INDIRECT ILLOCUTIONS IN THE JANE EYRE
on
ISSN: 2302-920X
E-Jurnal Humanis, Fakultas Sastra dan Budaya Unud
Vol 15.3 Juni 2016: 29-36
INDIRECT ILLOCUTIONS IN THE JANE EYRE
I Komang Arta Wibawa email: artawiba@yahoo.com
English Departmentfaculty of Letters and Culture Udayana University
judul tulisan ini adalah ungkapan tidak langsung yang digunakan dalam novel karya Charlotte Bronte yang berjudul " Jane Eyre " . Dalam komunikasi sehari-hari digunakan beberapa cara yang berbeda untuk menyampaikan pesan dari pembicara ke lawan bicara. Beberapa dari mereka menggunakan ungkapan tindakan secara langsung, dan adapula yang menggunakan ungkapan atau tindakan secara tidak langsung untuk menanggapi suatu ajakan , sangkalan atau memberikan penjelasan. Oleh sebab itu, penelitian ini dilakukan untuk mengetahui makna ungkapan atau tindakan tidak langsung yang digunakan oleh pendengar kepada pembicara dan sebaliknnya, Data diambil dari novel "Jane Eyre" karya Charlotte Bronte , Data dikumpulkan dengan metode observasi lalu dianalisis dengan penjelasan deskriptif.
In general, speech acts are the acts of communication. Communication means to express a certain attitude,and the type of speech act being performed corresponds to the type of attitude being expressed. we may get many advantages in determining and understanding the inside meaning of the statement produced by the speakers.
After observing charlotte bronte’s Jane Eyre , the problems of this research are the intended meaning of indirect illocution and the context of situations influence the responses of the hearer when utters the indirect illocutionary act.
Based on the problems, the aims of the study is to find out the types of indirect illocutions and the meaning of the context situation.
The data for this study was taken from the novel entitled “Jane Eyre” written by the English author Charlotte Bronte. It was published in London, England, in 1847 by Smith, Elder & Co.
The collecting data in this study was taken by note taking technique. Practically, the steps of collecting data were done by Read the novel accurately with focus on the indirect illocution acts and the context of situation when the participants are talking in the novel, the indirect illocutions which is found in the novel was underlined by felt-tip marker.. Next step the statements or utterances which can be considered as indirect illocutionary act used by the characters and the responses of the hearer was taken down in order to make the identification process easier.
The method and technique of analyzing data used in this study was qualitative method, by identifying the utterances or expression used by the characters in the novel. The utterances or expressions were written in bold and italic types. After that, the analysis was continued to analyze the intended meaning of those indirect illocution act which is used by the characters in the novel and look at the context of situation used there.
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5. The Expression and Intended Meaning and the context of situation of indirect illocutions in the novel Jane Eyre.
This study focused on The Expression and Intended Meaning and the context of situation of indirect illocutions.
1)
Mr. Lloyd looked puzzled. He looked at me very steadily. ‘What made you ill yesterday?’ he asked.
‘She had a fall,’ said Bessie
‘I was knocked down,’ I said, braver now, ‘but that did not make me ill,’ I added.
Mr. Lloyd helped himself to a pinch of snuff. As he was returning the box to his pocket, the bell rang for the servants’ dinner. He knew what it was. ‘That’s for you, nurse’, he said. ‘You can go down. I’ll give Miss Jane a lecture till you come back.’
Mr. Lloyd turned to me again. ‘The fall did not make you ill. What did, then?’ ‘I was shut up in a room where there is a ghost, till after dark.’ (page 17)
This chunk of conversation is taken from Chapter two of the novel entitled Jane Eyre. It occurred when Mr. Lloyd, the apothecary, asked Jane about her illnesses. While he was returning the box to his pocket, the door bell was ringing and Mr. Lloyd makes a declarative uttering “That’s for you, nurse.” Even though, he just gave a statement, in fact Mr. Lloyd wanted more than just what he actually said. He did not only state that it is the time for the servant and her to have dinner, but at the same time he also performs another kind of illocutionary act , namely the act of requesting. By uttering “That’s for you, nurse”, Mr. Lloyd requested the nurse, Bessie, to go down to have dinner. This intended meaning of requesting is also supported by the utterance further uttered by Mr. Lloyd “You can go down. I’ll give Miss Jane a lecture till you come back.”
