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“Nice?” It used to smell like the place poop comes to die. Or death comes to poop.
The situation happens in Max and Caroline new cupcake shop. Han and Oleg are invited to come over and give comments about the new place. Getting
positive comments with good attitude by Earl, Sophie, and Han, Caroline and Max believe Oleg will do the same thing since they are good as coworkers. Being
proud, show excitement or giving positive comment will be considered as a good attitude for Max and Caroline.
Meanwhile Oleg, unlike the other co-workers, does not show any interest through his face and „nice‟ is the only word from him to say. This response
apparently does not very satisfying Max. Feeling the co-worker does not have the same interest as hers, Max is being sarcastic by playing words which shows both
of Caroline‟s and her hard work dealing with rats and the bad smells. Even though Oleg already gives his comment to Max and Caroline, his response is still not
enough because it is not what the speaker expects to be heard as the response. As the response for Max‟s sarcastic utterance, Oleg remains to keep
silent since he thinks that the word „nice‟ is what comes up on his mind and it is also considered as a word with the positive meaning. However, Oleg as the hearer
is able to infer the message from the speaker but he does not give the response as what being expected and that is the indicator of flout in conversation.
Table 3.1. The Hearer’s Response of Sarcastic Utterances Based on Purposes
No Purpose of sarcasm
The Hearer‟s Response 1.
Group Affiliation a. Knows the fault and gives the different
reaction which is being polite. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
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b. Gives protection by saving hisher own face in the conversation.
c. Keep silent and do not care with what the speaker‟s wants.
2. The Hearer’s Responses of Sarcastic Utterances used as Sophistication
Sarcastic utterances used as a purpose of sophistication means that the utterance uttered is to
show the speaker‟s ability to play with language. By playing language, sarcasm shows how the speaker can take control over his
emotion. To see the responses of sarcasm that is used as sophistication, these
following situations will be elaborated. Situation 12
Max : So where do you live?
Caroline : Our townhouse was taken and bolted up by the bank, so…
Max :
Is this where I’m supposed to feel sorry for you? Caroline :
I mean, I don’t want you to, but just so you know, a well adjusted person would.
Max :
I’m dead inside. Caroline : You make that pretty obvious.
The conversation happens on the first day Caroline works as a waitress in the diner where Max works. On the same day, Max had just know that Caroline is
the daughter of Martin Channing, the man who ripped off the entire city and is in jail. Caroline was a billionaire and all of her assets are taken by the bank and
everything is gone. Since she has nothing and nowhere to go now, the conversation above is occurred.
By saying, “So where do you live?” Max has her assumption that Caroline has a house or at least a place to stay. As the response, Caroline is
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flouting the maxim with not intentionally mislead the hearer but she wants Max to look for the meaning different from what she says. Caroline‟s statement shows
that actually she does not have a place to stay at that night, but she tends to not say it directly because she wants Max to be able in understanding the meaning
beyond.
The following conversation between Max and Caroline are aggressively gives their own sarcastic utterances. Max with her sarcastic utterance has insult
Caroline‟s feeling when she really needs help at the moment. However, Max, who likes to get most of the thing into a joke, still persistent to say her jokes but in
sarcastic way. So, in situation 12 above both Caroline and Max, as the hearer and also the speaker, tend to give sarcastic utterance as the response.
Another example to be elaborated to see response from sarcasm as sophistication is the situation 13 below.
Situation 13
Max : Hey. pokes on her arms
Caroline : I have a teaser turn on the teaser on Max’s stomach Oh
Max : falling down on her knees Oh, my God.
Caroline : gasps I am so sorry. I thought I was being raped. I didn‟t think it
would hurt so much. It‟s pink.
Max : It didn’t feel pink
The conversation above takes place in a subway when Max sees Caroline fall asleep in the bench. As the only friend Caroline has at that time, Max touches
Caroline‟s arm to wake her up. Unexpectedly, Caroline takes out her teaser from her bag
and put on Max‟s stomach. Caroline‟s reaction is the result from her assumption that no one knows her in that city, and she does not expect Max shows
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up in the subway where she sleeps. That is why she always carries on a teaser with her to protect her being raped in the new city that she barely knows.
