ISSN: 2302-920X

E-Jurnal Humanis, Fakultas Sastra dan Budaya Unud

Vol 14.1 Januari 2016: 80-87

ENGLISH EXPRESSIONS SPOKEN BY THE ADMINISTRATIVE

STAFF OF PT. SINAR MEDIA KREASI

BY

Ni Kadek Novita Dewix

email: [email protected]

English Department, Faculty of Letters and Culture, Udayana University

Abstrak

Studi yang berjudul “English Expressions Spoken by the Administrative Staff of PT. Sinar Media Kreasi” ini difokuskan pada identifikasi dan analisa terhadap English Expression dan Language Funcation yang terjadi di percakapan antara pegawai dan tamu.

Studi ini menggunakan metode kuantitatif dan metode observasi. Data yang digunakan dalam studi ini berupa catatan dari percakapan antara pegawai dan tamu. Teori yang digunakan untuk menganalisa data adalah teori dari Blundell (1987) dan Tillitt and Bruder (1985) tentang English Expression dan Language Function.

Temuan dari studi ini menyatakan bahwa terdapat beberapa macam English Expressions and Language Functions. English functions yaitu formal expression, informal expressions, and neutral. Language Functions yaitu greeting, giving information, apologizing, offering things and offering help, and thanking. Language Funcations yang di gunakan oleh pegawai dan tamu biasanya formal dan informal expressions.

Keyword: Language Function, English Expressions, Conversation.

  • 1.    Background of the Study

English language is the universal language that is used by people to communicate, especially for the people who have different cultures or come from countries. Communication is a process that can give information from one person to other people, either in written or spoken language. Because of that the staff is required to have skill in language, especially English. The English language used by the administrative staff of PT. Sinar Media Kreasi shows various expressions and language function. However, the

functions of the English which are used by the staffs of PT. Sinar Media Kreasi are not

understood. It makes this study interesting to choose this topic. Besides, they also do not know how to use the English functions that they express to the customers. It hopes that discussion can further help the administrative staff of PT. Sinar Media Kreasi to understand about the expressions of the English language better. The reason this topic was chosen because the topic related with formality language. That is very important to the staff to give good service to the guest.

  • 2.    Problems

Referring to the background illustrated previously, two research questions are the focus of current study:

  • a)    What are the types of expressions used by the administrative staff of PT. Sinar Media Kreasi?

  • b)    What are the language functions of the expressions and how they are used by the administrative staff of PT. Sinar Media Kreasi?

  • 3.    Aims

  • a)    To describe types of expressions and language functions by the administrative staff of PT. Sinar Media Kreasi.

  • b)    To analyze types of expression, language functions and how they are used by the administrative staff of PT. Sinar Media Kreasi.

  • 4.    Research Method

The primary data of this writing was taken from some conversations between the administrative staff of Pt. Sinar Media Kreasi with their customers. The method and technique used in collecting data is observation method and note taking technique. The data in this study were analyzed qualitatively based on the theory of Blundell (1987).

Besides this theory, there were some other theories to support analyzing language function from Tillitt and Bruder (1985).

  • 5.    Result and Discussion

This part deals with the result and discussion of the data. The data analysis is divided into three parts analysis of English Expression and five part analysis of language functions.

  • A.    Three parts of English Expressions, there are:

  • 1.    Formal Expression

Formal expression is generally used in the formal situation. It is for example official report, business letters, and regulations. It is also used by people for serious purposes such as to greet unknown people. The speakers tend to use correct grammatical and speak in complete sentences.

Conversation:

Staff              : Good afternoon, Sir ?

Guest             : Hello

Staff              : Yes

Staff            : Thank you vey much

Based on the conversation above, the phrase Good afternoon, Sir? was a formal expression to greet someone (Bruder, 1985:6). It was used also to greet someone else when they arrive at their destinations. It was the first time when the receptionist met them. The word Sir was a polite way of greeting or addressing them since the staff did not know them well. According to Bruder (1985:4) Greeting has the function to open a conversation with another person, to recognize his/her existence, and to show friendliness. People often say "good morning" even it is miserable day and may to "how are you?" with "fine, thanks", even if they are not feeling well. Beside that, the phrase Thank you very much also showed that the staff used formal expression to end the conversation (Bruder, 1985: 41).

  • 2.    Informal Expressions

Informal expression used in informal situation, such as in private conversation and personal letters. People use informal language usually with friends and family. They may use more relaxed pronunciation.

Conversation:

Staff        : Hi, Good Morning Ms. Simon, How are you?

Ms. Simon : I’m Good

Based on the above conversation, the phrase Hi, Good Morning Ms. Simon, how are you? was an informal expression because the staff used the expression Hi to greet someone when the customer arrived at their destinations. It was not good to hear and more polite if just to say the expression Good Morning. The Phrase Good Morning is polite way of greeting. Good Morning Ms. Simon, How are you? It is the phrase has been polite (Bruder, 1985:6).

  • 3.    Neural Expression

Neutral expression is the expression, which can be used in both formal and informal situation.

