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p nya slang. Ana ilsa in ijuga bertujuan d u s k a m n a g n e d n a p a k a c r e p t a k g n it m a l a d l a i s o s s k e t n o k n a k g n a r e n e m k u t n u n a s a l a n a k g n a r e n e m k u t n

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i in tsruktfi ,phaitc ,esteitka ,dan ekspresfi .Masyaraka tmenggunakan

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i n u m m o

BEACH SLANG IN FREEDOM WRITERS MOVIE

A SARJANA PENDIDIKAN THESIS

Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree

in English Language Education

By Indrias Pratama Student Number: 111214068

ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION

SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA

i

A STUDY OF MEANINGS AND FUNCTIONS OF LONG

BEACH SLANG IN FREEDOM WRITERS MOVIE

A SARJANA PENDIDIKAN THESIS

Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree

in English Language Education

By Indrias Pratama Student Number: 111214068

ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION

SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA

iv

I honestly declare that this thesis, which I have written, does not contain the works or part of the works of other people except those cited in the quotations and the references, as a scientific paper should.

Yogyakarta, August 11th, 2015 The writer

Indrias Pratama 111214068

v

LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN

PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIS

Yang bertanda tangan di bawah ini, saya mahasiswa Universitas Sanata Dharma:

Nama : Indrias Pratama

Nomor Mahasiswa : 111214068

Demi pengembangan ilmu pengetahuan, saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma karya ilmiah saya yang berjudul:

A STUDY OF MEANINGS AND FUNCTIONS OF LONG

BEACH SLANG IN FREEDOM WRITERS MOVIE

beserta perangkat yang diperlukan (bila ada). Dengan demikian saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma hak untuk menyimpan, mengalihkan dalam bentuk media lain, mengelolanya dalam bentuk pangkalan data, mendistribusikan secara terbatas, dan mempublikasikannya di Internet atau media lain untuk kepentingan akademis tanpa perlu meminta ijin dari saya maupun memberikan royalti kepada saya selama tetap mencantumkan nama saya sebagai penulis.

Demikian penyataan ini yang saya buat dengan sebenarnya. Dibuat di Yogyakarta

Pada tanggal: 11 Agustus 2015

Yang menyatakan

vi

Pratama, Indrias. (2015). A Study of Meanings and Functions of Long Beach Slang in Freedom Writers Movie.Yogyakarta: English Language Education Study Program, Sanata Dharma University.

Language is developing and meaning is extended over decades as it is used by its speakers. There are many language varieties around the world and one of them is slang. Meanwhile, learning a language means learning its culture. However, it is a necessity to be theoretically capable in using a language, as well as understanding its culture. Learners must be able to see the naturalness of a language as it is used by its native speakers in a daily life to avoid misinterpretation while people are using the language. Therefore, this study investigated meanings and functions of slang among American English society in Long Beach based on theFreedom Writersmovie.

This study aimed to answer two major research questions. Those were: (1) How meanings of slang are formed in Freedom Writers movie? (2) What are the functions of slang based on Freedom Writers movie? Furthermore, the research objectives aimed to explain the meanings of slangs and to examine the functions of slangs in Freedom Writers movie. As a part of linguistic study, this thesis covered some branches of linguistic fields such as morphology, semantics and sociolinguistics. Morphology was useful in defining the formation processes of slang. Semantics also had its contribution to explain the meanings of slangs. In addition, understanding slang’s communicative functions could not be separated from society. Sociolinguistics was important in order to explain the social context in the conversations. As a qualitative– type of research, this thesis examined the slangs formation processes and the factors of changes that influenced the formation of slangs. In addition, this analysis was intended to explain the social context of the conversational level in order to define the reasons of slang usage and the communicative functions of slang in the society.

After conducting the study, the writer could draw some conclusions. Slangs Freedom Writers movie were influenced by the changes in meaning, function, form and spelling. Slangs were influenced by certain word formation processes such as compounding, derivation, borrowing, inflection, coinage, conversion and abbreviation. Slangs in Long Beach was used purposely for communicative functions. Those communicative functions were: informational, directive, phatic, aesthetic, and expressive. People used slang in order to get or deliver information, to command, to express emotions, to symbolize things, and also to maintain social relationships. Slangs in Long Beach were mostly cultural – related since they wereinfluenced by the community’s cultural background. Keywords: slang, meanings, functions, word formation processes, communicative functions, American slangs.

vii ABSTRAK

Pratama, Indrias. (2015). A Study of Meanings and Functions of Long Beach Slang in Freedom Writers Movie. Yogyakarta: Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris, Universitas Sanata Dharma.

Seiring digunakannya sebuah bahasa oleh para penuturnya, bahasa berkembang dan arti kata semakin meluas selama beberapa dekade. Ada banyak variasi bahasa di dunia dan salah satunya adalah slang. Mempelajari sebuah bahasa berarti mempelajari budaya dari bahasa tersebut. Merupakan suatu keharusan untuk mampu menggunakan bahasa secara teoritis maupun memahami budaya dari bahasa tersebut. Orang yang mempelajari bahasa harus mampu untuk memandang bahasa secara alamiah seperti ketika digunakan oleh penutur aslinya di kehidupan sehari _– hari untuk menghindari kesalahpahaman dalam penggunaannya. Penelitian bertujuan untuk meneliti arti_–arti dan fungsi - fungsi slang di dalam masyarakat Amerika, terutama di Long Beach berdasarkan film Freedom Writers.

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menjawab dua pertanyaan mendasar. Pertanyaan tersebut adalah: (1) Bagaimana arti dari slang terbentuk di dalam film Freedom Writers? (2) Apakah fungsi _– fungsi slang berdasarkan film Freedom Writers? Sebagai bagian dari penelitian linguistik, skrispi ini membahas beberapa cabang linguistik seperti morfologi, semantik, dan sosiolinguistik. Morfologi dalam thesis ini berguna untuk menerangkan proses - proses pembentukan slang. Semantik juga berkontribusi dalam menerangkan arti dari slang yang ada. Sosiolinguistik memiliki peran yang penting untuk menerangkan konteks sosial dalam percakapan _–percakapan. Sebagai penelitian yang bersifat kualitatif, skripsi ini meneliti proses pembentukan slang dan faktor _– faktor perubahan yang mempengaruhi terbentuknya slang. Analisa ini juga bertujuan untuk menerangkan konteks sosial dalam tingkat percakapan dengan maksud untuk menerangkan alasan _– alasan penggunaan slang serta fungsi komunikatif slangdi dalam masyarakat.

Setelah menyelesaikan penelitian, penulis dapat menarik beberapa kesimpulan. Slang di dalam film Freedom Writers dipengaruhi oleh perubahan dalam arti, fungsi, bentuk, dan pelafalan. Slang dipengaruhi oleh beberapa proses pembentukan kata seperti penggabungan, derivasi, infleksi, peminjaman, pembuatan kata baru, konversi dan akronim. Slang di Long Beach juga digunakan secara beralasan untuk fungsi komunikatif. Fungsi _– fungsi komunikatif slang berdasarkan konteks percakapan dalam film adalah fungsi informatif, instruktif, phatic, estetika, dan ekspresif. Masyarakat menggunakan slang dengan alasan tertentu seperti untuk mendapatkan dan menyampaikan informasi, memberikan perintah, mengekspresikan emosi, menyimbolkan sesuatu, dan juga untuk menjaga relasi sosial. Slang di Long Beach berkaitan dengan budaya serta dipengaruhi oleh latar belakang budaya dari komunitas yang ada.

viii

Kata kunci: slang, meanings, functions, word formation processes, communicative functions, American slangs.

