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1. Swear Word
In this study, swear word is a word or phrase that is generally considered blasphemous, obscene, vulgar, or otherwise offensive Karjalainen, 2002. It is
usually used both in written and spoken expression in the conversation. In western culture, swear words are commonly used by the youth to express their feeling or
emotion whether it is self-conversation or with their community. 2.
Character Character is an intrinsic element in literary fiction. Character is an
imagined person in story. As stated by Gill 1997, p. 10, character is a person in a literary work. Besides, character can be defined as the aggregate of traits and
features that form the nature of some person or animal. Character also refers to moral qualities and ethical standard and principles. It can be concluded that
character can be defined as any person, animal, or figure represented in a literary work. There are actually many types of character that exist in literature, and each
of it has its own development and function. In the Antologi Rasa novel, there are four characters, however, the researcher observed the language that is used by the
the main character only. 3.
The Antologi Rasa Novel In this study, the Antologi Rasa novel is an Indonesian novel which is
written by an Indonesian novelist, Ika Natassa. The author of this novel wrote the stories through every character‟s point of view. Almost all the novel she wrote use
both Bahasa Indonesia and English language as the characteristics of her novel.
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From the definitions above, it can be synthesized that this research analyzes the classification or types and motives of swear words which are used by
the main character, Keara, in the Antologi Rasa novel.
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CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
This chapter presents the literature review of the study. Therefore, it is divided into two parts, namely theoretical description and theoretical framework.
The theoretical description focuses on the relevant theories underlying the study. Meanwhile, the theoretical framework focuses on answering the problem
formulation of the study based on theoretical description which is used as the guideline or explain the thread of theories to formulate the orientation of the
study.
A. Theoretical Description
Swearing is a natural behaviour of the use of language in spoken expression. While swearing, people mostly utter some certain words to express
their frustration feeling which are called as swearwords. Generally, the use of swear words is prohibited in certain society. Even though the use of swearwords is
prohibited and is considered as taboo by society, most people confess that they still swear in the certain situation. The use of swear words in communication
becomes a language phenomenon that cannot be denied anymore. Crystal 1995 described “swearwords are a natural part of language, and they are undoubtedly
one of the most efficient ways to do away with extra frustation or anger in difficult situations. It has even been suggested that swearwords may be a factor in
reducing stress” as cited in Karjalainen, 2002, p.3. Besides, swearwords generally refer to taboo subject which is also socially, culturally or religously
12 proscribed. Before going further to the analysis of Swear and Taboo words in the
Antologi Rasa novel, it is important to convey the concept of taboo and some topics related to it. The research which is inc
luded as the „Content Analysis‟ approach aims to show the readers, especially the English learners that there are
some linguistics elements which are used in the Antologi Rasa novel related to the use of swear words. Therefore, there are some theories discussed in the research.
Those theories are the concept of taboo, taboo and swear words, types of swear words, and the motives of why people swear.
1. The Concept of Taboo
Taboo is usually connected with something which is avoided to do and is considered also as impolite to be uttered. Allan and Burridge 2006, p. 1 describe
that taboo originates from social restriction on ones behavior which can bring about uneasiness, harm, and injury. Since it brings uneasiness, harm and injury,
people in the society are supposed to avoid taboo, especially which has a vulgar sense. To give a clearer explanation, Trudgill 2000, p. 18 defines taboo in the
following way. Taboo can be characterized as being concerned with behavior which is
believed to be supernaturally forbidden or regarded as immoral or improper; it deals with behavior which is prohibited or inhibited in an
apparently irrational manner. In language, taboo is associated with things which are not said, and in particular with words and expressions
which are not used.
Based on the statement above, it can be concluded that there is a strong relationship between taboo behavior and taboo language. Both are generally
forbidden in the certain societies because they are considered as impolite in certain circumstances. Besides, Fairman 2009, p. 27 also states that every
13 society has its own particular taboo behavior and taboo words. Taboo acts are
related to any activities that should be avoided or forbidden both by society and religion, while taboo words are related to any words that should not be used both
in spoken and written form. Several taboo acts are mostly related to taboo words while others are not
. One of the popular cases of this phenomenon is the act of
incest. Mostly, incest is considered as taboo because it refers to the sexual activity that is strongly forbidden in a society. In the same sense, any words which refer to
incest activity such as motherfucker will also be categorized as taboo because it indicates the activity. However, there is a certain word that is said as taboo while
the indicated activity is not regarded as taboo act. When people talk about excretion, it is often considered as taboo while the act itself is not forbidden if it is
done by the appropriate person in a suitable place and time. Therefore, words that are related or linked to taboo act will automatically become taboo words Allan
Burridge, 2006, p. 2. Furthermore, taboo is described as something which is forbidden or
disapproved of, placed under a social prohibition or ban resulting from social or other conventions and also a ritual restriction or prohibition of something that is
conside red holy or unclean “Taboo”. According to Andersson, taboos are
surrounded by feelings of guilt, repulsion, uncleannes or belief in supernatural forces as cited in Karjalainen, 2002, p. 14. In other words, taboo prohibitions
have no rational grounds and that they are unknown origin, signifying things that are, for some reason, unapproachable, uncommon or not generally accessible in
our lives. Besides, taboos are not universal, but are created by each culture and
