Speech accommodation of English teachers at the third grade of Intan Permata Hati Elementary School Surabaya - Widya Mandala Catholic University Surabaya Repository

CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION'

CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION

1.1Backgroundofthe StudY
ln this global era, one might be in contactwith other people;a society
might be contactedwith others.Concerningsuchcondition,Lado ( 1984)states
that from the beginning,,people have been a social being and have lived in
paftemedwaysofdoing thingsandof
societies.In doingso,theyhavedeveloped
talking aboutthem hencefacilitatingthe communicationand interactionnecessary
for social living (Lado, 1984:24).As a result, languageis neededin order to be
able to make an interactionwith other people.This idea is also supportedby
Lehmann(1993:35)who assertsthat languageis a meansof communication,
to expresstheir needs,
which enableshumanbeingsto play their rolesin a society,,
to give and get information,andto learnaboutthe peopleandtheir surroundings.
humanbeingsare ableto live effectivelyin a
In short,throughlanguages,

society, to expand their horizon and to know about the world (Lehmann,
1993:35).Karl Buhrer,as quotedby Renkema(1993),describeslanguageas a
to one another.concerningthe
tool that is usedby peopleto communicate
importanceof languagein life it might be the reasonwhy peoplebeginto leam
with oneandanother
in orderto be ableto communicate
otherpeople'slanguages
(Renkema,1993:7).
especially
the demandof learningotherpeople'slanguages
In Indonesia,
English,has increasedrapidly. lt is becauseEnglish is as an intemational

language.lt can be proved that many people like studyingother's people
language,in this caseEnglish,with the main purposeof gainingcommunicative
ability and it must be realized,of course,that the acquisitionof languageis not
easy. One of the common places of languageacquisition is in a classroom.
Therefore,learning English in a classroomshould be preparedand plannedin
sucha way becausein a classroomsocialinteractiontakesplaceeventhougha

classroomis just a small society.It surely involveslanguageas a systemof
can be gained.This ideais in
in which a languagedevelopment
communication
linewith Breen( 1985),as quotedby Lier ( 1982),who statesthat:
'fhe

classroom may be a relatively 'inefficient' environment fbr the
methodicalmasteryof a languagesystem,just as it is limited in providing
opportunitiesfor 'real word' communicationin a new language.But the
classroomhas its own communicativepotential and its own authentic
purpose.It can be a particular social context (Breen,
metacommunicative
1985:154)

It seemsthat in learningEnglish,pupils shouldbe provideda genuine
environmentin which languagedevelopmentcan be promoted
language-learning
also in a classroomin a foreign languagesetting.
The problemof learninga foreign languagein a non-nativecountry is in

providing the naturalcondition for the pupils.Therefore,the teachershoulduse
the appropriateway to interact with their pupils in the classroom.In teaching
learningprocess,verbal or non-verbalinteractionbetweenteacherand pupils is
very important;becausethey canbe usedto maintainthe interaction.Interactionis
importantbecauseit is as a part of the processof transferringknowledgeand skill
andcarriedout well. In doingso,
shouldbe prepared
therefore,teacher'sspeeches

calledspeech
theteachercanadopta way takenfrom the field of sociolinguistics
accommodation.
Accordingto Giles et al (1977)as quotedby Ellis (1986:255)speech
accommodationis defined as a processof adjustmentof speech.He said that
peopleare continuallymodiling their speechwith othersso as to reduceor
theorycan be usedby the teacherto
the language.Accommodation
accentuate
facilitatepupilsto gainmanyinformationfrom theteacher.It canalsobe usedas
is one way

a tool to help pupilsobtainmoreinput sincespeechaccommodation
teacherssignal their desireto get on well with pupils and to make them feel
comfortableso that the interactioncantake place.
From the aboveexplanation,the writer deliberatelytries to find out what
goeson in a classroom.Basedon the writer's experience,there are still a lot of
difficulties found by the Englishteachersto accommodatetheir speechesto the
pupils in order to maintainan interactionin teaching,especiallyteachingEnglish
as a foreign or a secondlanguage.Krashen(1989:8) points out that people's
ability to usea secondlanguagecomesmostly from what they haveacquired,not
from what they havelearned.It meansthat the performancein the targetlanguage
which refers
reallydependson how goodthe acquisitionis. Besides,acquisition,
processof the mind, can also influencethe fluencyof
more to subconscious
It seemsthat the processof acquisitionis crucialfor beginners
communication.
levels.
andadvanced
andit shouldbe continuedup to the intermediate
From all of these facts, the writer wants to know how the teachers,

