A PRAGMATIC ANALYSIS OF DIRECTIVE SPEECH ACT IN TURNING

RED MOVIE

PROPOSAL SKRIPSI

Submited for examination session of the Sarjana Pendidikan

Undergraduate Study Program, Department of English Education

Oriza Ghina Permata

NIM. 1906102020007

UNDERGRADUATE STUDY PROGRAM (S1)

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISF EDUCATION
FACULTY OF TEACHER TRAINING AND EDUCATION
SYAH KUALA UNIVERSITY
DARUSSALAM-BANDA ACEH
TAHUN 2024
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS.......................................................................i

CHAPTER I INTROTRODUCTION...................................................1
1.1 Research Background...........................................................
1.2 Research Problem.................................................................
1.3 Research objective................................................................
1.4 Research Significance..........................................................
1.5 Research Scope.....................................................................

CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW.................................................

2.1 Pragmatic..............................................................................
2.2 Speech Act............................................................................
2.2.1 Directive speech Act...................................................
2.2.2 Types of Directive speech Act....................................
2.2.3 Function of Directive speech Act...............................
2.3 Movie....................................................................................
2.3.1 Turning Red Movie.....................................................
2.4 Previous Studies...................................................................

CLAPTER III RESEARCH METODOLOGY.......................................

 CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Research Background

Communication is known as the way to interact with other people with the

objective of achieving certain goals. As social creatures, humans naturally

communicate and receive messages from each other by utilizing language as a

communication tool (Octavia et al., 2020; King & Wardhaugh, 1970). Through

communication, people can directly or indirectly share their thoughts and feelings

with others. Language is a system of signals, like spoken sounds, hand gestures,

and letters, used to convey messages. People can express their feelings, emotions,

intentions, and facts through language (Indrayani et al., 2022; Taylor, 1990).

Using the right language helps ensure that communication is effective and clear to

avoid misunderstanding (Yardha & Ambalegin, 2022; Grecie, 1989). When

people communicate, they do not just use words and grammar; they also express

themselves through gestures and actions. The scientific study of language is called

linguistics, which examines language meaning, how language is used in different

contexts, and language structure. Linguistics includes phonology, morphology,

syntax, semantics, and pragmatics.

Pragmatics is an important part of linguistics, focusing on how language is

used in specific situations and at specific times (Lewier et al., 2020; Levinson,

1983). It studies how speakers create meaning in context, covering topics, like

speech act, politeness, implicature, and reference. Among these, speech act are a

common topic in pragmatig.

 Speech act is kinds of pragmatics studies; where it was concerned with the

study of meaning in communication by the speaker and interpreted by a hearer.

This study derived by Austin (1962) in his book “How to do things with word”.

There are three actions related to speech act there are; Locutionary acts,

Illocutionary act, and Perlocutionary act. The locutionary act is the basic

production of meaningful utterance. This act is much related to the hearer, if the

hearer fails to understand what the speaker is saying then the speaker has failed to

do a locutionary act. Locutionary act is the physical act of producing on

utterances. Illocutionary act is the act that is committed by producing on

utterances and the Perlocutionary act is the production of an effect through

locution and illocution this statement proposed by ( Suhardianto, 2018). In this

research the researcher focus on illocutionary acts.

According to Nugroho (2011), Illocutionary acts is what the speakers want

to achive by uttering something, and it can be the act of asserting, promissing,

apologizing, threatening, ordering, asking, etc. Nugroho (2011) also said, the

purpose of illocutionary is to produce the utterance knownas illocutionary force.

By using force the speaker informs something in conversation or communication,

then that information will be received by hearer. Searle’s categorizes illocutionari

are as, representative/assertive, directives, commissives, expressives, and

declarations. Among the five types of illucotionaries the researcher focused on

researching directive speech act.

Directive speech acts is a speech act that involves the interlocutor doing

something (Rahmawati, 2023). Yule (1996, p.54) classified four types of directive
speech acts that used to make others do something, are command, order, request,

and suggest. Directive speech acts research can be carried out on conversation in

novels, speeches, talk shows, podcasts, and movies. In this research, the

researcher chose to conduct this research on conversation in movie.

Directive speech acts are used in movies to convey a character's thoughts,

feelings, and intentions. Movies use a wide range of language with different

meanings, some of which might not be clear to everyone. Watching movies is not

just for entertainment; viewers can also gain moral lessons, education, and insight

into social relationships, language use, and communication. Movies reflect and

represent everyday life, and directive speech acts in movies mirror real-life

communication and conversation.