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Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and proof of what we do not see –Hebrews 11: 1–

Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly youare doing the impossible

Francis of Assisi

-This thesis is dedicated to:

Everyone I have met in this life, who already taught me to see the beauty of living and to gain experience and wisdom through this life.

x

I would like to express my highest and deepest gratitude to The Lord, the Greatest and Lovingbecause of His endless love and blessing.

My sincere appreciation goes to my academic advisor and thesis advisor Fidelis Chosa Kastuhandani, S.Pd., M.Hum. I thank him for his patience, guidance and teaching since the beginning of my college years until the end of my thesis completion. Without his supports and patience I would not be able to finish this thesis. I would also like to express my salutation toBarli Bram M.Ed., Ph.D. for his advice, corrections, and encouragements that have been given to me during my thesis completion. My appreciation also goes to all lecturers and staffs of The English Education Study Program for the facilities, encouragements and knowledge that have been given to me. They also teach me to value and pursue more from life through my university life.

My gratitude also goes to my parents Go Hauw En (Rusman Wiyono) andOei May Lie (Sutra), also to my beloved sister Maya Aryana. They are the best people I have in my life. They always pray for my success and support me to be a better person. I thank them for everything. I would also like to express my gratitude to my uncles and aunts Saranta, Yuli, Robertus Djulianto, and Lani Kurniasih.I thank them for their supports.

I thank all of my friends in Sanata Dharma University and all the students of PBI’11. I am grateful to all my best friends in class B especially Fani, Tata, Raras, and Hanungwho have been accompanying me since the beginning of the

xi

college years. They always give me supports and help me sincerely. Moreover, their jokes and laughs always make my days become more colorful and meaningful. Although we will take our own path after graduating from this university, I will always pray for their success.

My gratitude goes to SLP (Service Learning Program) team: Maria Ananta, Risca, Pinta, Yoga, Vania, Adhi, Enno and Bagas for the never – ending experiences, inspirations and encouragements. They are always be my inspiration. Especially for Adhi, Enno, Bagas, and Vania, I would never forget their hardships, efforts, laughs and tears during a year of SLP process. Moreover, I will always remember the great times and togetherness in Cagayan de Oro, Phillipines.

I do greatly thank my best friends and partners: Irawan, Natania, Pio, Nina, Mike, Agung, Edward, and Edwin, I will always remember their helps, kindness, support and jokes. They always help me during my hard times, give me support, listen to me and the most important thing is they teach me to understand the meaning of ‘friendship’. I thank them for every moment, it is unforgettable. All of them will always be in my heart.

There is no word can express the gratitude I have for every experience. I thank everyone who already supported me through this thesis completion. Their efforts were very much appreciated.

xii

Page

TITLE PAGE ... i

APPROVAL PAGES ... ii

STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY_{... iv}

PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI... v

ABSTRACT ... vi

ABSTRAK... vii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS... x

TABLE OF CONTENTS... xii

LIST OF TABLES ... xiv

LIST OF APPENDIX ... xv

CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Research Background... 1

1.2 Research Questions ... 5

1.3 Problem Limitation ... 5

1.4 Research Objectives ... 5

1.5 Research Benefits... 6

1.6 Definition of Terms... 7

CHAPTER 2. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE 2.1 Theoretical Description... 10

2.1.1 Review of Previous Studies ... 10

2.1.2 Slang in Society ... 12

2.1.2.1 The Diversity in Long Beach ... 12

2.1.2.2 The History of Slang ... 13

2.1.2.3 The Notion of Slang ... 14

2.1.3 Meaning Formation of Slang ... 15

2.1.3.1 The Influential Factors in Slang Formation ... 15

2.1.3.2 The Notion of Morphology ... 17

2.1.3.2.1 Morphology and Morpheme ... 17

2.1.3.2.2 Word Formation Processes ... 18

2.1.3.3 The Notion of Semantics... 24

2.1.3.3.1 Theories of Meaning ... 24

2.1.3.3.2 Types of Meaning ... 25

2.1.4 Functions of Slang in Society ... 26

2.1.4.1 Definition of Sociolinguistics ... 26

2.1.4.1.1 Functional Approach to Language ... 26

xiii

Page

2.1.4.2 The Characteristics of Slang ... 30

2.1.4.3 The Communicative Functions of Slang... 30

2.1.5Freedom WritersMovie Synopsis ... 32

2.2 Theoretical Framework ... 34

CHAPTER 3. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 3.1 Research Method... 38

3.2 Research Subjects... 40

3.3 Instrument and Data Gathering Technique ... 40

3.4 Data Analysis Technique ... 41

3.5 Research Procedure ... 44

3.5.1 Meaning Analysis ... 45

3.5.1 Function Analysis ... 46

CHAPTER 4. ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION 4.1 Data Analysis ... 47

4.1.1 Meaning Analysis ... 47

4.1.2 Function Analysis ... 75

4.1.3 Summary of the Research Findings ... 92

CHAPTER 5. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 5.1 Conclusions ... 99

5.2 Recommendations ... 101

REFERENCES... 104

xiv

Page

2.1Factors of communication and language functions... 29

4.1 Slang formation processes ... 93

4.2 Factors of changes and communicative functions of slang... 95

4.3 Reasons of using slang ... 97

4.4 Identification of slang words fromFreedom Writersmovie ... 108

xv

LIST OF APPENDIX

Page Appendix A:Freedom WritersMovie Script ... 110

1

INTRODUCTION

This chapter explains the basic aspects in the study of meanings and functions of Long Beach slang in Freedom Writers movie. There are several points which are going to be explained in this section. Those are the research background, the research questions, the problem limitation, the research objectives, the research benefits and the definition of terms.

1.1 Research Background

According to O’Grady (1996, p. 1), language is a system of communication, a medium for thought, a vehicle for literary expression, a social institution, a matter for political controversy, and a catalyst for nation building. There are billions of words used by people in everyday life. People form varieties of words in order to deliver messages and enhance meaning in their communication.

Word formation processes such as coinage, reduplication, compounding, derivation, inflection, and abbreviation are often found in conversations. Furthermore, those word formation processes influence slang formation. In the previous study, sociolinguists Pei and Gayno (1954, p. 199) note that slang is a style of language commonly used and produced by the popular adaptation and the extension of meanings of existing words with disregard for scholastic standard linguistic principles and generally peculiar to certain classes and social or age

groups. Slang is often considered as non–standard form of language and it is highly avoided by formal instances such as government and educational field. Slang is also regarded as colloquial and even rude when it is correlated with a language that is used by particular groups of people such as gangsters and criminals.

