AN ANALYSIS OF THE FUNCTIONS OF TAG QUESTIONS EMPLOYED BY THE CHARACTERS IN “FRIENDS” TV SHOWS SEASON 1 (A Sociolinguistics Approach)

AN ANALYSIS OF THE FUNCTIONS OF TAG QUESTIONS EMPLOYED BY THE CHARACTERS IN “FRIENDS” TV SHOWS SEASON 1 (A Sociolinguistics Approach) THESIS

Submitted As a Partial Fulfillment of Requirement For the Sarjana Sastra Degree at English Department Faculty of Letters and Fine Arts Sebelas Maret University

By: LILIS DWI KRISTYANINGRUM C0305043 ENGLISH DEPARTMENT FACULTY OF LETTERS AND FINE ARTS SEBELAS MARET UNIVERSITY SURAKARTA 2010

AN ANALYSIS OF THE FUNCTIONS OF TAG QUESTIONS EMPLOYED BY THE CHARACTERS IN “FRIENDS” TV SHOWS SEASON 1 (A Sociolinguistics Approach)

By: LILIS DWI KRISTYANINGRUM C0305043

Approved to be examined before the Board of Examiners Faculty of Letters and Fine Arts Sebelas Maret University

Thesis Consultant:

Drs. S. Budi Waskito, M. Pd NIP. 19521108 198303 1001

Head of English Department

Dr. Djatmika, MA NIP. 19670726 199302 1001

AN ANALYSIS OF THE FUNCTIONS OF TAG QUESTIONS EMPLOYED BY THE CHARACTERS IN “FRIENDS” TV SHOWS SEASON 1 (A Sociolinguistics Approach)

By: LILIS DWI KRISTYANINGRUM C0305043

Accepted and approved by the Board of Examiners Faculty of Letters and Fine Arts Sebelas Maret University On April 7 th , 2010

Board of Examiners Position

Dr. Tri Wiratno, MA

Ida Kusuma Dewi, SS, MA

NIP. 19710525 1998022 001

3. First Examiner

Drs. S. Budi Waskito, M. Pd

NIP. 19521108 198303 1001

4. Second Examiner Agus Dwi Priyanto, SS, M.CALL ....………… NIP. 19740818 200012 1001

Dean of Faculty of Letters and Fine Arts Sebelas Maret University

Drs. Sudarno, MA NIP. 195303141985061001

PRONOUNCEMENT

Name : Lilis Dwi Kristyaningrum NIM

: C0305043

Stated wholeheartedly that the thesis entitled An Analysis of the Functions of Tag Questions Employed by the Characters in Friends TV Shows Season 1 is originally made by myself. It is not a plagiarism nor made by others. The things related to other people’s works are written in quotation and included in the bibliography.

If it is later discovered and proven that this pronouncement is prevaricating, I am ready to take on any consequences from English Department of Sebelas Maret University, including the withdrawal of the Degree.

Surakarta, April 2010

Lilis Dwi Kristyaningrum

MOTTOS

 N othing is impossible

 W hen there is a will, there is a way

 Life is struggle. T he one who enjoy it

is the real winner.

DEDICATION

Thi s t hesi s i s whol ehear t edl y dedi cat ed t o:

My bel oved f ami l y

Mysel f

My f r i ends

Anyone who l oves me and al ways gi ves me suppor t

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Bismillahirrohmanirrohim. First and for most I would like to present my greatest thank to Allah SWT for his grace and mercy so that I can finish this thesis. This thesis will not be complete without advice, guidance and support from others. Therefore, in this opportunity, I would like to express my fondest gratitude to:

1. Drs.Sudarno, MA, as the Dean of Faculty of Letters and Fine Arts.

2. Drs.Djatmika, MA, the Head of English Department for approving my thesis.

3. Drs. S. Budi Waskita, M. Pd. as my thesis supervisor, Thank for your guidance and advice so that I can finish my thesis.

4. M. Taufiq Al Makmun, S.S, the academic advisor who gave me moral support during the academic period.

5. All the lecturers of English Department. Thank you very much for the precious guidance and knowledge you have given to me.

6. My beloved family, mom and dad, for your love, patient, advice and support to reach my dream. I also thank for your endless financial support during my study.

7. My only one brother mas latif for your care and support. My sister in law mbak Fitri, I never think that I will have a sister like you, thanks for cheering my life. I’m lucky to have both of you. You like a second parents to me. My little nephew ozan which makes my life colorful.

8. My “special friends” mas Dana Mahendra Putra, thanks for your love, care and patient you have shared to me. Thanks for always have a time for bringing me to see another side of this world.

9. The community of “keluarga satwa”. Mpuss meong, let fight for your thesis. Hopefully we can graduate in the same time. Ina “pitek” (missing our heart to heart. Be a good housewife dear) and isti “onta” (I wonder how can you life in that way). I miss the crazy thing we have done.