Most previous researchers have analyzed about types of directive speech

acts and examined their frequency (Della, 2018; Novita, 2018; Hidayat, 2018;

Fitria, 2019; Muna, 2021) . Different from previous research, here the researcher

will analyze the types and functions of directive speech acts in the Turning Red

movie. By studying the dialougues in Turning Red movies, this research aim to

understand how directive speech act are used in real life situations and how they

influence character interactions in a multicultural context.

1.2 Research Problem

1. What types of directive speech act are used by main caracter in the

Turning Red movie?

 2. What functions of directive speech act are used by main caracter in the

Turning Red movie?

1.3 Research Objective

1. Analyze the types of directive speech act are used by main caracter in

the Turning Red movie?

2. Analyze the functions of directive speech act are used by main caracter

in the Turning Red movie?

1.4 Research Significance

This research is expected to contribute in increasing:

Research on speech acts not only enriches theoretical knowledge about language

and communication but also has wide applications in education, profession,

technology and social interaction. So it is hoped that this research will help

understand how people use language to give instructions, requests or commands.

Apart from that, it is also hoped that it will have an influence in the application of

the educational sector to develop more effective learning strategies, especially in

teaching students how to interact politely and efficiently in the target language

1.5 Research Scope

The scope of this research is to identify the types and functions of

directive speech acts used by the main characters in the film Turning Red. This

research aims to provide insight into how speakers use directive speech acts to
achieve various communicative goals, such as making request, giving orders, and

expressing suggestion.

However, there limitations to this study. The first is that analysis is only

limited to the language used in the film and does not consider nonverbal

communication. In addition, this research will mainly focus on the main

character’s conversations.
 CHAPTER II

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Pragmatic

In linguistics and related fields, pragmatics is the study of how context

contributes to meaning. The field of study evaluates how human language is

utilized in social interactions, as well as the relationship between the interpreter

and the interpreted (Mey & Jacob, 2006). Linguists who specialize in pragmatics

are called pragmaticians. The field has been represented since 1986 by the

International Pragmatics Association (IPrA). Yule (1996, pp.3-4) states that

pragmatic is the study of contextual meaning This type of study necassarily

involves the interpretation of what people mean in the particular context and how

the context influences what is said. It also considers about who they are talking to,

where, when and under what circumtances.

Pragmatics encompasses phenomena including implicature, speech acts,

relevance and conversation as well as nonverbal communication (Mey & Jacob,

1993). Theories of pragmatics go hand-in-hand with theories of semantics, which

studies aspects of meaning, and syntax which examines sentence structures,

principles, and relationships. The ability to understand another speaker's intended

meaning is called pragmatic competence (Kelly, 2002). In 1938, Charles Morris

first distinguished pragmatics as an independent subfield within semiotics,

alongside syntax and semantics.

 2.1.1 Speech Act

Austin in Cutting (2008, p.13) defined speech acts as the actions

performed in saying something. It is said that the action performed when an

utterance is produced can be analysed on three different levels such as

locutionary, illocutionary, and perlocutionary act. However, action is needed to be

shown when the speaker literally made an utterance.

Speech-act theory is a subfield of pragmatics. This area of study is

concerned with the ways in which words can be used not only to present

information but also to carry out actions. It is used in linguistics, philosophy,

psychology, legal and literary theories, and even the development of artificial

intelligence.

Speech-act theory was introduced in 1975 by Oxford philosopher J.L.

Austin in "How to Do Things With Words" and further developed by American

philosopher J.R. Searle. It considers three levels or components of utterances

Austin (1962) there are locutionary acts (the making of a meaningful statement,

saying something that a hearer understands), illocutionary acts (saying something

with a purpose, such as to inform), and perlocutionary acts (saying something that

causes someone to act).

A. Locutionary

According to Austin in Nugroho (2011), locutionary is roughly equivalent to

uttering a certain sentence with a certain sense and reference, which is roughly

equivalent to ‘meaning’ in the tradtional sense. He difined this act as the actual

form of words used by the speaker and their semantic meaning.

 B. Illocutionary

Acoording to Nugroho (2011), Illocutionary act is what the speaker wants to

achieve by uttering something, and it can be the act of asserting, promissing,

apologizing, ordering. Asking, etc. Acoording to Austin in Nugroho (2011), this

act is what the the speaker is doing by uttering these words such as commanding,

offering, promissing etc. The function of illocutionary act is not only to utter

something, but also to do something.

C. Perlocutionary

The utterance uttered by the speaker usually has a force or effect to the

hearer. According to Nugroho (2011), intentional or not, this effect is created by

the speaker. Speech acts used to influence listeners are called “perlocucutionary

acts”. This Action is known as the action of influencing someone. Perlocutionary

acts appears because of perlucotionary force in the uttarance. In other words,

perlocutionary act is the effect created by illucotionary act to the hearer, such as

shocking, misleading, convincing, etc.