Although slang is regarded as a“low” standard form of a language, it hasa chance to be standardized. It is because a language is developing and value or the degree of appropriateness (such as formality) in the language use is also changing. An example of standardization in slang can be found in a word ‘brunch’which is derived from ‘breakfast and lunch’ has been standardized in the legal dictionary. Hence, slang could not be avoided since it is naturally created, used, and spread by people for the communicative purposes.

In addition, Hudson (1980, p. 232) argues that linguistic items may be individually related to a social context –that some words, for instance, may have a unique social distribution. In the western culture, the word ‘chick’ could be interpreted as either the real chicken or a young girl (Urban Dictionary, 2015). It means that language as a communication tool is developed through meaning extension which is used for the different purposes of interaction. Slang as one of the language varieties is shaped among communities in order to build social identity and it is used to deliver the most appropriate meaning to the hearer.

Because of the slang’s popularity in a society and its unique distribution, the writer uses Freedom Writersmovie as a learning and an analysis source. This

analysis tries to capture the meanings of slang through word formation processes and also analyzes the slang’s communicative functions in the society. In this research the writer decides to analyze slang fromFreedom Writers movie released in 2007 since it provides context as the object of the research. There are conversations in the movie which are able to show what is happening, the situations, the setting, and the people who are directly involved in the certain conversation.

In order to analyze the meanings and functions of slang, the writer uses a context in which focuses on the slang among the American society, particularly in the Long Beach. The setting is at the Woodrow Wilson High School where many teenagers are trying to get involved in a certain group or a community. The use of slang in words and phrases or conversations that appear in the story will be a good learning source for further English language studies. The object of the research is the slang spoken by the actors and the actresses in theFreedom Writersmovie.

The most fundamental reason the writer decides to choose the Freedom Writers movie because it provides a context for studying the meanings and functions of slang. Freedom Writers movie is based on the true experience of a teacher who taught at Woodrow Wilson High School in 1994 (adapted from The Diary of Anne Frank). However, what makes this movie is good as the object of the study is because the students in this movie come from different backgrounds and races. There are varieties of slangs that appear which can be observed through watching this movie. A context takes a special part in this study since it focuses

on the language and language use. Some other importances of the context are explained as follows: (1) it eliminates ambiguities or multiple meanings in the message; the writer is able to observe the conversation which is happening directly; (2) it indicates the referents of certain types of words or deictic (this, that, here, there, and so on) more precisely; and (3) it supplies information which the speaker or writer has omitted through ellipsis (for example: Janet! Donkey! Which has different meanings as ‘Janet? Drive those donkeys away!’ rather than ‘Janet! Bringthose donkeys here!’) (Leech, 1981, p. 67).

Slang also takes an important role in the language learning. While people are studying a language it is important to understand how to use the language. Based on the writer’s experience, the word ‘nigga’ is now widely used by American singers, but it is limited to be used only for people inside Afro-American society. The writer has ever been labeled as offensive while using the slang ‘nigga’ to her Afro-American friend. This case might happen because the writer does not belong to any Afro-American communities. For example there are slangs which are used as derogatory terms and sometimes those are allowed only for people who come from the same race or community. It means that people need to avoid using those slangs while speaking in order to minimize the possibility of misunderstanding. People especially the English learners must be able to see the naturalness of a language as it is used by native speakers in a daily life. Moreover, it is essential to be able to understand the nature of slang and how to use it in the communication.

1.2 Research Questions

It is important to understand the contribution of slangs in the communication. A deeper understanding towards American slangs especially Long Beach slang will open a wider perspective on the other English language studies. This study was intended to answer the following questions:

1. How are meanings of slangs formed in theFreedom Writersmovie? 2. What are the functions of slangs used in theFreedom Writersmovie?

1.3 Problem Limitation

Considering the varieties of slangs and their fast changing nature, firstly this study was limited to the meaning formations of slangs in theFreedom Writers movie. Secondly it was limited to the communicative functions of slang regarding the influence of social factors such as the age, the occupation, the social background, and the addressee or addresser. Third, this research was limited to the analysis of the Long Beach’sslang words and phrases in the conversations in the Freedom Writersmovie.

1.4 Research Objectives

The objectives of the study were:

1. Explaining the slang formation processes at the word and phrase level in theFreedom Writersmovie.

1.5 Research Benefits

There are some benefits of this study which are going to be explained. The benefits are particularly contributed for the educational field and the English language learning. The writer presents the research benefits for the educators, the English learners and the future researchers as follows.

1. Educators

This study will give contributions to the English study particularly in Indonesia in order to raise an understanding towards the meanings and functions of slang from Long Beach, America. This study will help the educators especially teachers to teach slang to their students. The study will also be a good source of learning American slangs. Moreover it will raise an understanding towards the nature of the English speaking community. For the English teachers, teaching the students theoretically is important, but shaping their cultural understanding towards the language is also essential. It is important to explain the nature of slang to avoid misinterpretations while people are using slang. Slang is often allowed to be used only by particular groups and it might contain negative terms. Therefore, people who are studying English need to be aware of the language use and also to understand the culture of the language.

2. English Learners

Learning slang is needed by the EFL (English as a Foreign Language) learners since learning language does not merely involve learning structure or grammar, but it is also a process of learning its culture. It will be a necessity for

the English learners to be able to learn the English slangs from its real life context such as learning how slang is developed in the American culture. Slangs are often offensive or restricted to people outside the community. Therefore, it is important to learn slang not only to avoid misunderstanding but also to be able to use the language appropriately.

3. Future researchers

This study will help the future researchers to conduct other deeper studies in the field of linguistic particularly on morphology, semantic and sociolinguistic studies. It gives contributions to the semantic and morphology field since it was dealing with the slang’s meaning formations using word formation processes theory. Moreover, it will help people who are interested in the sociolinguistic field to develop other studies related to the analysis of slang’s functions. Besides, the study will enrich the understanding towards American English, particularly from Long Beach.

1.6 Definition of Terms

There are some important terms are used in this study. The explanation of these terms are discussed and integrated in the following chapters. In this subsection, there are several terms that are needed to be explained in order to avoid misinterpretations.

1. Meanings

According to Odgen and Richards (1923, p. 76) meaning is: (a) an intrinsic property, (b) the other words which are annexed to a word in the dictionary, (c) the place of anything in a system, (d) the connotation of a word, (e) that to which a symbol actually refers, and (f) that to which the user of a symbol ought to be referring. In this study the writer focuses on theslang’smeanings formation based on theFreedom Writersmovie.

2. Functions

Jakobson (1960) mentions there are at least five essential factors in the conversation which are: (1) subject–matter, (2) originator (speaker or writer), (3) receiver (listener or reader), (4) the channel of communication, and (5) linguistic message. In addition, there are five communicative functions of a language (Leech, 1981). Those functions are (1) informational, (2) expressive, (3) directive, (4) aesthetic, and (5) phatic function. The writer analyzes the conversation context based on the social factors of communications which already mentioned by Jakobson (1960). In this study, ‘functions’ refers to the slang’s communicative functions. The ‘functions’ refers to the communicative functions of slang based on the conversations in theFreedom Writersmovie.