10. De kampreters family: Melon (thanks for sharing your bad for me and also for your motivation to finish my thesis soon), Yogi (for inspiring me to be a good friend), Iren (for correcting my grammar and sharing our experience), Hesti (for being my editor), Fitria (let’s make a debate again), Nurin (how with our resolution?), Nunik (when will you hang out with us again? ), Woro, Ima, Puspa, Kiki. Viva de kampret!

11. KaDe loversfamily: titik, niken, linda, ayu, hayu, sist vita,(when will we have a trip again?) and meta (thanks for being my hair stylist)

12. All of Padang member, who give me free home stay especially for Antik, Ifa, kak Ipeh, Kristin, Ratih and Duwik. Thank you very much.

13. All of ED 05 : Us (missing our “thawaf” in Grandmall) Fera “the SFL”, Dini(the new comer in gang kampret), Sari “the sipit”, Eva, Windhut, Naphis,Dia catur, Ratih wulan, Chemit, Anggi, Vian, Eliz, Ismi, Yuni, hemi, Ebsi, Ongko, Galih, Febri, Alwi, Udin, Lambang, Adwin, Arin, Arum, Jotika, Astri, Fauzi, Kiki adi, RDAK, Dida, Leony, Maya, Wunendro, let’s bring our “semangat” slogan everlasting.

14. My blue which always takes me to every place I want. Thank for accompany me although sometimes you make me tired.

15. My “Iyok-pico” which never bore to keep my thesis. You help me a lot, dear especially in doing my thesis.

16. All individuals and institution contributing the thesis process that I could mention one by one, thanks for the support.

After all I have tried to do my best in writing of the thesis. However, I realize that this thesis is far from being perfect. Thus constructive criticism and suggestion are open-handedly accepted. Hopefully this thesis will be beneficial as it is purposively written.

Surakarta, April , 2010

Lilis Dwi Krisatyaningrum

10

1. Definition of Ethnography of Communication…………………..

11

2. Fundamental notions of ethnography of communication………...

11

a. Ways of Speaking……………………………………………

12

b. Speech Community………………………………………….

12

c. Speech Situation……………………………………………..

12

d. Speech event…………………………………………………

13

3. Component of speech…………………………………………….

14

15

C. Social Dimension of Communication……………………………….

1. A social

distance,

concerned

with participant

15 relationships……..

16

2. A status

3. A formality scale, relating to the setting or type of

17 interaction…..

17

4. Two functional scales, relating to the purpose or topic of

D. The Tag Question Theory …………………………………………..

22

1. The form of Tag Question...………….…………………………..

23

2. The function of Tag Question……………………………………

24

1. Uncertainty Function………………………………………..

24

2. Facilitative Function………………………………………...

25

3. Softening Function…………………………………………..

26

4. Confrontational Function……………………………………

ABSTRACT

Lilis Dwi Kristyaningrum. C0305043. An Analysis of the Functions of Tag Questions Employed by the Characters in Friends TV Shows Season 1 (A

Sociolinguistics Approach). Thesis: English Department Faculty of Letters and Fine Arts Sebelas Maret University.

This research was conducted to find out the functions of tag questions employed by the characters in friends TV Shows season 1and the way the characters employs certain function of tag question. It is also conducted to know the reasons of the characters to employ certain function of tag question.

The research employed a Sociolinguistics approach with tag question as the topic of analysis. The research is a descriptive qualitative research which applies total sampling technique. All 20 dialogues containing tag questions in the film were taken as data. The data were analyzed based on Holmes’ theory of tag questions and social dimension, and also Dell Hymes’ theory of SPEAKING.

After conducting the analysis, I find the result of the analysis as follows: First, there are four functions of tag questions employed by the characters in friends TV Shows season 1. They are uncertainty function, facilitative function, softening function and confrontational function. Uncertainty function is used to check the truth of speaker’s utterance. Facilitative function is used to invite the addressee’s contribution in the conversation. Softening function is used to soften the speaker’s directives or criticism toward the speaker, and the last, confrontational function is used to strengthen the negative force of the utterance in which it occurs. Second, the way the characters deliver certain function of tag question is different in each function. It can be seen from the tone and the face expression. Third, there are three factors that encourage the characters in the film to employ certain function of tag question; they are the context of situation in which the tag question occurs, the social dimension of communication and the relationship between participants.

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION

A. RESEARCH BACKGROUND

Language is an import ant thing to make a com munication in the societ y.

Language also funct ions as people w ay t o share t heir ideas, express feeling and many m ore. Language is m ult ilayered and does not show a one t o one

correspondence bet w een message and m eaning as anim al language does. For t his reason, every m eaning can be expressed in more t han one w ay and t here ar e

many w ays t o express any m eaning (Chaika, 1994:6). How ever, t o creat e a good

comm unicat ion, the speakers should know the right sit uat ion, the part icipant or addressee, and also t he t opic of conversat ion. To fulfill t hat requirement ,

language should be correlat ed w ith Sociolinguist ics because Sociolinguist ics is t he st udy of the w ay people use language in social int eract ions of all kinds

(Chaika, 1994:3). Hudson (1980, pp 3-5) in Chaika defines Sociolinguist ics as t he st udy of language in relat ion t o societ y. And according t o Holm es (1992:1)

Sociolinguist ics also w ill explain why people speak different ly in different social cont ext s and concerned with identifying the social functions of language and t he

w ay it is used t o convey social m eaning. Based on the t heory above, t he good

comm unicat ion in t he societ y w ill be good if t hey fulfill the norm of Sociolinguist ics.