2.1.2 Directive Speech Act

Directive speech acts intend to produce some effects through action on the

listener. The speaker is attempting to encourage the listener to do something by

expressing the instruction. It attempts to persuade the listener to do something by

command, order, request, and suggest. Yule (1996) states that “Directives are

those kind of speech acts that speakers use to get someone to do something”.
 Searle (1979) also states that directives of these consist in the fact that they

are attempts (of varying degrees, and hence, more precisely, they are determinates

of the determinable, which includes attempting) by the speaker to get the listener

to do something such as command, suggest, request. Conventionally, directive

speech acts are considered the direct type. So, it is used to command, invite,

forbid, and so on. In another line, directive speech acts are considered indirect,

which is the purpose of giving orders, but it is not expressed in imperative words.

2.1.3 Types of Directive Speech Act

There are many classifications of directive speech acts proposed by some

authors. In this study, the researcher explains directive speech acts according to

George Yule's data analysis theory. According to Yule (1996) directive speech act

is classified into cammand, order, request and suggest.

A. Command

A command is a speech act wherein the speaker asserts authority and

instructs someone to perform a particular action. It involves the speaker

conveying a directive to individuals who are obligated to comply with the given

instruction. Commands typically carry an implicit expectation of a task or action

to be accomplished by the recipient of the command. When issuing a command,

the speaker assumes a position of authority or superiority over the addressee,

granting them the right to issue orders.

The primary function of a command is to direct the actions of others in

order to achieve a desired outcome or fulfill a specific objective as intended by

the speaker. Importantly, the use of a command implies an inherent obligation

for the recipient to carry out the task or action as directed. This obligation arises

from the authority or power attributed to the speaker in a given context. The

recipient is expected to recognize and acknowledge this authority, resulting in a

sense of responsibility to complete the assigned task in accordance with the

speaker's instructions. Example: a) “I command you to keep silent.” b) “Close

your book!”

B. Order

An Order refers to the speech act of instructing or requesting someone to

perform a particular action. While the terms "order" and "command" are often

used interchangeably due to their similar functions, there exists a distinction

between them in terms of the presence ofinstitutional authority. Commands

typically involve an authoritative figure who holds institutional power, such as a

superior, a leader, or a person in a position of authority, who issues directives to

subordinates or individuals under their control. These commands carry the

weight of authority and imply a sense of obligation or duty to comply.

On the other hand, orders encompass a broader range of situations where

individuals direct others to perform or refrain from certain actions, without

necessarily possessing institutional authority. In this context, the speaker may

express a strong desire, make a firm request, or simply provide guidance or

instructions without the backing of an official position. Orders can arise in

various social interactions, such as in informal settings among friends, family

members, or colleagues, where the speaker seeks compliance based on mutual

understanding or personal influence. Example:

a) “Don’t look it!” Someone says it to his friend.

b) “Get out!”

C. Request

A request is a formal and courteous action to solicit something from

another individual. It is characterized by its polite and respectful nature, 23

demonstrating consideration for the recipient. The primary objective of a request

is to persuade the listener to engage in a specific action, operating under the

assumption that the listener possesses the capacity to fulfill the request. The

speech act of request entails employing appropriate language and tone to convey

politeness and a sense of deference. Moreover, a request is a formal and

courteous act of asking, driven by the speaker's belief in the recipient's capacity

to fulfill the requested action. It encompasses polite language and demonstrates

respect, aiming to garner cooperation and achieve the desired outcome.

Example:

a) “Take your jacket off, please?”.

b) “Can you help me?”

D. Suggest

Suggest is a speech act that involves proposing an idea or plan to others,

inviting them to consider it or take action accordingly. It shares similarities with

insisting, as both speech acts involve expressing a particular viewpoint or

recommendation. Suggest can be classified into two categories: directive and

assertive speech acts. Suggest speech act entails urging or advising the hearer to
 perform a specific action or engage in a particular behaviour. It implies a desired

course of action and may involve using imperative language or offering

guidance. In this case, the speaker intends to influence the listener's behaviour or

decision-making process.

On the other hand, assertive suggesting involves putting forth a

suggestion or proposition about a situation or event that is likely to occur. 24

The speaker presents an idea or concept, often in a persuasive manner, to create

an impression or shape the listener's perception. This type of suggesting does not

explicitly instruct the hearer to take action but rather aims to influence their

understanding or perspective. Example:

a) “I think you should go to doctor”

b) “I suggest you to run slowly”

2.1.3 Functions of Speech Act

The function of the directive speech act is oriented to receive the messege

(Saddhono & Fatma, 2016; Cummings, 2007). Directive speech act a form of

speech carried out by speakers with the intenstion that their speech partners carry

out the actions mentioned in the speech (Leech, 1993; Sumarlam, 2019).