3. Slang

Kernerman (2006) mentions that, slang is words and phrases (sometimes it is temporary) which are used very informally. Some of the examples are army slang and teenage slang. One of the examples of the teenage slang is `stiff' which

refers to `a corpse'. Slang as proposed by Dumas and Lighter (1978) denotes an informal, a nonstandard and nontechnical vocabulary and it is often associated with youthful, raffish, or undignified persons and groups; and it conveys often the striking connotations of impertinence or irreverence, especially for establishing attitudes and values within the prevailing culture. In addition, Eble (1996) says that slang is an ever changing set of colloquial words and phrases that the speakers use to establish or reinforce the social identity or cohesiveness within a group. In this study, slang refers to the informal or non standard form of words which are spoken by a group of people which are mainly used to denote objects or people. Moreover, slang is a word or phrase which contains slang. It is used through a conversational context which is interpreted differently from its general meaning.

10 CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

This chapter is divided into two parts. The first part is the theoretical description. It consists of theories which are directly relevant to the research. The discussion of other similar research or studies is also explained in the theoretical description. The second part explains the theoretical framework of this study. The theoretical framework consists of a summary and a synthesis of the major relevant theories which are related to the study. All of the theories which are explained in this section are useful in order to support the data analysis and to answer two research questions proposed in the first chapter.

2.1 Theoretical Description

This section is dealing with the theoretical description. This section consists of theories which are directly relevant to the research and the explanation of other similar research studies. The descriptions of the theories help the writer to discuss and analyze meanings and functions of the slang in the Freedom Writers movie.

2.1.1 Review of the Previous Studies

As a proof that the study is originally written, the writer provides a review of the previous studies which are closely related to this study. One of the studies which is related to the use of slang entitled “Description of American Slang Found in Some Books, Novels, and Films”. This study was written by Eni

Purwati, a student from English Language Education Study Program, Sanata Dharma University in 1995.

Her study investigated the common American slang words which generally used in the books, novels, and films. Her research covered slang, particularly slang usage which based on the users, the settings and places, the reasons of usage, and the formation of slang. She found that youths made and used many slang terms through abbreviation, blends and onomatopoeia processes when adults used less slang in their utterances. The settings and places where people used slang were homes, schools, offices, and parties. The reasons for using slang as she mentioned were: to appear differently, for pleasure (be up to date), for social intercourse, to impose the air of solidity, to keep secret, to enrich the language and to be brief. Some formations of slang that were usually used by Americans were abbreviation, blends, affixes, picking words, place names, idioms, coinage and onomatopoeia. She also encouraged teachers to teach English slang so that students would be able to communicate effectively with foreigners.

Another similar research entitled “An Analysis on Users, Occasion, and Forms of Australian Slang Words” was written in 2002 by Ignatius Pulung Dwi Cahyanto. He was one of the students of English Language Education Study Program from Sanata Dharma University, Yogyakarta. He analyzed the meanings, the characteristics and the benefits of slang in the daily communication. He explained that there were at least six characteristics of slangs using by youths. Those were: (i) showing emotion, (ii) abbreviation, (iii) exclamatory, (iv)

arbitrariness, (v) based on idioms and (vi) exaggeration. The reasons of using slangs were (i) to express emotion, (ii) to be secret, (iii) to be quick, (iv) to be brief or succinct, and (v) to be playful in meaning. In addition, he also explained some of the functional uses of slangs in the communication. Those were: (i) to speed up the communication process and (ii) as emotive vocabularies.

2.1.2 Slang in Society

The explanation below is useful in order to analyze the meanings and functions of slangs. There are some important points that are explained in this section. Those important points are the diversity in the Long Beach, the history of slang, the definition of slang and the notion of slang.

2.1.2.1 The Diversity in Long Beach

Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles, Southern California. It is located in the Pacific coast of the United States. Long Beach is one of the oldest and the most established community in Long Island in 1880s. The City of Long Beach is one of the only two cities in Long Island. As retrieved from Long Beach’s Government official website, currently Long Beach’spopulation around 1800s was approximately 35.000 people.

Long Beach had varieties of races. United States Cencus reported that Long Beach had an increase in the population from 35.000 people in 1800 to 462.257 people in 2010. Those are 213.066 (46.1%) White (American), 62.603 (13.5%) Black or African American, 3.458 (0.7%) Native American, 59.496

(12.9%) Asian (4.5% Cambodian, 0.9% Vietnamese, 0.6% Chinese, 0.6% Japanese, 0.4% Indian, 0.4% Korean, 0.2% Thai, 0.1% Laotian, 0.1% Hmog), 5253 (1.1%) Pacific Islander (0.8% Samoan, 0.1% Guamanian, 0.1% Tongan) (https://en.wikipedia.org)

From the data above, Long Beach is one of the most diverse areas in New York City, United States. According to the data presentation above, the population of Long Beach is dominated by White or Caucasian in the first place, then followed by Afro-American and Asian race in the second and third place. There are a lot of people with the different cultural backgrounds live in this city. Long Beach is rich of cultures since there are varieties of races live in this place. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Beach,_California).

2.1.2.2 The History of Slang

Slang tends to originate in the subcultures within a society. Occupational groups (for example: loggers, police, medical professionals, and computer specialists) are prominent originators of slang; other groups which create the slang include the armed forces, teenagers, racial minorities, ghetto residents, labor unions, radio-broadcasters, sports groups, drug addicts, criminals, and even religious denominations (Episcopalians, for example, produced spike, a High Church Anglican). Some examples of slangs such as cat (a sport), cool (aloof, stylish), Mr. Charley (a white man), The Man(the law), and Uncle Tom (a meek black) all originated in the predominantly black Harlem district of New York City and have traveled far since their inception. Drug-related expressions (such as pot

andmarijuana) were virtually secret jargons in the 1940s; in the 1960s they were adoptedby rebellious youth; and in the 1970s and ’80s they were widely known.

There are many reasons due to the use of slang. Mostly youth use slang to symbolize their group memberships or to appear cool. Other people might use slang to offend or to irritate. On the other hand, people might use slang to fit in with people around them or to express their individuality. Since there are many reasons why people use the slang in the daily communication, slang never dies. Slang is growing and it is continually used over decades by the people.

2.1.2.3 The Notion of Slang

Kernerman (2006) mentions that slang is words and phrases (is often used temporarily) which are used very informally. Slangs are words used by particular groups of people such as army slang and teenage slang. In the army slang, the word ‘stiff’ is considered a slang which refers to a corpse. Another definition of slang as proposed by Dumas (1978) is an informal, non-standard, non-technical vocabulary. Slang is often associated with youthful, raffish, or undignified persons and groups; and it often conveys the striking connotations of impertinence or irreverence, especially for established attitudes and values within the prevailing culture.

In addition, Eble (1996) says that slang is an ever changing set of colloquial words and phrases that speakers use to establish and reinforce the social identity or cohesiveness within a group in the society. In this study, slang refers to the informal or non standard form of words and phrases which are spoken by

people in the Freedom Writers movie. Slang is the form of a word and phrase which are used in the conversations. Slang also refers to a word or phrase which is interpreted differently from its general meaning.