Different area will have different norm of speech so t hat is w hy t he

speakers should underst and t he norm and cont ext of sit uat ion to creat e a good comm unicat ion especially in using cert ain ut t erance. Polit eness st rat egy can be

used as a comm unication device. According t o Holmes (1992:306) people will be

polit e if t hey know how to express a range of speech funct ions in a culturally appropriat e way. There are t w o kinds of polit eness st rat egy: posit ive and

negat ive. Tag quest ion is a kind of posit ive polit eness st rat egy. Tag quest ion is a quest ion added to a declarat ive sent ence , usually at the end, to engage t he

list ener, verify t hat somet hing has been underst ood, or confirm than an action is agreed. Com mon t ags include w on't you? Wasn’t it ? Don’t you? Haven’t you?

Okay? and right. Lakoff in Holmes (1992:318) defines t ag quest ion as a synt act ic device w hich may express uncert aint y. But Holm es (1992:321) defines it as

polit eness device rat her t han as expressions of uncert aint y. The exam ple below may give m ore underst anding about t ag quest ion:

Conversat ion in t he kit chen bet w een flat mat es : Thom as: This isn’t Bridget ’ s egg beat er is it / ?

M ichael: No, it ’s ours. W e st ill haven’t found hers. (Holmes, 1992:320)

The exam ple above is a t ag quest ion w hich show s uncert aint y. Thom as

t hinks t hat t he egg beat er belongs t o Bridget but he is st ill not sure about it. Therefore, he delivers a t ag quest ion to express his uncert aint y. In general, t ag

quest ion is regarded t o serve a funct ion as uncert aint y funct ions like t he example quest ion is regarded t o serve a funct ion as uncert aint y funct ions like t he example

t ag quest ion. The t eacher is t alking t o Sam, a pupil w ho is looking at a pict ure of a

but t erfly in a cocoon in a book :

Teacher: What’s this called Sam ? Sam : No answ er.

Teacher: it’s a cocoon isn’t it ? (Holmes, 1992:320)

The exam ple above is a t ag quest ion but it is not served as uncert aint y function. The t eacher is perfect ly cert ain about her st at ement . She just t ries t o

facilitat e Sam t o part icipat e in the conversat ion because he does not answ er her quest ion. This is t he second funct ion of t ag quest ion, facilit at ive function.

Facilit ative funct ion of a t ag quest ion will offer t he addressee an opport unit y t o cont ribut e (Holm es, 1992:320). Beside t w o functions above, according to Holm es

t here are t w o functions more, soft ening and confront at ion. In t he “ friends’ TV Show s series season 1 there are a lot of t ag quest ions

w hich show different funct ion employed by t he different charact er. Here are som e exam ples of the case:

1. (t he door buzzer sounds. chandler get s it ) Chandler: Please don't do t hat again, it 's a horrible sound. Paul: (over int ercom) It 's, uh, it 's Paul. M onica: Buzz him in! Joey: Who's Paul? Ross: Paul the Wine Guy, Paul?

M onica: M aybe. Joey: Wait . Your 'not a real dat e' tonight is with Paul the Wine Guy? Ross: He finally asked you out? M onica: Yes! Chandler: Ooh, this is a Dear Diary mom ent . M onica: Rach, w ait, I can cancel... Rachel: Please, no, go, that 'd be fine! M onica: (to ross) Are, are you okay? I mean, do you w ant me t o st ay? Ross: (choked voice) That 'd be good... M onica: (horrified) Really? Ross: (normal voice) No, go on! It 's Paul the Wine Guy! (a knock at the door. monica get s it; it 's paul) M onica: Hi, com e in! Paul, this is.. (t hey are all lined up next t o t he door)... everybody, everybody, this is Paul. All: Hey! Paul! Hi! The W ine Guy! Hey! Chandler: I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name. Paul, w as it? M onica: (show s Paul in) Two seconds. Phoebe: Ooh, I just pulled out four eyelashes. That can't be good. The t ag quest ion above show s t he facilit at ive function. It is not the

expression of Chandler’s uncert aint y. The conversat ion occurs in M onica’ s apart m ent . All the gangs are t here. They are com fort Rachel who is crying aft er

leaving her m arriage. Suddenly the bell is ringing. Chandler asks w ho is over t here and Paul mentioned his nam e. Chandler asks t o his friend w ho Paul is but

M onica asks Chandler t o let Paul in. Then they t alk about Paul and when Paul coming in, M onica has also mentions Paul’ s name. Therefore it is impossible t hat

Chandler does not cat ch the nam e. Chandler just w ant s to facilit at e Paul. The Chandler does not cat ch the nam e. Chandler just w ant s to facilit at e Paul. The

quest ion. If it is t he expression of uncert aint y Paul w ill answ er t he quest ion.

