62
calm, and silent. The peaceful atmosphere let us do relax activity. While, having sex is physical activity done by people who are in love. Thus the
references of tonight changes and gets broader as well. The other proof is the number of semantic components, the word tonight has 2 [+] features and
having sex has 4 [+] features.
9. Metonym
Data example: 9
a Oz: Yeah, I saw in the ladies room, shes been there for like an hours.
p.30. The word ladies room is a euphemism for toilet or latrine. Toilet or
latrine is considered as taboo in the connection of bodily effluvia. It is so for the following reasons:
a People do dressing, cleaning and arranging their whole body in toilet
b People expel the waste product of the body in toilet
c People are used to get naked inside the toilet
d There is a belief that toilet is a place full of devil or magic.
Hence, toilet is a kind of taboo of propriety. The preferred, polite, and tasteful word counteracts the dispreferred and distasteful word in order not to
freely mention the sensitive word and lose someones face as well. Ladies room is a mild alternative to the dispreferred term, toilet. Ladies
room is also a kind of sexual euphemism. In the previous sentences, ladies room leaves its lexical meaning behind and it refers to toilet in which room for
63
having bath, urinating and defecating. Ladies room becomes euphemism because it has positive meaning sense and sounds sweet, nice and far from the
sense of offence. Then, ladies room is also a euphemistic metonymy. It is an associated concept making up for the one being referred to. It puts the words
from general area to specific area within it. Backing up the description, the writer then unpacks the term ladies room
into semantic features:
Ladies room: [PHYSICAL] [ROOM] [HUMANITY] [FOR FEMALE] The term ladies room comprises no sensitive feature that refers to room for
ladies. The word ladies room is regarded as euphemism expression. If ladies room is replaced by the intended reference, it will be:
b Girl: Yeah, I saw in the toilet, shes been there for like an hour. Sentence b is acceptable, but it is not euphemism expression because we may
refer toilet to place for doing activity like bathing and the like. It is also used by male and female that is explained below components:
Toilet: [PHYSICAL] [HUMANITY] [ROOM] [FOR FEMALE] [FOR MALE] To get the relation between ladies room and toilet, the writer then
identifies the semantic components of the words as follow:
Ladies room Toilet
+ Physical
+ +
Room +
+ Humanity
+ +
For female +
- For male
+
64
Ladies room and toilet is a pair of word in which ladies room may stand for toilet. Ladies room may do so in connection to the similar components to
those of toilet, such as [PHYSICAL] [ROOM] [HUMANITY] [FOR FEMALE]. Four semantic components in common let ladies room replace
toilet. Ladies room also can be the euphemism since it falls under a several components like [FOR FEMALE] as if this is a special room for ladies that is
regarded pleasant and tasteful terms. Conversely, toilet comprises [FOR FEMALE] and [FOR MALE] that means it is a room for both female and male.
Based on above semantic components, the writer can conclude that they have incompatibility relation. It is because ladies room and toilet have four
similar components and clash for [FOR FEMALE] [FOR MALE] features. This relationship is also supported by Cruses theory. He cited that two words are
incompatible if the one has at least one feature contrasting with a feature in the other.
The new meaning ladies room becomes broader than the previous one. It means that the new meaning is regarded more general than the earlier one.
According to the above semantic components, ladies room and toilet has identical components, except [FOR MALE]. While, the new meaning ladies
room is toilet that may be used for female and male. From the reference and the number of component, it is clearly shown that the meaning gets broader than
the earlier one.
65
10. Hyperbole.