In analyzing the slang, Dumas and Lighter (1978, pp. 14 – 16) explains that in order to analyze whether an expression should be considered as slang, at least it should fulfill two or more criteria. Those criteria are (1) its presence will markedly lower, at least for the moment the dignity of formal or serious speech or writing; (2) its use implies user’s familiarity with the thingis being referred to and it might cause a rejection from those who are not familiar with it; (3) it is a taboo word to be used in a formal conversation (e.g. while speaking to people who have greater responsibility or the higher social status); and (4) it is used in a specific place.

2.1.3 Meaning Formation of Slang

It is important to understand the characteristics of slang and factors that influence the slang formation. Therefore, there are some points which are related to the analysis of slang’smeaning formation explained in this part.

2.1.3.1 The Influential Factors in Slang Formation

According to Coleman (2012), slang is created and influenced by five main factors. The first factor is the change in meaning. It means that the standard meanings are sometimes entirely reversed in the slang usage. The slang words such as nasty (1834 –), bad (1880 –), and ill (1986 –), are the examples of

negative terms that have been used to express an enthusiastic approval (Coleman, 2012, p. 31). Those terms have positive senses in the slang language. It means that slang often neglects the general meaning in the Standard English (SE).

Slang is also influenced by the change in function. It means that some words are undergoing changes in their functions. The change can be found in a word’spart of speech.A clear example is a noun ‘beef’ which once was used asa verb which meaning was‘to put more muscle into’ (1860) or ‘to complain’ (1865) (p.32).The slang ‘beef’ has undergone through meaning extension particularly in its part of speech from a noun into a verb. People or places names also can be used to create a reference. One of the examples is a type of cheese ‘Cheddar’

which is derived from the Cheddar town. Nowadays people use the word

‘Cheddar’to denote a particular type of cheese instead of a town’sname.

Another factor in the slang formation is the change in form. It is usually done by combining words to create a new meaning in slang. Furthermore, the additional affixes such as prefix and suffix are widely used by slangs creators. One of the examples is a noun‘–head’ which is used to create a compound such as ‘meathead’ which means an individual who drinks too much (1946) or

‘pisshead’which refers to a stupid person (1863) (p. 35).

The change in spelling is also considered as a common factor that influences the slang formation. An example of the change in spelling is often done by rap singers. They often use respelling such as –a for–er (e.g. nigga, gangsta) and –z for –s (e.g. boyz, gunz) to express their rejection towards conventional

values. Sometimes this typographical variation (the respelling of words) indicates that the words are being used in a more specific sense. The change in spelling happens by creating a slang that is derived from the word’s spelling. Spelling means that slang often involves the insertion of a symbol to represent a sound (e.g.m8for “mate”,CUfor “see you”).

The abbreviation process also often happens in creating the slang. Abbreviation is also one of the common ways in the slang formation. Sometimes pairs of words are abbreviated and combined in blends such as fugly “fucking ugly” (1984 –) and blog “web log” (1999 –). Initialism such as ‘BBC, CNN’ and

acronym ‘LOL’ which firstly derived from “Lot of Laugh” (1990 –) can influence

the slang formation.

2.1.3.2 The Notion of Morphology

Since this study is considered as a part of linguistic field which is dealing with the slang formation, it is essential to review some points which are related to morphology. Basically, understanding the notion of morphology is helpful in order to analyze the meanings of forming slang words and phrases in this study.

2.1.3.2.1 Morphology and Morpheme

Morphology is one of the branches in linguistics which has concerns in the internal structure of words (Katamba, 1993, p.2). Another expert explains morphology as the study of the language basic element in which called morpheme (Yule, 2006, p.67). In this study, the notion of morphology focuses on the slang formation processes.

In morphology, morpheme is known as the smallest meaningful component of language that conveys messages (O’Grady and Guzman, 1996, p.133). Allan (2001) explains a morpheme as the smallest unit of syntactic analysis with semantic specification. Therefore, a morpheme is cannot be separated into a smaller unit in order to be meaningful.

One of the clearest examples of a morpheme is the word‘teacher’(formed

by ‘teach + -er’to indicate noun),‘books’ (formed by ‘book + s’ to indicate plural

form),and ‘unhappy’ (formed by ‘un-+ happy’to indicate the opposite meaning or negative form of a word). Generally, morpheme is classified into two types. They are a free and bound morpheme. O’Grady and Guzman (1996) note that a morpheme is free morpheme if it can be a word by itself in order to have meaning (e.g. angry, possible, touch). On the other hand, a bound morpheme must be attached to another word element in order to have meaning (e.g.–ly, im-, -un). The examples of bound morphemes are mostly affixes (prefix, infix, and suffix).

2.1.3.2.2 Word Formation Processes

There are many views from different linguists about the word formation theory; generally known as the creation of a new word. In this research, some word formation processes are combined in order to analyze the data. There are many theories that actually are similar to one another. To elaborate the data and support this study, some theories have already been summarized in this part. Those theories

areproposed by Katamba (1993), O’Grady and Guzman (1996), Hatch and Brown

Several types of the word formation processes that will be used for analyzing slang’s meaningsare:

1. Compounding

O’Grady and Guzman (1996, p. 143) mention that compounding is a combination of some lexical categories such as adjectives, nouns, verbs, or prepositions in purpose to construct a larger unit of a word. It means that a compound word is formed from two or more free forms. Compounding is the process of putting words together to build a new word which does not denote two things, but denote one thing that is pronounced as one unit (Winiewski, 2007).

At least there are four types of the compounding: endocentric, exocentric, copulative and appositional compounds (Wagner, 2010). The endocentric compounds happen when A (modifier) is added to B (noun head). A and B are combined to become a special kind of B (sea power). The exocentric compounds mostly refer to the depreciative properties of people. In the exocentric compound, when A adds B, it becomes a compound with an unexpressed semantic head (paleface). In addition, the copulative compounds derived from A plus an additional B to become the ‘sum’ of what A and B denote (bittersweet). The last compound is called the appositional compounds. It becomes the appositional compound when A plus B refers to the different descriptions for a common referent (singer–songwriter).

2. Borrowing

Borrowing is actually a general process in any languages since many of words are adapted from other languages. Mostly the borrowed nouns are later changed to fit the verbal forms of the language in speech or writing (Finegan 2007, p. 52). One of the examples of the borrowing process is a word‘risk’which originated from Italia. It was actually a noun when borrowed, but later, in need of a verb, it was converted into‘to risk’.

3. Coinage

Hatch and Brown (1995, p. 175) define coinage as a process when a new word is needed but there are no appropriate borrowed words and native words to express it. A general example is the use of individual’s name in the scientific terms such as celcius and newton. Those words are derived from the inventor’s

own name, according to Yule (2006, p. 53) it is usually called ‘eponyms’. In the coinage process, the word is named with entirely new word. Yule (2006) explains that trademark or products names are often adopted by the masses and they

become “everyday words of language”. An exampleof the coinage process is the

word ‘googling’ which firstly used as the name of a product is now widely used

by people to sign an action of browsing internet. Onomatopoeia is also considered as the coinage process when people use sound to associate a thing such as bang, splash, boomwhich are often used in comic books in order to let the readers know what kind of sound is accompanied to the actions (Wagner, 2010, p. 7).