Leech (1993, p.104) states that illocutionary acts are based on their

function. The function is based on how the illocutionary act relates to social goals

or the intention to organize and arrange in a polite manner. There are four types of
illocutionary act functions such as, competitive, convivial, collaborative, and

conflictive.

A. Competitive

This illocutionary goal competes with the social goal. This function is

intended for showing politeness in the form of negative parameter. The point is to

reduce the discord implicit in the competition between what the speaker wants to

achieve and what is ‘good manner’. The examples of this goal are ordering,

asking, demanding, and begging. Competitive goals are those which are

essentially discourteous, such as getting someone to lend his or her money (Leech,

1993, p.104).

B. Convivial

This illocutionary goal coincides with the social goal. On the contrary with

the previous category, the convivial type is intrinsically courteous. It means that

politeness here is in the positive form of seeking opportunity for comity. As an

example, if someone has the opportunity to congratulate his or her friend on his

birhday, he or she should do so. The examples of this goal are offering, inviting,

greeting, thanking, and congratulating (Leech, 1993104).

C. Collaborative

This illocutionary goal is indifferent with the social goal. In this

illocutionary function, both politeness and impoliteness are relevant. This function

commits the speaker to the truth of the expressed proposition. It can be found in

most of written discourse. The examples of this goal are asserting, reporting,

announcing, and instructing (Leech, 1993:104).

D. Conflictive

This illocutionary goal conflicts with the social goal. Similar to the

collaborative function, politeness does not need to be questioned as the terms in

this illocutionary function are used to cause offense or hurt the feeling of the

hearer. The examples of conflictive function are threatening, accusing, cursing,

and reprimanding (Leech, 1993:104).

2.2 Movie

Nowadays, movies have emerged as a prominent cultural trend,

particularly those that portray everyday life circumstances. According to Hornby

(2006, p.950) movie is a motion picture. Furthermore, movie is a form of motion

picture that captures real-world images through the use of cameras or generates

imagery employing animation techniques, special effects, and accompanied by

music. It mean, when we watch a movie, we are essentially observing a series of

images that possess the ability to move or transition from one frame to another.

Movie is a work of art that consists of a combination of visual and

auditory elements to convey a story or message to the audience. In his view,

movie is not just entertainment, but also an important medium that can inspire,

educate, and even provoke thought. Movie have the capacity to convey profound

messages, stimulate critical thinking, and evoke emotional responses from their

audiences (Lesmono et al., 2024; Bordwell). Movies also have the potential to

shape and reflect cultural norms, trends, and aspirations. They can influence
fashion, language, and social behavior, becoming a significant part of popular

culture.

Additionally, movies often serve as a platform for artists, filmmakers, and

performers to showcase their creativity, express their perspectives, and make a

lasting impact on the collective consciousness of society. In summary, movies

have become an integral part of contemporary society, offering not just

entertainment but also imparting valuable values, generating social impact, and

serving as a platform for artistic expression. Their ability to captivate and engage

audiences has made them a powerful medium through which stories, ideas, and

experiences are shared and appreciated.

2.2.1 Turning Red Movie

According to Wikipedia (22)Turning Red is a 2022 American computer-

animated fantasy comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and

distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It was directed by Domee

Shi in her feature directorial debut, written by Shi and Julia Cho, and produced by

Lindsey Collins.

Thirteen-year-old Meilin "Mei" Lee (Rosalie Chiang) struggles to remain

her mother’s reliable daughter while also managing all the changes that

adolescence delivers in the movie Turning Red. To top it off, any time Lee gets

overly emotional, she transforms into a giant red panda. The film achieved critical

acclaim, nominated for Best Animated Feature Film at the 80th Golden Globes

and 95th Academy Awards (Lyons, 2023).

 Thirteen-year-old Meilin "Mei" Lee (Rosalie Chiang) struggles to remain a

daughter her mother can depend on while also dealing with all the changes that

come with her teenage years in the film Turning Red. To climax, whenever Lee

gets too emotional, she transforms into a giant red panda. The film received

critical acclaim, being nominated for Best Animated Feature at the 80th Golden

Globes and the 95th Academy Awards.

Currently, there are many films that raise issues about growing up and the

process of adulthood such as Turning Red. In this film, a 13-year-old girl named

Lee must accept the fact that her family has an ancestor who is said to have made

a pact with a red panda to protect the family and its descendants. As time goes by,

the era changes and of course Mei's life is not the same as the life of her ancestors

in the past.