Even though Caroline already asks for apologize, Max still cannot control her emotion for being attack with the teaser and for being suspect as a criminal.
The thought that Caroline has is about the pink color of the teaser which she brings. Since the color of pink is believed as a cute and powerless, Caroline think
that it will not damage or harm something or someone. In fact, her thought is proof to be wro
ng because Max‟s stomach is hurt because her pink teaser. Even though
mad at Caroline‟s previous act, Max as the hearer is able to infer the message from the speaker. Max understands by what
“it didn‟t feel pink.” Means, and she is able to give a related response for that and it is count as
flout in conversation. As the response from Max‟s sarcastic utterance, Caroline
chooses to not give any since she knows that it is totally her fault.
Situation 18 Caroline : Ready? To open a bake shop, all we need is 250 grand start-up
money, for the real estate, and the basic equipment...
Max : Yeah. Oh. 250 grand, thats all? Did freakin Chestnut here
kick you in the head while I was in Starbucks? The situation above happens at Max‟s back yard when Caroline and Max
are riding Caroline‟s horse named Chestnut. They are talking about Max‟s dream to have her own cupcake shop and Caroline believes that she is capable in manage
the business. Thus, Caroline thinks that she and Max can open the new cupcake shop soon since it just needs 250 grand to rent the shop, to buy some equipment
and the cupcake ingredients. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
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Meanwhile, Max does not think the same way as Caroline because she does not have any money and it is impossible for saving from her minimum wage.
Besides, Max never plans to make her dream comes true since the condition does not support her to do so. That is why Max uses her sarcastic utterance to express
her disagreement with Caroline‟s statement which sounds easy to open a bakeshop. Contrast with Caroline, Max rarely has so much money in her life so
the amount of 250 grand sounds so much and it is non-sense to have it. Since it is non-sense for Max, she gives her sarcastic utterance with asks
whether Caroline‟s head is kicked by her horse when she left because for Max, she looks like a person who is not right in mind. Caroline, as the hearer, laughs
after hearing the sarcasm from Max‟s utterance. The response from Caroline indicates that she knows Max uses the sarcasm as means of humor. Also, it
indicates that Caroline as the hearer is able to understand what the meaning beyond the speaker‟s utterance is and that counts as flouting in conversation.
Situation 20
Caroline : I cant believe you guys are still staring over there. Some mothers tend to breast-feed for a lot longer these days. Its called
attachment parenting. Max
: When the kid is that big, its called dating.
In the situation above, Caroline intentionally gives her comment and explanation to her friends because Oleg, Han, Earl and Max are still starring at the
new customer who is a mother and her son from the moment they come. What makes Oleg, Han, Earl and Max stare at them is that the boy is about 4 years old
but her mother still breast-feeding him. It is clearly seen through the table where PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
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Oleg, Han, Earl and Max stand and they stare at how the boy stands beside her mom but a half of his body is inside her mother‟s shirt.
Caroline with her well-educated background tries to give her friends an explanation about the fact that there are some mothers who tend to breast-feed
their children longer than it supposed to be and it is called as attachment- parenting. Meanwhile, Max who does not know about that fact before tends to
ignore what Caroline says. Instead of says the literal statement in order to ignore the new fact says by Caroline, Max uses her sarcastic utterance which rhyme well
with Caroline‟s utterance. As Max‟s best friend, Caroline prefer to give her smile as her response from hearing
Max‟s sarcastic utterances. As the hearer, Caroline is capable to understand that it is okay if Max still cannot accept the truth she says.
That is why she does not get angry or persuades Max more to believe in her statement.
Situation 26
Han : Max, what is that thing that you have behind your back?
Max : What? No. Nothing.
Han : Yes, right here. pull up the catalog
from Max’s hands the catalog falling down
Caroline : Is that the auction catalog that just fell between your legs? What is this thing doing here? Isnt it enough I have a 2-foot face hair?
Max : Nice, Han. Shes upset again. Happy?
Han : Sorry, I thought we were playing some kind of hiding game.
Max : Oh, reach for me like that again and well be playing a
different game called guess which part of Han I cut off. The context of the situation above is at the diner when Sophie brings the
auction catalog of Caroline‟s family stuffs and furniture. As Caroline‟s best friend, Max knows that the auction catalog is one of the sensitive things which