4. Blending

O’Grady and Guzman (1996) mention that blending means taking the beginning of a word and joining it to the end of another word. Blending happens when two words in which their non-morphemic components are mixed into one (p. 158). Blending is combining two different words with different meanings and put those words as one. This is used in order to form a new meaning and new word.

Wagner (2010) proposes some examples of blending such asspork (spoon and fork) and bromance (brother and romance). Those examples show that blending is a process of taking the beginning and the ending of a word together as one unit. Another example of blending is taking both beginning of two words such as cybernetic and organism into cyborg. In addition, there is also a case of blending by combining the whole words and combine it with a part of another word such asguesstimate(guess and estimate).

5. Clipping

O’Grady and Guzman (1996, p. 157) explain that clipping is a process where a polysyllabic word is eliminated so that it becomes shorter. Some examples of the clipping process are‘web’from website and‘TV’from television. Another example of a clipping that has become a part of the general English vocabulary is a noun ‘fax’ from facsimile which means exact copy or reproduction.

6. Back Formation

O’Grady and Guzman (1996) explain back formation as a process of making a new word by deleting an actual affix from another word (p. 158). Some examples of the back formation process are the singular noun‘pea’from the old English plural‘pease’, the verb‘burgle’from the older English noun‘burglar’ and also the verb‘diagnose’from the old English noun‘diagnosis’. All of those examples have undergone the changes in their part of speeches by deleting the actual affixes.

7. Conversion

Conversion is a process of forming words without changing the form of input word that function as base. The base might be in a noun or verb form (Katamba, 1993, p. 54). By converting, people change the function of a word without changing its form. For example is ‘emails’ as a noun (he received your emails.) and‘emails’ as verb (he emails you several times.). From those examples, there is a difference in the word’s part of speech and word’s function although there is no change in the word base.

8. Derivation

O’Grady and Guzman (1996) explain the derivation as a process when a

word is created, its meaning or its category is different from its base by adding an affix (p. 144). Usually a prefix does not change the word’s lexical category, but suffix does such as un- and –ness in the word happy. The word ‘happy’ with an additional prefix un- (unhappy) still has the same lexical category as an adjective.

This is contradictory with an additional suffix –ness in happiness which directly changes the word lexical category from an adjective into a noun.

9. Inflection

Hatch and Brown (1995) note that the inflection process happens when affixes are added so that a new word is formed without changing the word class or meaning (p. 285). The additional suffix such as–s, is an example of the inflection process that denotes the plural noun form (cats, dogs). There is no change in the

word’s part of speech froma noun to noun although suffix–s is added to the base.

10. Reduplication

As mentioned by O’Grady and Guzman (1996), reduplication is a duplication process of all or some parts of the base, to which it applies to mark a grammatical or semantic contrast (p. 143). There are two kinds of reduplication. The first reduplication process is the full reduplication. One of examples of this process is can be found in Bahasa Indonesia.The singular noun ‘child’ is ‘anak’ and the plural noun ‘children’ becomes anak-anak. The second process is called the partial reduplication. In Tagalog, the wordlakad(walk) becomes lalakad(will walk).

11. Abbreviation

O’Grady and Guzman (1996) explain that ‘initialism’ is one of the

examples of the abbreviation process. The initialism is formed by the initial letters of the words and read them by spelling each word such as UN for United Nation. Abbreviation is also included as an acronym. It is formed by taking the initial

letters of some or all of the words in a phrase or title and reading them as one word like NATO for North Atlantic Treaty Organization (p. 159). The initialism and acronyms are both considered as the shortening processes and they build from the initial letters of a phrase or name. While acronyms are pronounced as single words (NASA, AIDS), initialism is pronounced as a sequence of letters (DNA, USA) (Finegan, 2007, p. 48).

2.1.3.3 The Notion of Semantics

Semantics is the study of the human mind. Thought, processes, cognition, and conceptualization which are intricately bound up with the way in which we classify and convey experience of the world through language (Leech, 1981). According to American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (2011) some definitions of semantics are: (a) the study or science of meaning in language; (b) the speaker’scompetence which is regarding to the interpretation of the meaning of linguistic structures; and (c) the meaning or the interpretation of a word, sentence, or other language forms.

Collin Dictionary (2003) defines semantics as a branch of linguistics that deals with the study of meaning, the changes in meaning, and the principles that govern the relationship between sentences or words and their meanings. Ray (2003) explains semantics as (a) meaning made by language users – including inference – which speakers can draw among words, phrases and sentences; (b) basis on which speakers relate the words, phrases, and sentences to their understanding of the nonlinguistic world, so that they can make judgments of

reference and truth.

2.1.3.3.1 Theories of Meaning

A semantic theory is one of many theories that are used for decades in order to comprehend ‘meaning’. As cited from Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (2014), semantics is a theory which assigns the semantic contents towards the expressions of a language. It tells about a specification of the meaning of the words and sentences of some symbol systems. Hence, meaning is believed as an expression. Meaning is a certain sort of entity and it is the job of semantics to pair expressions with the entities and their meanings.

There is another theory of meaning which is known as a theory of reference. This theory pairs the expressions of a language with certain values. However, unlike a semantic theory, a theory of reference does not pair expressions with their meanings. However, it pairs expressions with the contribution those expressions to the determination of the sentences’truth-values. 2.1.3.3.2 Types of Meaning

Explanation of the word ‘meaning’ is crucial since it becomes the main

focus of the study. There are some definitions of meaning according to Odgen and Richards (1923). They are (a) an intrinsic property, (b) the other words annexed to a word in the dictionary, (c) the place of anything in a system, (d) the connotation of a word, (e) that to which a symbol actually refers to, (f) that to which the user of a symbol ought to be referring.

There are several types of meaning proposed by Leech (1981), those meanings are: (1) Associative Meaning which has some subdivision (a) Connotative Meaning, (b) Social Meaning, (c) Affective Meaning, (d) Reflected Meaning, and (e) Collocative Meaning, (2) Thematic Meaning focuses on what is communicated by the way in which the message is organized in terms of order and emphasis. Furthermore, since the study of meaning in the certain context is logically subsequent to the study of semantic competence (pp. 9–22).

2.1.4 Functions of Slangs in Society

Slang in the society also has certain roles. Slang is bound among societies and cultures. People use slangs for many reasons and slang also has its communicative functions since it is used widely by people.

2.1.4.1 Definition of Sociolinguistics

Llamas (2010) defines the sociolinguistics as the study of a language in society, the study of linguistic indicators of culture and power, and the study of language variation and language change. According to Fishman (1972), sociolinguistics is the study of the languages varieties’ characteristics, t h e characteristics of their functions and the characteristics of their speakers. As these three functions are constantly interact and change one another within a speech community (p. 4). Therefore, sociolinguistics explains the study of language variation and language change.

2.1.4.1.1 Functional Approach to Language

Communication cannot be separated from the context. People do not experience language in isolation – but always in a relation to what is happening

andsomeone’sbackground. A language is of course limited by certain rules but it

certainly develops and shaped by the speakers. This is guidance to further understanding of towards the language use in reality. Hymes (1969, p. 113) notes

that there are two kinds of meaning: ‘social meaning’ and ‘referential meaning’.

