statement relates to euphemisms that were found in Jakarta post would be analyzed carefully by giving the explanation.
To collect the data, the researcher would use technique of documentation by Arikunto (2006:
231). He states that documentation method is finding the data on the things or variables that are like note, transcript, book, newspaper, magazine, agenda, and so on. The researcher tried to take the document from Jakarta Post newspaper, because many euphemisms are found in the Jakarta Post especially in headline column.
After gaining and collecting the data, the researcher took the next step that was analyzing the data. The method of analyzing data that was used in this research is Sudaryanto’stheory identity method.
Identity method is research method which its determiner device is outside of language, a part from and does not become part of language which researched (Sudaryanto, 1993:13). The researcher used the identity method to analyze types and
functions of euphemism. While the researcher uses identity method in analyzing types and functions, because she used documentation of the Jakarta Post to analyze types and functions. The technique in identity method consists of basic technique which is called dividing key factor technique. The determiner device which is about the mental of the researcher.
Dividing key factor technique can be divided into five which are referential, phonetic articulator, translational, orthography, and pragmatists (Sudaryanto, 1993: 21). In the use of identity method, the basic technique which was chosen by the researcher was the referential competence in dividing. In identity method the researcher used the next technique was equalizing technique, in this technique the researcher found the similarity and the different of the data after determine which are the euphemism that supported by Thesaurus Dictionary.
DATA ANALYSIS AND RESEARCH FINDING
Data : 1
Source : headline/February 17, 2015.
News : Angered by President Joko “Jokowi”
Widodo’s decision to nominate graft suspect Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan as the next National Police chief, Jokowi’s presidential campaign volunteers and members of civil-society organizations called on the President to not inaugurate the three-star police general in spite of the House of Representatives’ official endorsement.
Called on is used by the journalist in this article because, in this situation the presidential campaign volunteer and members of city-society got bad mood with the President’s decision after heard the nomination of graft suspect as the next National Police chief, so they wanted to called on the president to not inaugurate the graft suspect. The asking of the campaign volunteer and the members are proposed to the President who is head in Indonesia, so the word of called on is more polite to asking something for the President. Based on the context above, the journalist wrote this euphemism to avoid unpleasant meaning to the readers, the word called on refers to cry or shout (Theasaurus Dictionary). For example:
1a). Angered by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s decision to nominate graft suspect Comr. Gen.
Budi Gunawan as the next National Police chief, Jokowi’s presidential campaign volunteers and members of civil-society organizations cried on the President to not inaugurate the three-star police general in spite of the House of Representatives’official endorsement.
1b). Angered by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s decision to nominate graft suspect Comr. Gen.
4 Budi Gunawan as the next National Police chief,
Jokowi’s presidential campaign volunteers and members of civil-society organizations shouted on the President to not inaugurate the three-star police general in spite of the House of Representatives’ official endorsement.
Thus, the word of called on is more polite that could keep the face of the people in there based on the theory of politness (Leech, 1993). Called on respected to consideration maxim that make the addressees felt pleasant of the utterance of the speaker (writer) in wich the type of it, is compounding, because it compounded the word of called with on.
Based on the research finding above, the researcher found 8 euphemisms that included 4 types and 2 functions. The 4 types are used in the column, there are compounding, derivation, metaphor, and litotes. In compounding types are 4 euphemisms, derivation types are 3 euphemisms, metaphor type is 1 euphemism, and litotes type is 1 euphemism.
Furthermore, the researcher found the types that are mostly used in headline column is compounding. Compounding type is a word out of two or more root morpheme. Compounds can be either native or borrowed. Native English roots are typically free morphemes. That means compounds are made out of independent words that can occur by themselves. It is simply with two roots. Thus, compounding is a process in which two different words are joined together to denote one thing.
The function of euphemisms that are used in the headline column are 2 functions. The functions are avoiding taboo and identity markers The functions of avoiding taboo are 6 functions, and identity markers are 2 euphemism. The function of headline column is mostly used is avoiding the taboo.
Taboo refers to the prohibited things or avoided things. In society the sex words are felt taboo and prohibit to say them. Taboo words also refers to body parts, body effluvia, menstruation, illness, mental disability and body, body’s waste products, death, and arts.
CONCLUSSIONS AND SUGESSTIONS
The purposes of this research were to identify the types and functions of euphemism used in headline column of Jakarta Post newspaper, which were published on around February 17, 2015. Based on the data analysis and findings in chapter IV, the researcher found some euphemisms. There were a lot of euphemism found in the newspaper of headline column are 9 euphemisms. Based on the data analysis, research findings and discussion in the previous chapter, the research was concluded that
types and functions which were mostly used by the headline column in Jakarta Post are 4 types and 2 functions. In this research, the researcher only do a research in analyzing and explaining about the types and functions of euphemism in headline column of Jakarta Post newspaper. Euphemism can be investigated based on pragmatic and some other linguistic study. There are many aspects that can be analyzed about euphemism some other linguistic study such as semantics, sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics and anthropological linguistics.
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Thesis: Unpublished.
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