CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION. No one can be separated from language because language holds an important

Transcription

1 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of the Analysis No one can be separated from language because language holds an important role in our life and for it is always used in every aspect of human life. Tarigan (1987: 6) says, Bahasa mempunyai fungsi yang amat penting bagi manusia, terutama sekali fungsi komunikatif. (Language has important role for human being, especially communicative function). It means that language is the principal modality of human communication and is a tool to convey all human activities in term of communication. In the study of language, the most interesting questions arise in connection with the way language is used, rather than what its components are. We are asking how language users interpret what the other language users intend to convey. When we carry this investigation further and ask how we, as language users, make sense of what we read in texts, understand what the speakers mean despite what they say, recognize connected opposed to jumbled or incoherent discourse, and successfully take part in that complex activity called conversation, we are undertaking what is known as discourse analysis. Michael Stubbs (1983: 1) states, Discourse analysis refers to the attempts to study the organization of language above the sentence or above the clause, and therefore to study larger linguistics units such as conversational exchanges or written texts. It means that the sentence is not the most complete unit of language but there is another more complete unit than the sentence itself, namely a discourse. McCarthy

2 1991: 5) states Discourse analysis is concerned with the study of the relationship between language and the context in which it is used Discourse is a text which forms a variety a complete unit. While, the word text is used in linguistics to refer to any passage, spoken or written, of whatever length, that does form a unified whole. Brown and Yule (1984: 6) state, We shall use text as a technical term to refer to the verbal record of a communicative act. It can be written or spoken text. A text has texture. Halliday (1976: 2) cites, The concept of texture is entirely appropriate to express the property of being a text. A text has texture: and this is what distinguishes it from something that is not a text. It derives this texture from the fact that it functions a unity with respect to its environment. Texture is signed by tight relation, and this is what we call cohesion which exists within text. Therefore, this cohesion must exist in a good discourse. A good discourse has some factors. Some of those factors are described in terms cohesion or ties which exist within text. Gutwinsky (1976:26) in Tarigan states that cohesion is a syntactical organization, and is a container where the sentences are arranged in harmony intensively to produce discourse. In other words, Cohesion is the grammatical and lexical relationship within a text or sentence that holds a text together and gives it meaning. However, by itself, cohesion would not be sufficient to enable us to make sense of what we read. It is quite easy to create a highly cohesive text which has a lot of connections between the sentences, but which remains difficult to interpret. There must be some other factor which leads us to distinguish connected texts which make sense from those which do not. This factor is usually describes as coherence. Coherence can

3 be defined as when sentences, ideas, and details fit together clearly, readers can follow along easily, and the writing is coherent. The term cohesion has some devices to make a tight relation, namely, cohesive devices. Halliday and Hasan (1976: 28) say that there are five kinds of cohesive devices. They are reference, substitution, ellipsis, conjunction, and lexical cohesion. Reference is the relationship between an element of the text and something else by reference to which is interpreted in the given instance. For example, When scientific experiments do not work out as expected, they are often considered failures until some other scientist tries them again. The word they refer to scientific experiments. Substitution is very similar to ellipsis in the effect it has on the text, and occurs when instead of leaving a word or phrase out, as in ellipsis, it is substituted for another, more general word. For example, "Which ice-cream would you like?" - "I would like the pink one" where "one" is used instead of repeating "ice-cream." Ellipsis is another cohesive device. It happens when, after a more specific mention, words are omitted when the phrase needs to be repeated. A simple example is The younger child was very outgoing, the older much more reserved. The omitted words from the second clause are "child" and "was". Conjunction creates cohesion by relating sentences and paragraphs to each other by using words from the class of conjunction. For example, I want to buy a new car but I do not have enough money. The conjunction but relates two sentences I want to buy a new car and I do not have enough money. Lexical cohesion is basically created by repetition (reiteration) of the same lexeme, or other lexemes sharing the majority of semantic features: the bus... - the vehicle... - the chassis. For example, Myths narrate sacred histories and explain sacred origins. These traditional narratives are, in short, a set of beliefs that are a very real force in the lives

4 of the people who tell them. The word traditional narratives takes the form of synonym namely myths. The writer s analysis is the field of discourse analysis. Discourse consists of several types; they are narrative, exposition, conversation, and poem. Based on the form of discourse, short story is a short prose narrative which usually focuses on a single and clear problem. Tarigan (1987: 57) says, Wacana prosa adalah wacana yang disampaikan dalam bentuk prosa. Wacana ini dapat tertulis atau lisan dan dapat pula dengan pembeberan atau penuturan. Novel, cerita pendek, dan sebagainya merupakan contoh-contoh wacana prosa. Like other types of discourse, short story must have texture. To make such texture, of course, there must be cohesive devices used in a short story. Thus, the writer is eager to analyze cohesive devices in short stories. Ernest Hemingway is an American writer. He was born in Oak Park, Illinois, in Most of his works especially his short stories The Light of the World, Hills Like White Elephants and A Clean- Well Lighted Place relate with the rural life and take nature as their background. He also employs cohesive devices in his short stories in making cohesive effect to the short stories. So, it helps the readers to understand the unity of the text easier. These things make the writer chooses to analyze Ernest Hemingway s short stories as the object of an analysis. 1.2 Scope of the Analysis The analysis which is done by the writer is the field of discourse analysis. In this case, the writer would like to scope this thesis only about the analysis of cohesive devices: reference, substitution, ellipsis, conjunction, and lexical cohesion found in text

5 of selected short stories of Ernest Hemingway : The Light of the World, and Hills Like White Elephants and A Clean- Well Lighted Place. 1.3 Problem of the Analysis Based on the background of the analysis above, some questions to answer in this thesis are: 1. What are types of cohesive devices occurred in selected short stories of Ernest Hemingway 2. What is the frequency of each type of cohesive devices occurred in selected short stories of Ernest Hemingway showing the dominance in use? 1.4 Objective of the Analysis In line with the object of the analysis above, my thesis has purpose as listed below: 1. To find out the types of cohesive devices occurred in selected short stories of Ernest Hemingway. 2. To find out the frequency of each type of cohesive devices occurred in selected short stories of Ernest Hemingway showing the dominance in use. 1.5 Significance of the Analysis This analysis is expected to be able to give some significance both practically and theoretically. It is expected that this analysis is practically very significant for better understanding about the very basics principles of cohesive devices. Analysis of these cohesive links within a text gives us some insight into how writers structure what they want to say and shows how one sentence or paragraph relates with another sentence or paragraph. Thus, it helps us to understand the unity of the text easier.

6 Further, this analysis is theoretically also expected to be useful as one reference for the readers who are interested in analyzing the same subject.