2. [Scene: A fancy rest aurant . Joey and M onica are there, meet ing Angela and Bob, w ho M onica t hinks is Angela's brot her.] M onica: Thank you. So what does t his Bob guy look like? Is he t all? Short ? Joey: Yep. M onica: Which? Joey: Which what ?

M onica: You've never met Bob, have you?

Joey: No, but he's-- M onica: Oh my god, Joey, for all w e know t his guy could be horribly-- [Angela and Bob w alk in. Bob is good-looking.] The t ag em ployed by M onica is a kind of t ag w hich has function as

confront ational funct ion. Joey promised to M onica to int roduce her with Bob.

Joey said t hat Bob is Angela’ s brother (Angela is Joey’s ex girlfriend and Bob is Angela’ s new boyfriend). Joey asked M onica to have a dinner w it h Angela and

Bob in order t o at t ract Bob’s at t ent ion because act ually Joey w ant s t o get Angela

back. In the rest aurant , while waiting for Angela and Bob’s com ing, M onica asks Joey about the physical appearance of Bob. She asks w het her Bob is t all or short .

But Joey answ ers yep (yes). From t hat answ er, M onica know s t hat Joey never meet s Bob. Therefore she delivers a quest ion t ag t o show her anger. This t ag

does not show uncert aint y since M onica is sure t hat Joey never m eets Bob. The confront ational funct ion can also be seen by t he w ay M onica delivers t ag

quest ion with rising intonat ion. Usually people use high int onation to show t heir anger.

From t he t wo dialogues above, it can be seen t hat Tag quest ions has

several different funct ions and there are st ill any different funct ions of t ag quest ions employ by t he charact er in the film. Based on the phenomena above, I

consider t hat it is valuable t o have a research about the funct ion of t ag

quest ions. Thus, I conduct the research entit led AN ANALYSIS OF THE

FUNCTIONS OF TAG QUESTIONS EM PLOYED BY THE CHARACTERS IN “FRIENDS”

TV SHOW S SEASON 1.

B. RESERACH LIM ITATION

The research only focuses on t he analysis of t he funct ions of t ag

quest ions since they are found in the dialogues of “ Friends” TV Show s season 1.

C. PROBLEM STATEM ENTS

Based on t he background above, t he problem st atem ent of t his research

broken up into:

1. W hat are t he functions of t ag quest ions em ployed by cert ain charact ers in

“ friends” TV Show s?

2. How do the charact ers em ploy cert ain functions of the t ag quest ions?

3. Why do the charact ers em ploy cert ain functions of the t ag quest ions?

D. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

On grounding by t he form ulat ion of the problem st at em ent s above, t he research object ives of this research are:

1. To describe cert ain funct ions of t ag quest ions employed by cert ain

charact ers in the “ friends” TV Show s.

2. To explain the w ay t he charact ers employ cert ain funct ions of the t ag

quest ion in the “ friends” TV Show s.

3. To find out the reason w hy the charact ers em ploy cert ain funct ions of t he

t ag quest ions in the “ friends” TV Show s.

E. RESEARCH BENEFITS

The research is expect ed t o be beneficial to:

a. English Depart ment st udent s

The research w ill enrich the underst anding of English Depart m ent st udent s t oward tag quest ions and t heir function.

b. Ot her researcher

The research w ill inspire ot her researchers t o conduct a m ore com prehensive research of relat ed study.

c. The public

The research w ill be useful for public t o underst and more about t ag quest ion

and it s function and also the relat ionship with polit eness.

F. RESEARCH M ETHODOLOGY

This research is a descript ive qualit ative m et hod because t he dat a is in t he form of words not numeric. The research has passed some st eps, like This research is a descript ive qualit ative m et hod because t he dat a is in t he form of words not numeric. The research has passed some st eps, like

M oleong (2007:4) Bodgan and Taylor define qualit ative m et hodology as a research procedure w hich result s descript ive dat a in a form of w rit ten or spoken

ut t erances of people and at titude w hich can be observed.

This research also uses t otal sampling t echnique because all of t he dat a w hich cont ains t ag quest ion are analyzed based on it s funct ion. Surakhmad

(1982) stat es t hat t ot al sampling is a met hod of sam pling t echnique w here all dat a are used as t he sample t o m ake generalizat ion t owards t he populat ion

research. In t his research, I focus on the function of t ag quest ions. Therefore t he dat a was t aken from the dialogues in friends TV Show s series season 1.

This research is based on sociolinguist ics approach since it deals w it h et hnography of comm unicat ion, social dimension and polit eness. The com plet e

research m et hodology will be explained m ore in chapt er III.

G. THESIS ORGANIZATION

This thesis is organized by some chapt ers and it em s as follow s:

CHAPTER 1 covers Int roduct ion, consisting of research Background, Problem limit at ion, problem stat ement , research object ive, research benefit s,

research m et hodology, and thesis organizat ion. CHAPTER II covers Lit erat ure Review consist ing of t he definition of

Sociolinguist ics, t he scope of Sociolinguistic, ethnography of com municat ion,

Social dim ension of communication, Polit eness t heory, t he t ag quest ion theory, dom ain of language use, synopsis of the film and review of relat ed studies.