Schoolteachers,get along with their pupils to use the
especiallyE,lementary

appropriateway to adjust their speechesseen from the theory of speech
accommodation.The writer consideredto choosethe ElementaryPupilssince
national curriculum 1994 presentsEnglish for ElementarySchool pupils
Schootpupils
wheneverthe schoolis possibleto provideit; moreover,Elementary
are in the readinesstime to learn other languages.It is in line with Taylor
two or threelanguages
(1990:249\who statesthat"A normalchildwho exposures
just like a child who
in a critical periodwill obtainthe samequality language
by Brumfit(1994:222)who
only.".This ideais supported
exposures
onelanguage
statesthat the early yearsof childhoodprovide an optimum period for leaming
languages.The writer seesthere are some schoolsapplying English fully as a
insideor outsidethe classroom.

communication
One of thoseschoolsis ElementarySchoolof IntanPermataHati Surabaya
since there have been numbersof schoolswhich condition their pupils to be
exposedto the Englishlanguagein the classroombut the writer realizesthat most
of the schoolsfail to keep the immersioninsideor outsidethe classroom'Intan
PermataHati ElementarySchool is one among the few schoolssucceedingin
doing so. Besides,the schoolis the placewherethe writer haspracticedteaching
why thewriter uses
and3 monthsworking.Thus,this is oneof theconsiderations
this schoolas a targetof an observation.
Amongthosepupilsof IntanPermataHati ElementarySchool'the writer
chosethe third year pupils. They were chosenbecausethe writer realizedthat
after studyingat Intan PermataHati ElementarySchoolfor abouttwo years,the
So far,
andschoolsituations.
with theirclassmates
pupilshadadaptedthemselves

there has not been researchavailable to find out what kinds of speech
particularlyusedby the Englishteachersto get alongwell with

accommodation
pupils to maintainthe successfulinteractionin class so that the pupils gain
knowledge easily from the teacher. Therefore, the writer was interestedin
at IntanPermataHati Surabaya.
examiningfurtheraboutspeechaccommodation

1.2 Statement of the Problem
In line with the backgroundof the study, the problemsare statedas
follows:
areparticularlyusedby the English
I . What kinds of speechaccommodation
teachersat the third gradeof IntanPermataHati in Surabaya?
2. What are the social functions of speechaccommodationused by the
Englishteachersat the third gradeof Intan PermataHati in Surabaya?

1.3 Objectivesof the Study
Basedon its major objectives,this studyis intendedspecifically:
usedby the
l . To examineand to classifokinds of speechaccommodation
Englishteachersat the third gradeof Intan PermataHati in Surabaya.

2 . To describethe social functionsof speechaccommodationused by the
Englishteachersat the third gradeof Intan PermataHati in Surabaya.

1.4 Significance of the StudY
Theyaretheoreticalandpractical
This studyhastwo majorsignificances.
points of view. From the theoreticalpoint of view, this study is relevantto
which can serve as referencepoints for the improvementof
sociolinguistics
elementaryeducationalprogramsin globalizationera. lt alsoservesas a sourceof
of teachingleamingactivities'
the processes
new ideasfor investigating
Fromthepracticalpointof view,the resultsof the studywill:
l. Provide a clear descriptionabout kinds of speechaccommodation
particularlyusedby the teachersat the third gradeof Intan PermataHati
in the classroomin Surabayato the English teacherof the Elementary
School
2. Providean additionalinformationaboutthe social functionsof eachkind
Theseresultsofthe studyarealsoexpectedto

of speechaccommodations.
give some contributionsto the successof teachingEnglish as the first
foreign languagein Indonesiaso that the basic competenceof teaching
ElementarySchoolcould be achieved'

1.5 Scope and Limitation

of the Study

l . The writer observedand searchedthe data for two weeks since the

of that schoolgavethe writer two weeksfor thoseactivitiesin
headmaster
her school.
z-

Theyhadbeenteachingat
The subjectschosenweretwo femaleteachers.
Schoolof IntanPermataHati in
thethird yearpupilsat Elementary

Surabayafor aboutfive yearsandthey hadgot "Sarjana"Degree'

