commit to user 17
Figure 2.1 Tenor Status
Equal Unequal
Tenor Contact
Involved Distant
Affect Marked
Positive Negative
Martin, 1992: 526
1. Status
Status in tenor mainly means the social status or the role relationship of the participants. Tenor in analysis presents what social status is like and social
role which is played by the participants in a text Santosa, 2003: 51. Status here is divided into two aspects: equal and unequal which both refer to a symbolic
relationship between the positions of the participants in the social process. It is called an equal status when the participants show the democratic or horizontal
relationship such as among students or friends. On the other hand, it is called unequal when a participant shows the different position or vertical relationship
such as between a doctor and a patient or between a director and a worker.
2. Contact
Contact refers to the language in use. It evaluates the language in the text that is used to measure the text whether it is familiar or not, whether the
participant in the text is much involved or distant to know how far the language is understood. Furthermore, contact is also related to the readability of text to
measure the level of the difficulties whether it is complex, easy or easiest to be understood Santosa, 2003: 52.
commit to user 18
3. Affect
Affect is different from status and contact. Affect in an analysis is more related to the evaluation among the participants who are involved in the text.
Poynton in Martin classifies affect into two types: positive and negative evaluation Martin, 1992: 533. Affect is called positive when the participants
support, show agreement to the participant’s opinion or they respect and praise
between one and another participant. However, affect is called negative when the participants do criticize, attack or mock,
and disagree toward the participant’s opinion Santosa, 2003: 51.
F. Lexicogrammar