CHAPTER III covers Research M et hodology consist ing of t ype of t he st udy

and research m et hod, Dat a source, Sample and Sampling Technique, Inst rum ent of the research, Technique of Collect ing Dat a, Dat a Coding and Technique of

Analyzing Dat a

CHAPTER IV covers Dat a Analysis consist ing of Int roduction, t he analysis and Discussion.

CHAPTER V covers Conclusion and Suggest ion.

CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter will discuss the guidance theories of this research and the related theories that connect and support the analysis

A. SOCIOLINGUISTICS

1. Definition of Sociolinguistics

Language cannot be separated from daily communication. As a means of people’s interaction, language has a close relationship with society. In using language, people will consider the right way and the appropriateness according to social context where the conversation occurs. Therefore there is a branch of linguistics which studies the relationship between language and people who use it (society), called Sociolinguistics. According to Holmes (1992:1), Sociolinguistics is the study of the relationship between language and society. Sociolinguistics concerns to explain why people speak differently in different social context, and they are concerned with identifying the social functions of language and the way it is used to convey social meaning. The same definition is also given by Hudson (1980:1) that Sociolinguistics is the study of language in relation to Society.

Sociolinguistics also studies the ways people use language in social interactions of all kinds. It is also concerned with the stuff of everyday life (chaika, 1994:3). It concerns with the way people talk to their friends, relatives compared to when they talk to strangers. Besides the social aspect, Sociolinguistics can also be correlated with cultural phenomenon, like what

Trudgil said “Sociolinguistics is the part of linguistics which is concerned with language as a social and cultural phenomenon (1992:3)

2. Scope of Sociolinguistics

According to Trudgil (1992) Sociolinguistics is classified into two scopes of study, which are known as micro-sociolinguistics and macro-sociolinguistics. Micro-sociolinguistics is a term used to cover the study of face to face interaction, discourse analysis, conversational analysis and other areas of sociolinguistics involving the study of relatively small group of speaker. Moreover, micro- sociolinguistics concerns with the study of language in specific community with the scope of discussion such as the behavior toward language, style of speech, domains of language use, register, speech act, etc. while macro-sociolinguistics refers to sociolinguistics area involving the study of relatively large group of speakers. It concerns with the study of language history and development in the scope of society in general. In other side, Bell in Soemarsono (2002:15) also states the difference between micro and macro Sociolinguistics. According to him, micro-sociolinguistics focuses on the language interaction between the speaker in

a speech community (intra-group interaction) while macro-sociolinguistics focuses on the interaction between the speakers in a different speech community (inter-group interaction).

B. ETHNOGRAPHY OF COMMUNICATION

1. Definition

Understanding the social and cultural context in which a daily conversation happens is very important to make the process of communication Understanding the social and cultural context in which a daily conversation happens is very important to make the process of communication

This study not simply concerns with language structures, but also concerns with the language uses, which rules of speaking the ways in which speakers associate particular modes of speaking, topics, or message forms, with particular settings and activities. The ethnography of communication not only seeks to account merely for what can be said but also seeks to account for when, where, by whom, to whom, in what manner, and in what particular circumstances.

2. Fundamental Notions of Ethnography of Communication

There are notions with which ethnography of communication must deal, some of them are:

a. Ways of Speaking

Ways of speaking can be taken to refer to the relationships among speech events, acts, and styles, on the one hand, and personal abilities and roles, contexts and institutions, and beliefs, values, and attitudes on the other. (ibid: 44) Ways of speaking can be taken to refer to the relationships among speech events, acts, and styles, on the one hand, and personal abilities and roles, contexts and institutions, and beliefs, values, and attitudes on the other. (ibid: 44)

Speech community is one of the essential concepts of ethnography of communication. To make the communication good, the speaker should know the background of the participants. Lyons in Soemarsono (2004:316) states “speech community is all the people who use a given language (dialect)”. Therefore speech community here represents a group of people who use a language. The same definition is also given by Bloomfield who states that a speech community is a group of people who interact by means of speech (ibid, 317).Every language will have a speech community like what Hocket says that each language defines speech community that is: it will have the whole set of people who communicate with each other, either directly or indirectly, by a common language (Charles Hocket in Hudson, 1980:26).

c. Speech Situation

According to Hymes, speech situation is situation which is associated with or marked by the absence of speech. For example: ceremonies, fight, hunts, or love making. Speech situation gives a background description of a speech occurring in a community. Speech events are not in themselves governed by such rules, or one set of such rules throughout. For example: a hunt may comprise both verbal and nonverbal events, and the verbal events may be of more than one type.

d. Speech Event

According to Hymes (1974:52) talking about speech event will be restricted to activities, that they are directly governed by rules of norms for the use of language. Speech event takes place in a speech of situation. As a speech situation consists of communicative and non communicative events, speech event According to Hymes (1974:52) talking about speech event will be restricted to activities, that they are directly governed by rules of norms for the use of language. Speech event takes place in a speech of situation. As a speech situation consists of communicative and non communicative events, speech event