Therefore,the writer assumedthat they had equal qualificationsand the
sameexperienceon teaching,at the same school.The data were taken
from the dialoguesbetweenthe third year pupils and thesetwo female
teachers.
couldbe,
of speechaccommodation
3. Realizinghow broadthe discussion
with Elementarythreeof IntanPermataHati
this studyis only concerned
teachers' utterances; moreover, this study was carried out in an
ElementarySchool environment in which English was used to
communicatebetweenteachersand pupils as young leamers.Therefore,
the areaof the teachers'utterancesanalysiswas limited to the following:
producedby the
a. Completesentencesand incompletesentences
ElementaryEnglishTeachersat the momentof research.
b. Repetitionor imitationon utterancesproducedby the Elementarythree
EnglishTeachersof Intan PermataHati

c. Teachers'intonationswhich were divided into rising intonationand
falling intonation.Their intonationswere particularlyobservedat the
endingof the sentencesince the elementarythree pupils usually pay
attentionto the two or threewordsendingofa sentence.

1.6 Definition of Key Terms
in this section,the
and misunderstanding,
To avoid misinterpretation
writerwill definethe wordsusedin this thesis,theyare
I . Speechaccommodation.
Speech accommodationis speech styles, which happenedduring social
is definedas
Accordingto Giles (1982:206)speechaccommodation
encounters.

which aimsto explainwhy peoplemodifo
one of the theoriesin sociolinguistics
their styleof speakingto becomemorelike or lesslike thatof theiraddressee(s)
so that the goals of interactionare fulfilled. Speechaccommodationcovers
and speechdivergence.In this thesisspeechaccommodation
speechconvergence
(Holmes,1992:254\.
meansa processof adoptingor adjustmentof speeches
2. SpeechConvergence.
is a speechstyle,whichoccurswhena person
Speechconvergence
responds
or developsthe speechto becomesimilaror identicalto the addressee
(Holmes 1992:255).
3. SpeechDivergence.
SpeechDivergenceis a speechstyle, which occurs when a person
respondsto the speechto becomedifferent or go in a different point to the
(Holmes 1992:257).
addressee
4. SpeechUpward.
Speechupwardis a speechstyle, which happenswhen a personresponds
to someoneby movingthe speechstyle to a higherposition,poweror status
(Holmes 1992:,256\.
5. SpeechDownward
Speechdownward is a speech style, which occurred when a person
respondsto someoneby movingthe speechstyleto a lower position,poweror
6).
status(Holmes 1992:25
or a
or a compoundsentence
6. Completesentencecontainsa simplesentence
or a compound-complex
sentence.
complexsentence

is a sentence
whichcontainsa subjectanda predicate.
It
a. Simplesentence
takesthe form of
.

: He livesin New York.
a statement

.

a question: How old areyou?

o a request: Pleaseclosethe door (The subject "yo!r" is understood)
r

Whata terribletempershehasl( Frank1972:l).
an exclamation:

is a sentence
whichcontainstwo or moresentences
b. Compoundsentence
ioinedinto onebv:
punctuationalone( The weatherwas very bad;all classeswere
cancelled)
punctuationand a conjunctiveadverb(The weatherwas very bad;
thereforeall classeswerecancelled)
.

a coordinateconjunction(and,or, but, yet, so, for) (The weatherwas
very bad,so all classeswerecancelled)

Complexsentenceis a sentencewhich containsone or moredependent(or
subordinate)clauses
which containstwo or more
d . Compound-complexsentenceis a sentence
clauses(Frank1972:l)
clausesandoneor moredependent
independent
sentence
8 . Incomplete
Incompletesentencecontainsa word or a phraseor a clause.
9 . Intonation
changingthe pitchof voice(Allen l97l:39)
Intonationis a melodyof speech,

a. Risingintonationhappensif the tonerisesfrom tone2 to tone3 and ends
there( Am I

late?) (Morley 1979:7l\

b. Falling intonationhappensif thetonerises fromtone2 to tone3, thenfalls
to tone l ( I'm

hungry)(Morley 1979:.71)

1.7 Theoretical Framework
This study is basedon the theory of speechaccommodationproposedby
by Lier (1982:167)sincea speech
GilesandJenny(1982:207)andit is supported
can be usedas one of the tools usedby teachersto get alongwell
accommodation
Othertheoriesusedto
with pupilsto maintainthe interactionin the classroom.
support this study are comprehensibleinput, interactionin the classroomand
TeachingEnglishto Pupils.