Conversation :

Ms. Ana     : Hallo, Apa Kabar ? Long time not see

Staff        : Good, Are you Good ?

Ms. Ana : Yes , Good

Staff        : What can I do for you?

Based on the above conversation, the phrase Hello, Apa kabar ? was informal expression because the customers used two kinds of expressions in two different languages that is Hello and Apa Kabar ? (Bruder, 1985:6). The expression Apa Kabar ? is Indonesian language. The staff answered with sentence Good, Are you Good? in this case the staff used formal expression. The sentence what can I do for you? was formal expression to offering help to the customers.

  • B.    There are five kinds analysis of language functions.

  • a.    The Function of Greeting

Greeting is used when giving a signal or word of welcome or pleasure when meet some body or receive guests. It is very important in order to give a respect to the guests and also the staff use formal and informal language to greet them. There were some functions used such as neutral expressions, formal expressions, and informal expressions. Those expressions can be seen, blow:

Conversation 1, Data 1:

Staff              : Good afternoon, Sir ?

Guest             : Hello

Staff              : Yes

Based on the above conversation, the phrase Good afternoon, sir? was a formal expression to greet someone when the customer arrived at their destinations. It was the first time when the receptionist met them. The word Sir was a polite way of greeting or addressing them since the staff did not know them well. Although, the guest answered the greeting used informal expression. Greeting has the function to open a conversation with another person, to recognize his/her existence, and to show friendliness. People often say "good morning" even it is miserable day and may to "how are you?" with "fine, thanks", even if they are not feeling well (Bruder,1985:4).

  • b.    The Functions of Giving Information

Giving Information is important to explain the product. It should be explained clearly that the customers know well about the product. Below are some expressions in conversation using the model of giving information.

Conversation 1, Data 1

Guest

: We want to print on Acrylic. It is printing from the back

Staff

: Yes, This is printing from the back acrylic after that we put protection acrylic

Guest

: The color than you print white or not ?

Staff

: We print on clear acrylic after that we put white acrylic in the back side

Based on the bold sentences in data one, we can see that the staff gave information to the guest about technical way to printing on acrylic material. It is also describe on putting protection to the acrylic. The staff in this conversation used formal expressions. The expressions that used by the staff are included to giving information to the guest.

  • c.    The Functions of Apologizing

The function of the apology is to show regret for the wrong doing and to offer an explanation or a remedy. Apologies are vary, depending on the formality of the situation, the relationship between the two people, and most important, the seriousness of mistakes.

Conversation 2, data 1

Ms. Merry : Do you have the pricelist ?

Staff         : I’m sorry I don’t have the pricelist

Ms. Merry   : Do you do fronlite benner ?

Staff          : Yes

Based on the above conversation, the bold sentence was the expression of apologizing used by the staff in expressing the function of apologizing. It can be seen from the sentence I’m sorry I don’t have the pricelist. The staff said I’m sorry because they cannot give the guest pricelist. The staff was used formal expression because the situation was formal. The Formal expression of regret, this may be explicit, as “I’m sorry” or implied, as in “I did not mean to” (Bruder, 1985:49).

  • d.    The Functions of Offering things and offering Help

Offering is an act of making an offer to the other people. The offering expressions are usually used when we offer someone or people to do something. The

offering expressions are usually expressed using the words can I …. or could I as their openings. The things, which are, can offer to them may be services or goods or services and goods.

Conversation 2 , Data 1

Staff         : How are you ?

Ms. Merry   : I’m good

Staff         : What can I do for you ?

Ms. Merry : Do you do print DVD video?

The conversation above was formal expression. It was showed by this sentence What can I do for you?. The expressions what can I do for you? it means the staff want to help the guest.

  • e.    The Functions of Thanking

Thanking is one of language functions, which is used to say thanks to someone else, who help us or we say it because we want to respect them. Generally, it is done when someone comes to visit us and when they want to leave. We should say thanks to show our respect for their visit.

Conversation 1, Data 1

Guest            : Thank you

Staff            : Thank you vey much

Based on the above conversation, the bold phrase was the expression of thank used by the staff in expressing the function of thanking. That could be seen from the phrase Thank you very much that is expression to end the conversation. The conversation happened between the staff and the guest who wanted to know information about price. The staff explained about the price that the guest needed. In this case the staff used formal expression to thanking. (Bruder, 1985: 41).

  • 3.    Conclusion

Based on the analysis in the previous chapter some points can be drawn as conclusions. There are three types of expressions used by administrative staff of PT.

Sinar Media Kreasi such as formal expressions, informal expression and neutral expression.

The language functions found in the data are greeting, giving information, apologizing, offering things and offering help, and thanking. All of those functions happened in conversation between the staff and the guests. The language functions used by the administrative staff can be both formal or informal depends on the situations happened between the staff and the guest, because they have to make the situation more familiar and sophisticated to their guest in order to make the guests felt like in their destinations.

  • 9.    Bibliography

Blundell, J. Higgens. 1992. Function in English. London: Oxford University Press.

Tillit, Bruce and Bruder, Marry Newton. 1985. Speaking Naturally: Communication Skills in American English. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

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