3. Component of Speech

Hymes in Wardaugh (1998:243-244) also proposes certain components of speech (usually mentioned as SPEAKING) that the ethnographer should look for, namely;

a. Setting and Scene (S) of speech. Setting refers to the time and place (concrete physical circumstances) and scene refers to the abstract psychological setting, or the cultural definition of the occasion as a certain type of scene.

b. Participant (P) includes various combinations of speaker-listener, addressor- addressee, or sender receiver. They generally fill certain socially specified roles.

c. Ends (E) refers to the conventionally recognized and expected outcome of an exchange as well as to the personal goals that participants seek to accomplish on particular occasions. A trial in a courtroom has a recognizable social end in view, but the various participants, i.e., the judge, jury, prosecution, defense, accused and witnesses, have different personal goals.

d. Act sequence (A) refers to the actual form and content of what is said: the precise words used, how they are used, and the relationship to what is said to the actual topic at hand. Speakers should know how to formulate appropriate speech in their culture values and how to recognize what is being talked about. Public lecturers, casual conversation, a trial, and cocktail party are different d. Act sequence (A) refers to the actual form and content of what is said: the precise words used, how they are used, and the relationship to what is said to the actual topic at hand. Speakers should know how to formulate appropriate speech in their culture values and how to recognize what is being talked about. Public lecturers, casual conversation, a trial, and cocktail party are different

e. Key (K) refers to the tone, manner or spirit in which a particular message is conveyed, whether it is light hearted, serious, precise, mocking, and so on. The key may also be marked nonverbally by certain kinds of behavior, gesture, posture or even deportment.

f. Instrumentalities (I) refer to the choice of channel, e.g., oral, written, or telegraphic, and also the actual forms of speech employed, such as the language, dialect, code or register that is chosen.

g. Norms of interaction and interpretation (N) refer to the specific behaviors and properties that attach to speaking and to know how these may be viewed by someone who does not share them, e.g., loudness, silence, gaze return, and so on.

h. Genre (G) refers to clearly demarcated types of utterance such things as poems, proverbs, riddles, sermons, prayers, lecturers, and editorials.

C. SOCIAL DIMENSION OF COMMUNICATION

Human are social creatures that consist of varies social backgrounds. These social backgrounds of course influence the-very-crucial- aspect of life, which is, communication or specifically language. Holmes (1992:12) mentions some social factors such as; users of languages, the social setting and the function of the interaction (who speaks to whom, where and when he or she speaks, what are they speaking and why are they speaking) that are considered significant in accounting the participant’s choice of language.

1. A social distance, concerned with participant relationships

The social distance scale explains how well we know someone. It is one of the most important factors affecting the way you talk to them. How close and far the relationship of someone can be seen from these scales. In-group language is the language of solidarity (ibid, 378). It means that language used by a group shows their identity and their relationship. For example: people will use vernacular language to speak with their friend from hometown, but they will use official language or lingua franca in foreign area.

The social distance scale Intimate/close

distant

low solidarity In relation with Tag Questions, the relation of people influence the kind of tag questions they used. For example: a teacher uses facilitative tag to make her students participate in the topic of lesson and to answer her question.

High solidarity

2. A status scale, concerned with participant relationships

Dimension of status scale or power is the dimension that accounts for a variety of linguistics differences in the way people speak. People speak in a way which signals their social status in a community. This scale is pointed to the relevance of relative status in some linguistic choice.

The social status scale Superior

high status

Subordinate Low status

For example; someone in a higher status tends to use tag questions to confront something or give a feedback directly, usually for a lower status because

he feels that he is superior.

3. A formality scale, relating to the setting or type of interaction

The formality scale is the dimension that takes accounts for speech variation in different setting or context. It shows the influence of the social setting or type of interaction on the language choice whether in a formal or informal occasion. For example, in a law court, a very formal setting will influence language choice regardless of the personal relationship between the speakers. However, in friendly chat, people will use casual language or even slang word. In relation to tag questions, in a formal situation, people will use a tag question in a more polite way than in casual occasion.

The formality scale Formal

high formality

Informal

low formality

4. Two functional scales, relating to the purpose or topic interaction

The function of an interaction can also be an important influence on its linguistics form. It explains how well the two functions of language; referential meaning and affective social meaning, influence someone in using tag question. The two identified in these scales are particularly pervasive and basic. Language can convey objective information of a referential kind, and it also expresses how The function of an interaction can also be an important influence on its linguistics form. It explains how well the two functions of language; referential meaning and affective social meaning, influence someone in using tag question. The two identified in these scales are particularly pervasive and basic. Language can convey objective information of a referential kind, and it also expresses how

information information content

content

Low

affective Low content

Affective

affective content

D. THE TAG QUESTION THEORY

According to Tsui (1994:68) Tag questions are considered as a further type of yes-no question which conveys negative or positive orientation. Another definition of a tag question is a special construction in English. It is a statement followed by a mini-question. (http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/verbs- questions-tag.htm)

1.The form of Tag Question

Tag questions are questions formed by adding a tag consisting of an auxiliary and pronoun (combined with positive and negative polarity) at the end of Tag questions are questions formed by adding a tag consisting of an auxiliary and pronoun (combined with positive and negative polarity) at the end of

a tag question, the polarity of the main clause is reversed, a positive main clause gets a negative tags and vice versa. Here are the basic structures of Tag Question

- Positive statement,

Negative tag?