1. SpeechAccommodation
Holmes defines a speechaccommodationas a processof adopting or
adjustment.The processis called a speechaccommodation.He assertsthat it is
one way teacherssignaltheir desiresto get along well with the pupils and make
4)
them comfortable(Holmes,1992:25
There are two kinds of speechaccommodation.They are a speechconvergence
anda speechdivergence:
is usuallyusedto respondor developthe speechto
l. A speechconvergence
andan
becomesimilaror identical.This speechcoversa downwardconvergence
upwardconvergence.

t0

is usuallyusedto respondthe speechto go in a different
2. A speechdivergence
point of view which also covers a downward divergenceand an upward
(Holmes1992:255)
convergence
This theory is usedto classifyspeechutterancesdeliveredby the teachers
in analyzingthe data.

2. Interactionin a Classroom
A classroomis a formal environmentwhere an interactiontakes place.
Ideally, this should involve an interactionbetweena teacherand pupils and
betweenpupils and pupils. It is the teacherwho shouldpromotethis kind of
interaction.According to Lier ( 1982)there are two types of interactionsin the
classroom,they are interactionsbetweena teacherand pupils and interaction
amongpupils.
In line with Krashen(1982:6), what the writer meansby a classroom
interactionis the relationshipbetweenteachersand pupils in the classroomin
terms of the teachersgiving of transferringthe knowledgeto the pupils and in
terms of respondingteachersto the intendedinformation.In short, a classroom
interactionmeans a positive relationshipbetweenteachersand pupils in the
leamingprocess.
The writer proposesthis theory in conductingthis study becausethe
interactionis one of the factors,which determinethe successin the processof
teachinglearningwhich is carriedout in a classroomenvironmentwherethe
transferofknowledgeandskill happened.

ll

3. Comprehensiblelnput
As whathasbeenexplained,
a classroomis a smallsociety,whichneedsa
languageto communicateand interact.To make an interactionit shouldhavean
input.It is in
understanding
and it can be gainedby providinga comprehensible
input allows
line with Krashen(1982:14)who said that a comprehensible
Ellis pointsout that a verbal input
communication
to take place Furthermore,
or a subjectof
servesas a mediumof instruction,a meansof communication
the
interactionin the classroom.(Ellis 1986:150).If the pupilscan understand
verbal input, then it is expectedthat a social interactionwill take
comprehensible
place.
In a classroom,teachers' input can be forms of oral explanationsand
questions.In orderto makepupils understandthe lessonclearly,the teachermust
give a simple, modified, various and interesting input. Therefore' a
comprehensibleinput is neededto maintainthe interactionbetweenteachersand
(Krashen,1983:130).
pupilsin a classroom

4.

Teaching English to Pupils
The successof teachingEnglish to pupils in an ElementarySchool

should
but alsothe pupils.However,theteachers
depends
not only on theteachers
be initiative to usespeechaccommodationin sucha way as a strategyof teaching
so that they can promotethe pupils in acquiringthe targetlanguage.
from parents'talk to andwith pupils.
canapplythe strategies
The teachers
can be imitatingparent'stalk and children'stalk in a concr€te
Thosestrategies

l2

tendto speaka linle slowlyand
situation,followedby gestureandaction.Parents
with a higher pitchedvoice and an articulatemore clearly, often they repeata
singleword as they indicateobjectsand actions.Meanwhile,the teachersshould
be ableto imitatethemin their schoolto promotetheir pupils'abilities.(Brumfit
1994:223)

1.8 Organization of the Study
lt
The first chapteris the introduction.
This studyconsistsoffive chapters.
givesthe readerssomeexplanationsaboutthe backgroundof the study,statement
of the problem,objectiveof the study, significanceof the study,the scopeand
limitation of the study, definition of the key terms, theoreticalframework,and
organizationof the study. ChapterII dealswith the review of relatedliterature,
which presentsthe basic theoriesof the study. Chapter III discussesresearch
design,subjects,instruments,and proceduresof analyzingthe data.ChapterIV
concernswith the critical analysisabout kinds of speechaccommodationand
It dealswith the
critical analysisaboutsocialfunctionsof speechaccommodation.
resultsof the data analysisand interpretationsto determinethe answersto the
researchproblemsunderinvestigation.Its relationshipswith the earlierissues,and
ChapterV servesto presentconclusions
thetheorieswill completethediscussion.
areofferedfor the
ln this chaptershortand longterm suggestions
andsuggestions.
usedby the EnglishTeachersat the
implementationof the speechaccommodation
third gradeof Intan PermataHati in Surabayaand the recommendationfor the
School.
of Elementary
Englishteachers

t3