The peak of the conflict in this animation is when the day of the sealing of

the red panda spirit coincides with the day when Mei and her three friends want to

watch the 4-Town concert. 4-Town is a boy band that Mei and her friends really

idolize. Mei even uses her ability to transform into a red panda to get money to

buy tickets to watch the concert.

2.3 Previous Studies

Several previous studies related to this topic were about directive speech

acts. The previous studies have their classifications in their research. In this

research, the writer explains each of the earlier studies briefly as follows:

Novita (2018) conducted research on directive speech acts, which chose

teachers in teaching English as objects. In this study, there were 108 directive
utterances produced by English teachers during the teaching and learning process.

This study shows that there are four types of directive speech acts, namely

demands (37.04%), questions (36.11%), requests (22.22%), and prohibitions

(4.63%). This study also shows that there are reasons for teachers to use directive

speech acts during the teaching and learning process, namely to maximize student

achievement in learning English.

Hidayat (2018) after conducting the research, the researcher found that the

results of the study showed that there were nine types of expressive speech acts,

namely apologizing, saying thank you, praising, blaming, welcoming, happy,

liking, disliking, and sad. Of the nine types of expressive speech acts found by the

researcher, the speech act of praising is the speech act that appears most often in

film scripts. From the results of the study, the researcher found that the speech

acts in the film Fate of The Furious express feelings indirectly.

Muna (2021) conducted a study of directive speech acts in the film

"Justice". The results of his study showed that there were 275 directive speech

acts found in the film "Justice" based on Searle's theory. 61 utterances were

included in the command category, 51 utterances were included in the request

category, 16 utterances were included in the permission category, 12 utterances

were included in the prohibition category, and 135 utterances were included in the

question category. Based on the results of the study above, the type of directive

speech act most frequently used in the film "Justice" is questions.

Overall, this study contributes to existing knowledge by exploring

directive speech acts in a film setting, utilizing a specific theoretical framework,

and explaining the communication dynamics depicted in the film. Meanwhile,

from the previous related research mentioned above, the research was conducted

by (Hidayat, 2018) entitled "Expressive Speech Acts in the Film "The Fate of The

Furious", a study of expressive speech acts. Expressive speech acts are another

type of speech act besides directive speech acts. Furthermore, different from the

research conducted by (Novita, 2018) entitled "Pragmatic Analysis of Teachers'

Directive Speech Acts in Teaching English (Descriptive Study at Sma Negeri 3

Surakarta in the 2017/2018 Academic Year)" is the results of this study related to

directive speech acts produced by teachers in teaching English while this study

will focus on directive speech acts produced by the main characters in the movie.

Another difference from the previous study conducted by Muna (2021) entitled

"An Analysis of Directive Speech Acts in The "Justice" Movie by Richard Gabai.
 CHAPTER III

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.1 Research Method

Descriptive Qualitative method was applied in this research. Because in

this research the researcher focus to analyzing the events that happen in the data.

The qualitative approach use in this research based on the social ‘phenomena that

researcher analyzed. Qualitative closed relationship with word, phrase, and sentences. It

used to analyze forms of data, such as interview, focus groups, observations, and

document. This research did not involve numbers and symbols (Creswell, 2013).

Therefore, the result of this research was presented descriptively, because from the

phenomena, data, analyze and the result were form of sentences.

The data of the source is a phenomenon from pragmatics point of view.

The data were taken from the utterances. The forms of utterances were explained

in the form of words, phrases, and sentences. The way of collecting the data and

the analyze based on Searle (1967) theory of directive speech act and form of

directive based on Yule (1996) theory.

3.2 Research Subject and Object

The researcher used the speech in Turning Red movie that contain the

directive speech acts as the focus on this researh, and than the theory of Speech

Acts by Yule (1996) was applied in this research.

3.3 Research Source and Data

The data source for this research is the Turning Red movie. The researcher

took data from speech in conversation in Turning Red movie. The speech in the

conversation by main character is the object of this research. The researcher

conducted in depth research, whatched and were able to understand the movie.

3.4 Research Instrument

The instrument becomes a tool which of course will make it easier for the

researcher to carry out this research. In the qualitative research, the researcher

herself is being an instrumen (Muna et al., 2018; Sugiyono, 2011, p,305). The

data collection method used by researchers in this reserch is in the form of

observation and literature review, of course will require tools as instruments. The

instrumen in this research is a device, smartphone, Laptops and books etc.

3.5 Technique of Data Collection

3.6 Technique of Data Analysis