+ Negative statement,

Positive tag?

Examples with positive statements:

positive statement [+]

negative tag [-]

personal subject auxiliary main verb auxiliary not

pronoun (same as subject)

You are

you? We

Examples with negative statements:

negative statement [-] positive tag [+]

personal pronoun

subject auxiliary

Main verb

auxiliary (same as

subject) It

We have

never Seen

have

we?

at, at,

invariant because the tag is always same no matter what kind of main clause it attaches to (Eckertand and Mc Connell, 2003: 167). In other words, the tag is not depending on the main verb and the tenses. For example:

You've been there, right?

Come on, Ross, you got to get back in the game here, okay?

The first statement is an invariant tag which is used by the speaker to show her doubt about the truth of his statement, whether the second is an invariant tag which is used by the speaker to soften his order. This shows that there is no difference functions between the formal form and the invariant tag although they have different form.

Invariant form of tag questions can also be seen in a tag which has function as imperative, forbidden, and request. Imperative tags are made into more polite requests by adding a positive future tag. It means that whatever the verb, the tag is always positive. For imperative usually using auxiliary will and for request using shall (Allen, 1968:166). For example:

Stop that noise, will you?

Let’s go for a walk, shall we?

The first is an imperative tag. It is used to ask someone stop the noise that

he made. The tag uses auxiliary will and followed by the subject you. While the he made. The tag uses auxiliary will and followed by the subject you. While the

Intonation also becomes an important thing of Tag questions because it can help signal which functions are primary in a given utterance. However, it still interacts with many other factors. According to Jones (1956:149) intonation is the pitch of the voice with which a voiced sound is pronounced. In connected speech, the voice pitch is continually rising and falling. Falling intonations generally denote finality. They are accordingly used in commands, of complete statements not implying any continuation known to the speaker, of questions containing a specific interrogative word and before the last alternative questions. The rising intonations are generally employed in sense groups which are not final, i.e. when

a continuation of some sorts is expressed or implied. In relation to the tag question, Tsui divides the intonation of Tag questions into two, rising and falling intonation. However, in practice there are four different types of intonation of tag questions as follows:

 The exam is in the first period, isn’t it?  A very cold morning, doesn’t it?  Fox is his first name, isn’t it?  He likes his job, doesn’t he? All the examples above are the tag questions which have different types of

intonation. The first is a tag question which has falling-rising. The falling intonation in the main clause shows that the speaker already knows about the truth of his statement but he is still not sure about it, so he delivers a tag question to show his uncertainty. The second is a tag which has rising-falling intonation. It intonation. The first is a tag question which has falling-rising. The falling intonation in the main clause shows that the speaker already knows about the truth of his statement but he is still not sure about it, so he delivers a tag question to show his uncertainty. The second is a tag which has rising-falling intonation. It

In the same way Murphy (1998:51) states that in tag questions, if the voice goes down, it means that the speaker is not really asking a question, but only inviting the listener to agree with the speaker and if the voice goes up, it is a real question.

2.The function of Tag Questions

According to Murphy, a tag question is a mini question that is often put in the end of the sentence in spoken English (1998:51). A Tag question is usually used to engage the listener, to verify something that has been understood, or to confirm that an action is agreed. ( ht t p:/ / grammar.about .com/

od/ t z/ g/

t agquet erm.ht m ) . Based on the definition above, a tag question will have different functions. According to Tsui a tag question has two main functions. The first function is to seek an agreement from the hearer and the other function is to seek confirmation from another speaker. While Lakoff gives different definition about t agquet erm.ht m ) . Based on the definition above, a tag question will have different functions. According to Tsui a tag question has two main functions. The first function is to seek an agreement from the hearer and the other function is to seek confirmation from another speaker. While Lakoff gives different definition about

Moreover, Holmes classifies the function of tag questions into four types (1992: 318):

1. Uncertainty function

Uncertainty function shows that the speaker doubts his statement. It is used to verify or check information that what we think is true or to check information that what we are not sure is true. In order to make the speaker sure, this tag focuses on the accuracy of the information the addressee is giving. Example:

Conversation in the kitchen between flatmates:

Thomas: This isn’t Bridget’s egg beater, is it?

Michael: No, it’s ours. We still haven’t found hers. The example above is a tag question which shows uncertainty. Thomas

thinks that the egg beater is belonging to Bridget but he is still not sure about it. Therefore he delivers a tag question to express his uncertainty. The way Thomas expresses his uncertainty can be also seen by the intonation he used. In general, a tag question is regarded to serve a function as uncertainty functions like the example above.

