used to avoid redundancy so the utterance can sound more effective. The highest use is for subject rather than object and possessive adjective, it is because every
sentence needs subject as a doer of the action and not all sentence needs an object or possessive adjective.
4.2.3.1. Third Person Singular
Third person singular is represented with pronoun he and she. SBY just uses third person singular he in his speech. It is used to point person whom he ever
mentioned before. 24 I am proud that my son, Captain Agus, was able to join this
prestigious Harvard program. So now other than being a loyal soldier in the Indonesian army, he is also another Harvard student
working for me.
He here refers to his son, AgusYudhoyono, who has been mentioned before. SBY makes some joke in the beginning of his speech. He says that he
really admires Harvard University. He compliments Harvard because Harvard is a prestigious university and so many great Indonesian people graduated from
Harvard including his son, AgusHarimurtiYudhoyono. Even though they are all really great, they work with him for Indonesia because some ministers under his
presidency were graduated from Harvard. He can be substituted with Captain Agus and still have the same meaning like in the following example:
24.a I am proud that my son, Captain Agus, was able to join this prestigious Harvard program. So now other than being a loyal
soldier in the Indonesian army, Captain Agusis also another Harvard student working for me.
Actually SBY uses possessive adjective her in his speech, but not to refer to person.
25 America, with all the economic, social and technological resources at her disposal, has much to contribute to this new world.
America’s role in helping to reform the international system, spread prosperity, empower the world’s poor, resolve conflicts, and share
knowledge is a critical asset to a transforming world. Now is a golden opportunity for America to inundate the world with her soft
power, not hard power. America should not worry about retaining its superpower status.
SBY uses her above not to refer to person but to America. In the utterance above SBY uses two kinds of pronoun to represent America. He uses her and its
but both of them still refer to America’s ownership. SBY explains that America can give contribution to reaching global harmony by its soft power.
25.a America, with all the economic, social and technological resources at America’s disposal, has much to contribute to this new
world. America’s role in helping to reform the international system, spread prosperity, empower the world’s poor, resolve conflicts, and
share knowledge is a critical asset to a transforming world. Now is a golden opportunity for America to inundate the world with
America’s soft power, not hard power. America should not worry about retaining America’s superpower status.
4.2.3.2. Third Person Plural