The social meaning is related to the meanings that the society has towards the word. However, the referential meaning is related to the general meaning of a word which usually found in any legal dictionaries.

In the view of functional approach, it sees language as a resource – a resource of meaning, with meaning is defined in terms of a function. According to Halliday (1978), there are seven functions of a language. They are: (1) instrumental (satisfying material needs), (2) regulatory (controlling behavior of other people), (3) interactional (getting along with other people), (4) personal (identifying and expressing the self), (5) heuristic (exploring the world around), (6) imaginative (creating a world of one’s own), and (7) informative (communicating new information). In conclusion, a functional theory of a language does not only see language as a system but also a language as a product of a social process.

2.1.4.1.2 Social Factors in Communication

Social factors are important while observing a social phenomenon. The way people speak is influenced by the topic of conversation, the person they are talking with and many other factors that influenced the communication. Jakobson (1960) mentions there are at least five essential factors in conversation. They are: (1) subject-matter, (2) originator (speaker or writer), (3) receiver (listener or reader), (4) the channel of communication and (5) linguistic message.

Language variation is meaningful and principled to a large extent and has a functionto symbolize a speaker’s various identities in a speech community. The factors like gender, education, social status, and interactional status all contribute to the principles of variation. Halliday (1978, p. 89) argues that a language is controlled by the social structure, and the social structure is maintained and transmitted through a language.

In the language and communication there are several influential factors that influence the linguistic choice. According to Holmes (2012, p.76), those factors are: (1) the participants: who is speaking and who are they speaking to; (2) the setting or social context of interaction: where they are speaking; (3) the topic: what is being talked about; and (4) the function: why are they speaking. Other social factors also can affect someone’s linguistic choice. One example is that people might select a particular variety or code because it becomes easier to discuss a particular topic, regardless of where they are speaking. The social distance dimension means how well do they know each other, such as the social

distance between the participants (are they strangers, friends or brothers?), the status relationship between people who have a social role also becomes one of the factors that influenced the code choice (for example, doctor-patient, teacher-student), the level of formality also influences a person’s code choice (for example, variety in church or at a formal ceremony), the functions or goals of the interaction (what is the language being used for? is the speaker asking a favor or giving orders to someone?)

Jakobson (1960) mentions that the addressee, the addresser, message, context, code and contact are the successful keys in communication. The factors of communication and functions of language according to Jakobson are:

Table 2.1 Factors of communication and language functions

no target factor

source factor

function 1 context message informational 2 addresser message expressive 3 addressee message directive 4 contact message phatic 5 message message aesthetic

Based on the explanation above, (1) the informational function is oriented toward the context (the dominant function in a message like 'Water boils at 100 degrees'), (2) the expressive function is oriented toward the addresser (as in the interjections 'Bah!' and 'Oh!'), (3) the directive function is oriented toward the addressee (imperatives and apostrophes), (4) the phatic function serves to

establish, prolong (to discontinue communication) and to confirm whether the contact is still there (as in 'Hello?'), (5) the aesthetic function (as in 'Smurf') which puts 'the focus on the message for its own sake' (Jakobson, 1960, p. 356). 2.1.4.2 The Characteristics of Slang

A way of distinguishing slang’s characteristics from other types of vocabulary lies in the effects of its use. Three general effects of slang mentioned by Eble (1996) are: (1) slang changes the level of discourse in the direction of informality. Informality means slang cannot be used while someone is talking to someone who has a higher social status and greater responsibility. Slang can be used in neither academic essays nor legal documents because slang is in a colloquial form. (2) Slang identifies members of a group. In addition, slang refers to the group’s identification. It means that the use of slang signals whether someone belongs to a group or not. Generally, slang is often considered as a group’s language that if someone belongs to a particular group, he or she will be able to understand the slang as a signal of membership. (3) Slang opposes the established authority. Usually, slang opposes the established authority. It means that the slang can be a verbal expression of this fundamental opposition, showing a range of attitudes from slight irreverence to downright subversiveness.

2.1.4.3 The Communicative Functions of Slang

Coleman (2012) and Partridge (first published in 1933) propose some reasons why of the use of slangs. People are using slang in order to: (1) express their individuality, (2) express themselves more vividly than can be easily done in

You get an extra three seconds. Go!

... enraged them and provoked them

into acts of violence.

In 1961, an interracial civil rights group

traveled by bus through the South

to challenge segregation.

Blacks sat in the front, whites in the back.

They were attacked, firebombed,

but they kept going.

In Montgomery, Alabama, Jim Zwerg

offered to be the first off the bus,

knowing there was a mob waiting for them.

He was almost beaten to death

so the others could get away.

That kind of courage is unbelievable to me. I was afraid of just being in this class,

and I was ashamed

because I've always been the dumb kid

in school, even with my friends.

But not anymore.

And I must have some kind of courage,

because I could have lied to get out of here, but I stayed.

I stayed.

Hi, I'm home!

Sorry, it got late. I drove the kids home.

I didn't want them taking buses.

You're never gonna believe what happened.

I'm so tired.

It's so cute, though. They never want to go home.

We have such a good time together.

I'm gonna take a shower.

If you have another glass, you're gonna have a headache.

Your bags are packed and you think

the wine's gonna give me a headache?

Why are you doing this?

Because I don't

pay enough attention to you?

No. That's not it.

I just... I feel like I'm living a life

I just did not agree to.

Erin, it's just...

It's too hard.

Your life is too hard?

I think what you're doing is noble.

And it's good. And I'm proud of you.

I am.

I just want to live my life and not feel bad about it.

- I'm not trying to make you feel bad.

- You don't have to try.

I didn't plan on becoming responsible

for these kids.

- Well, who asked you to? - No one asked me to!

They're not even your kids!

Why do I have to be asked? Scott...

I finally realized what I'm supposed to be doing and I love it.

When I'm helping these kids make sense of their lives, Everything about my life makes sense to me.

How often does a person get that?

- Then what do you need me for?

- You're my husband.

Why can't you stand by me and be part

of it, the way wives support husbands?

Because I can't be your wife.

I wish I could make that sound less awful.

Erin?

You know,

if you had to choose between us

And the class,

Who would you pick?

If you love me,

how could you ever ask me that?

Erin, look at me.

This is all there's ever been to me.

This is it. I'm not one of those kids.

I don't have any more potential.

See? You don't want to be here either,

'cause if you did, would you be

in the classroom every night?

That's not true. I want to be here.

I love you.

You love the idea of me.

But it's such a great idea.

I know.

Dad? Hi.

You know, I was actually trying

to call someone else,

And I automatically dialed you. I'm sorry.

Look, I'm gonna call you tomorrow,

okay?

I need to make this call. I love you.

Ms. G made us read Twelve Angry Men.

It's all about how this one juror

helped to turn the hearts of 11 jurors.

It made me feel hopeful.

At 2:00 today, my brother was given a verdict on his own trial.

No O. J. Dream Team, just a court-appointed attorney

who probably thought his ass was guilty.