2. Facilitative function

Facilitative function provides an addressee with an easy entrée into a conversation. A facilitative tag is usually found at the beginning of an encounter.

A facilitative tag is used more often by teachers, interviewers, hosts at parties and, A facilitative tag is used more often by teachers, interviewers, hosts at parties and,

Example: Conversation between close friends out from theatre

A: Great performance, wasn’t it?

B: I like it very much. I’ve never seen such performance before. The example above is a kind of a Tag Question which shows facilitative function. Speaker A and B have just out from theatre. Speaker A opens the conversation by giving a comment about the performance they watch. Speaker A delivers a Tag in order to open a conversation with her friend, not to express his uncertainty. After facilitated by A, B joins in the conversation by telling that she never sees the good performance like that before.

3. Softening function

A softening tag attenuates or mitigates the potential negative impact of something, like criticism and directive. Example:

The conversation occurs in the bus which is very crowded. A man sitting in the bus while smoking

A: I think it is better for you to put off your cigarette, isn’t it?

B: sorry The tag uttered by speaker A has softening function as it was stated to critic speaker B who smokes in the crowded bus. The tag above does not show uncertainty function since speaker A absolutely knows that what speaker B has B: sorry The tag uttered by speaker A has softening function as it was stated to critic speaker B who smokes in the crowded bus. The tag above does not show uncertainty function since speaker A absolutely knows that what speaker B has

4. Confrontational function

Confrontational function is used to confront something. The function tends to strengthen the negative force of the utterance in which it occurs. It also often elicits defeated silence or reluctant admissions. The confrontational tag is usually marked by the rising intonation to be sarcastic or to make a strong point.

Example:

A police superintendent is interviewing a detective constable and is criticizing the constable’s performance:

A: …you’ll probably find yourself un before the chief constable, okay?

B: yes, sir yes understood

A: now you’re fully understand that, don’t you?

B: yes, sir, indeed, yeah The Tag in this exchange functions not to hedge but rather to strengthen the negative force of the utterance in which it occurs. The Tag employed by the police is a tag which has confrontational function as it does not indicate uncertainty, but it serves more as humiliation toward the detective. The police criticize the constable performance which is not like it should be. In interviewing the detective, he delivers a tag to show her anger. The rising intonation also indicates the emotion of the police, because usually people use high intonation to express her anger. Therefore, in this case the tag can be used as boosting device.

E. DOMAINS OF LANGUAGE USE

Speaking about the choice of certain variety in accordance with social dimensions of communication, we should look at domains of language use. It is the term to point at typical setting, typical topics, and typical participants. Holmes (1992:23) states that the certain social factors- whom you are talking to, the social context of the talk, the function and topic of the discussion- turn out to be important in accounting for language choice in many different kinds of speech community.

Sociolinguistics determines kinds of domain such as family, friendship, religion, employment, and education. The progress of Sociolinguistics study brings wider and more specific divisions of kinds of domain; among them are home, school, office, market, neighborhood, church, etc.

F. SYNOPSIS OF THE FILM

“Friends” is an American sit uat ion comedy created by David Crane and M art a Kauffman , which premiered on NBC (Nat ional Broadcast ing Company) on September 22, 1994. The series revolves around a group of friends in the area of M anhat t an , New York Cit y , who occasionally live together and share living expenses. The first seasons consist of

24 episodes and introduce the six main characters: Rachel Karen Green, Monica Geller, Phoebe Buffay, Joey Francis Tribbiani, Chandler Muriel Bing and Ross Geller. Rachel, who left her fiancé at the altar on her wedding day, has come to New York and ends up living with Monica. It establishes early on in the seasons that Ross has been infatuated with Rachel since the two characters attended high school. Several episodes revolve 24 episodes and introduce the six main characters: Rachel Karen Green, Monica Geller, Phoebe Buffay, Joey Francis Tribbiani, Chandler Muriel Bing and Ross Geller. Rachel, who left her fiancé at the altar on her wedding day, has come to New York and ends up living with Monica. It establishes early on in the seasons that Ross has been infatuated with Rachel since the two characters attended high school. Several episodes revolve

G. REVIEW OF RELATED STUDIES

The study which has relationship with this study is a study conducted by Rosita Febia Sari (2005) from English Department of Sebelas Maret University entitled “an analysis of the functions of Tag Question employed by the characters in the films the matrix trilogy”. This research focuses on the investigation of the function of tag questions, why they are used and how the characters employ the certain functions of tag questions in the film.

The result of this study shows that there are four functions of Tag questions employed by the characters in the film; uncertainty, facilitative, softening and confrontational functions. Each function of tag question is used differently by the characters in different context of situation. This study also shows that intonation of a tag question indicates the different meaning of tag The result of this study shows that there are four functions of Tag questions employed by the characters in the film; uncertainty, facilitative, softening and confrontational functions. Each function of tag question is used differently by the characters in different context of situation. This study also shows that intonation of a tag question indicates the different meaning of tag