54
3.6. Units of Analysis
The objects of this research are the conversation texts found in the English textbook, EOS English on Sky 1 for junior high school student, year VII. The
objects contain transactional and interpersonal conversation. In order to make clear of the object that will be analyzed, unit of analysis in conducting this
research should be determined. Unit of analysis is a smallest unit of data collected to be analyzed. In terms of unit analysis, Trochim 2002 defines :
The unit of analysis is the major entity that you are analyzing in your study. For instance, any of the following could be a unit of
analysis in a study : individuals, groups, artifacts books, photos or newspaper , geographical units town, census tract, state , social
interactions. Trochim, 2002 : 1
Suzana and Helen 2002 , in other words, also define the unit of analysis as is what a researcher will collect the data or observations in order to
answer their research question Suzana and Helen, 2002 : 1 . In Conversation analysis, Eggins and Slade 1997 explain that the most obvious discourse unit is
the turn : all the talk produced by one speaker before another speaker gets in. However, although turns are very important units in conversation analysis, they
cannot be used to analyze speech function because one turn can realize several speech functions. On the other hand, Halliday 1994 suggests that the discourse
patterns of speech function are expressed through moves. He explains that dialogue sets up speech function as a separate discourse level of analysis,
expressed through grammatical pattern. The grammatical pattern is clause. Moves and clauses do not relate to each other in terms of size or constituency. Moves are
not made up of clauses and clauses are not parts of moves. The relationship is one
55
of expression, or more technically realization ; moves which are discourse units, are expressed in language through clauses, which are grammatical units. The other
unit of conversation analysis is text. Text is a written recorded conversation. Halliday and Hasan 1976 explain that any instance of living language that is
playing some part in a context of situation, we shall call a text. It may be either spoken or written, or indeed in any other medium of expression that we like to
think. Text is a product in the sense that it is an output, something that can be recorded and studied, having a certain construction that can be represented in
systematic terms. They also explain that text in its process aspects as an interactive event, a social exchange of meanings, is a form of exchange and the
fundamental form of a text which is applied in dialogue of interaction between speakers.
The units of analysis of this study are move, clause, and text. Conversation texts in the English textbook are divided into moves. The moves usually comprise
clauses hence, they are divided into clauses. Then, the clauses are analyzed to find out speech functions of the clauses to be compared to the indicators of the
standard of content. And also from the clauses, they are analyzed to find out the linguistic features of the conversation text. Text is the unit which can show the
participants or speaker in order to exchange information and their relationship. Text can be analyzed to describe the politeness of the participants or speakers.
Text is the unit of analysis that can be analyzed to describe the social contextual factors of the conversation.
56
3.7. Data Collection