Background of the Study

B. Problem Limitation

The present researcher believes that studying phatic communication might arise various issues, such as politeness, power and solidarity, and other issues. However, it seems impossible to discuss all the issues in this present study. Therefore, it is set to be more specific and has several limitations. First, this present study focuses on conversation of six couples of graduate students involving two couples of male students, two couples of female students, and two couples of a male and a female student. It aims to reveal different conversational styles related to the communicative functions and functions of phatic communication. Since it is only a case study, the data is then limited. The result of this study might only show representative findings in English language studies at Sanata Dharma University in batch 2015. Second, this present study focuses on verbal communication, namely utterances. The utterances are to see the communicative functions and functions of phatic communication produced by the graduate students. The utterances show the graduate students’ communication skill in English. Third, the analysis of phatic communication functions, especially politeness is not analyzed. It is considered that all of phatic functions are to express politeness excluding making gossip. Therefore, it is better only to focus on the other functions of phatic communication. Fourth, the present researcher takes into account that the graduate students might use different ways of using language related to the communicative functions or functions of phatic communication. This only explores three conversational styles produced by two couples of male students, two couples of PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI female students, and two couples of a male and a female student when using language. The styles analyzed are topic, swear word or taboo language, and gossip.

C. Problem Formulation

The present researcher proposes three research questions. The research questions are addressed as follows . 1. What communicative functions of phatic communication are found in the graduate students’ conversation? 2. What functions of phatic communication are found in the graduate students ’ conversation? 3. In what ways do the graduate students in different groups of gender use language differently related to communicative functions or functions of phatic communication?

D. Research Goals

Based on the problem formulation, this present study reveals three main goals. Firstly, it aims to find out the communicative functions of phatic communication produced by the graduate students in English Language Studies at Sanata Dharma University in batch 2015. To answer the first question, the present researcher pays attention to utterances showing appropriate communicative functions of phatic communication. The communicative functions can be performed as greeting, mentioning names or titles, parting, commenting on something obvious, interrupting, starting a conversation, apologizing, avoiding silence when talking, changing topic of conversation, expressing listening noises, expressing wishes, congratulating, agreeing on something, thanking, giving compliments, criticizing indirectly, saying bad words, mocking, joking, pacifying, encouraging, and sympathizing. Secondly, it aims to find out the functions of phatic communication produced by the graduate students in English Language Studies at Sanata Dharma University in batch 2015. The present researcher needs to focus on the utterances and the communicative functions as the first findings to get the suitable functions of phatic communication. The functions of phatic communication are used for avoiding the silence, starting a conversation or opening a contact, making chit- chat, making gossip, keeping talking, expressing solidarity, creating harmony, creating comfort, expressing empathy, expressing friendship, expressing respect, and expressing politeness. If the ten functions of phatic communication appear in conversation except making gossip, those functions also serve politeness as the function of phatic communication. Thirdly, it aims to reveal the ways the graduate students in different groups of gender, namely the couples of male students, the couples of female students, and the couples of a male and a female student use language differently related to the communicative functions or functions of phatic communication. This refers to several kinds of conversational styles; topic, swear word or taboo language, and gossip. In this case, those conversational styles are chosen to prove the existing theories.

E. Benefits of the Study

This present study hopefully gives theoretical and practical benefits. Theoretically, it can give contribution to English Language Studies in recognizing phatic communication, the communicative functions of phatic communication, the PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI functions of phatic communication, and other issues related to phatic communication. It is also important to comprehend several related theories of phatic communication. Practically, this present study gives benefits for some groups of people. It is mainly for people who learn language, apply it, and analyze it as well. Those people are English learners, teachers or lecturers, English community, readers, other researchers, and the present researcher herself. First, for English learners, it is expected that they can master phatic communication in order to create good relationship among others. Second, for teachers or lecturers, phatic communication can be beneficial in the teaching- learning process to make the class alive. Even, the use of phatic communication can create good relationship between students and teachers or lecturers. Third, for the English community, phatic communication can be applied to make interaction easily and to build rapport. Fourth, for readers, the present researcher hopes that understanding phatic communication and realizing the importance of phatic communication are really needed. Fifth, for other researchers, this present study can be a reference and a comparison study for those who are interested in conducting research on phatic communication. Last, for the present researcher, it can be used as reflection whether the present researcher has applied phatic communication either in informal or formal situation. 9 CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW This chapter provides three parts of discussion, namely literature review, related studies, and theoretical framework. The first part serves the related theories of this present study. Meanwhile, the second part presents the relevant studies related to the topic discussion. The third part focuses on how the theories answer the research questions of the study.

A. Review of Related Theories

This part consists of three points related to the topic of this study. They are communication, the concept of phatic communion as phatic communication, phatic functions, and women and men’s conversational styles. The followings are the discussion of each point.

1. Communication

Language is used as a means of communication in which people exchange feelings or thoughts. Burton, Déchaine, and Vatikiotis-Bateson 2012:21 argue that using language to communicate is called as expression of language. It is considered that human language has design features reflecting its function as a vehicle for communication. Burton et al. 2012:21 mention four ingredients needed in a communication, namely users, a message, a code, and a signal. It can be simply described that users transmit messages by encoding the messages into a signal. Those four ingredients have several design features of human language as listed in table 2.1.