And I realized Twelve Angry Men

was just a book and nothing more.

My brother got 15 years to life.

Justice don't mean the bad guy goes to jail.

It just means somebody pays for the crime.

So, you got time now?

Anyone know where Andre's been?

I haven't seen him on the bus.

Yeah, I haven't talked to him either.

Ms. G?

Are we gonna have

this same room next year, again?

I don't know.

You're gonna be juniors next year.

What do you mean?

Well, I teach freshman and sophomore years.

You mean,

we're not gonna be with you next year?

Well, I...

I don't teach juniors. I thought you guys understood that.

What? What are you talking about?

You don't wanna be our teacher

next year?

Of course I do. I can't.

- It's the Board of Ed.

It's regulations.

Ms. G hasn't been here long enough

to have seniority.

Who cares about seniority?

Shit! They can't do that! They don't have the right!

- Ms. G, this is our kick-it spot.

- Yeah.

Everybody's cool with everybody.

Everybody knows everybody.

This is the only place where we really get to be ourselves.

There's no place like this out there for us.

That's true.

I'm not allowed to teach junior and seniors.

You're not allowed?

Ms. G, we can fight this, you know,

like the Freedom Riders.

Yeah, yeah,

we'll all drive around on a bus.

Only this time, they try and bust us up,

We bust a few of them board members' heads.

Marcus.

Or we can go to the newspapers,

media. That'll get their attention.

Or we can paint

the administration building

With the word "assholes" in various colors.

Hey, it's something. We can do this.

What?

These are my books, not Scott's.

I'm packing the wrong books.

Honey, take a break.

Sit down.

I can't believe I'm getting divorced.

I never thought this would happen.

What do I do now?

Next year, I won't even have my kids.

You think you should stay with them?

Or is it better they move on?

I don't know.

It's just a job, like you said.

Yeah, it is.

But is the job finished?

Listen to me now.

What you've done with those kids...

I don't even have words for it.

But one thing's for sure, you are an amazing teacher.

Special.

You have been blessed with a burden,

my daughter.

And I envy you that.

And I admire you.

And how many fathers ever get

to say that to their daughters

And really mean it?

What she is suggesting is in violation of our union charter.

She may not move on with her students

to teach them junior year.

She's only been here two years.

There are teachers here who have tenure,

Who have worked and committed

To attain a position of seniority.

Not to mention their experience

in teaching students of a higher caliber.

The Distinguished Scholars Program

is under our jurisdiction.

I don't want to replace the Distinguished Scholars Program.

I just want to stay with my kids next year.

She can't. I have the juniors.

The Board of Education will not allow this.

Teaching rotations will be disrupted,

Retirement schedules will be reevaluated,

Disrespecting teachers who have earned their way far longer

And who focus on the classroom,

Not on public relations and newspaper articles.

I didn't ask for those articles

to be written.

She's in the middle of a divorce.

Note, they stay late in her class,

they're eating, they're playing games!

All right, let's all just take a breath here. All right?

Now I had hoped

that we could talk this out,

Maybe come to some kind of arrangement.

- There is no arrangement... - Margaret.

Carl, look.

Putting aside all obvious resentments

for the moment,

Even if an arrangement were made

And she could teach them as juniors,

there isn't an accredited course

In the curriculum for her to teach.

Unless Brian trades one of his

junior classes for a sophomore.

No.

Then there's nothing I can do.

So that's it?

Believe it or not, Ms. Gruwell,

There are other capable teachers

in this school.

If you've made the progress you say you have,

Your students should be ready

to move on.

They might even gain something

from more experienced teachers.

You can't teach them. You don't even like them.

What does that have to do with teaching?

I've been an educator for over 30 years.

I have students that still remain

in touch with me.

I know what it is to be loved

by a classroom!

You have no idea

how many battles I've had

Fighting to be a better teacher,

And now, what, suddenly I'm incapable

of educating your students?

You know, if they move on to our classes and they fail,

It'll be because they weren't prepared!

Lt'll be because you failed, not them!

Andre? Wait a minute before you go in.

I heard about your brother's conviction. I'm sorry.

Is that why you've missed class

so much?

I had things to do.

About this.

The evaluation assignment

Was to grade yourself on the work you're doing.

You gave yourself an F. What's that about?

- It's what I feel I deserve. That's all. - Oh, really?

You know what this is?

This is a "Fuck you" to me, and everyone in this class!

I don't want excuses. I know what you're up against.

We're all of us up against something.

So you better make up your mind,

because until you have the balls

To look me straight in the eye

and tell me this is all you deserve,

I am not letting you fail,

Even if that means coming to your house every night

Until you finish the work.

I see who you are.

Do you understand me?

I can see you.

And you are not failing.

So, take a minute.

Pull yourself together and come inside.

I want a new evaluation.

An F. What, are you tripping?

I want you all to know that Dr. Cohn and I tried very hard.

But it's been decided we can't continue

with each other junior year.

- What? - What?

You... Wait.

Wait. Guys. Everyone.

No! That don't fly, Ma!

Look, first of all, I'm not anyone's mother in here, okay?

No, it doesn't mean mother.

It's a sign of respect for you.

Listen to me.

All of you.

Don't use me as another excuse

for why you can't make it.

You made it to your junior year.

Think about how you did that.

Everyone in this room has a chance to graduate.

For some,

you'll be the first in your family.

The first with a choice to go to college.

Some may move faster than others.

But you'll each have the chance.

And you did that. Not me.

Now, I have one

Final project in mind.

- Ms. G. - Yeah?

Ms. G wanted us to put our diaries

together in a book, just like Anne Frank.

She got this businessman, John Tu,

to donate 35 computers so we could work.

She told us we have something

to say to people.

We weren't just kids in a class anymore.

We weren't just kids in a class anymore.

We were writers with our own voices,

our own stories.

And even if nobody else read it,

the book would be something to leave behind that said we were here,

this is what happened, we mattered.

Even if it was just to each other.

And we won't forget.

Ms. G didn't promise it would get published or anything,

but we could get it out there ourselves.

She asked us to come up with a title,

something to call ourselves I just received a call from Karin Polacheck

At the Board of Education.

There's to be a meeting with Dr. Cohn about your classes.

- Do you know anything about this?

- No.

These students, this class, they've become a family.

To who? To you?

To each other.

Room 203 is a kind of a home for them.

Their trust is all wrapped up

in us being together as a group.

Once they're out of her class,

Believe me they'll slip back

into their old habits.

Their reading scores, their writing

has markedly improved, Ms. Campbell.

On paper. But what has she accomplished in reality?

What about new students that come in next year?

Can she repeat

this process every year? Her methods are

impractical,

Impossible to implement with regularity.

What if every teacher performed in this way?

We have millions of children

To get through the education system in this country,

And we need a means of accomplishing that

This allows as many students to benefit as possible,

Not just special cases.

And you honestly think you can create this family in every classroom,

For every grade, for every student you teach?

I don't know.

Thank you.

Hey, there go Ms. G. Hey, there go Ms. G!

What happened?

So? Are we gonna be together

for junior year?

No. - What? - What?

We're gonna be together junior

and senior year.