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B. The Analysis of the Context of Situation
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1. Field
This conversation happened when Mr. Lloyd returning the box to his pocket after asking why Jane Eyre was ill. At the same time the bell rang for servant’s dinner. According to the declarative utterance uttered by the Mr. Lloyd to Bessie, the nurse, with the intended meaning to request Bessie to go down to have dinner, it is obvious that the field of conversation in this data 1 is the request for having dinner to the nurse.
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2. Tenor
Based on the conversation above, there are three participants being involved; they are Bessie, the nurse, Mr. Lloyd, the apothecary – a person who is always called for help when there is some sick, and Jane Eyre. Bessie, the nurse was requested indirectly by Mr. Lloyd to have dinner by uttering “That’s for you, nurse.” And supported by uttering “You can go down. I’ll give Miss Jane a lecture till you come back.” In this case, Mr. Lloyd is the speaker, while Bessie and Jane Eyre are the hearers. Thus, the three people who exist in the conversation above can be considered as the tenor of the conversation.
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3. Mode
Mr. Lloyd was curious on what made Jane ill yesterday, although Bessie, the nurse who took care of her said because she had a fall. And Jane herself said she was knocked down. However, Mr. Lloyd had no idea how to talk to Jane without the presence of Bessie. He did not want to ask Bessie to go out directly. So the reason of using declarative utterance to request Bessie to go out of the room by uttering “That’s for you, nurse” in the conversation above is to make the request more polite. And the intended meaning in the conversation is supported with the utterance following it “You can go down. I’ll give Miss Jane a lecture till you come back.” By uttering “You can go down… Mr. Lloyd wanted Bessie could go out from the room, so he could talk with Jane Eyre privately.
I paused again, then decided to shed my reserve. ‘But John Reed knocked me down, and cut my head, and my aunt shut me in the red room in the dark.’
Mr. Lloyd brought out his snuff-box a second time. ‘But Gateshead Hall is such a beautiful house,’ he said. ‘Are you not thankful to live in such a fine place?’
‘It is not my house, sir, and Abbot says I have no more right to be here than a servant. If I had anywhere else to go, I should be glad to leave. But I can never get away from Gateshead until I am a woman.’ (page 18)
A. The Expression and Intended Meaning of Indirect Illocutions
The conversation occurred between the Mr. Lloyd and Jane Eyre while Bessie was out for dinner. Jane explained about the cruelty she experienced that she was shut
up in the dark room, and also she said she had no father, mother, brothers or sisters. Upon listening the explanation of Jane, Mr. Lloyd asked negative question to Jane by uttering ‘Are you not thankful to live in such a fine place?’ In fact by uttering this negative question, the speaker (Mr. Lloyd) did not merely ask whether the hearer (Jane) thank or not for such a fine place, however he said more than just what he said. In this case, the speaker performed an indirect illocutionary act of suggesting. Mr. Lloyd suggested Jane to thank the Gateshead for such a fine place she had been provided.
A. The Analysis of the Context of Situation
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1. Field
The conversation above was talking about Gateshead Hall where Jane Eyre was shut. It is a beautiful house as Mr. Lloyd said so he suggested her to thank Gateshead Hall for such a beautiful house. However Jane said that it is not her house and she had no more right to be at the house but she could not got away from it until she was a woman. Thus, Gateshead House where Jane Eyre lived is the field of the above conversation.
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2. Tenor
As it can be seen from the above conversation that there are two people being involved in the conversation, they are Jane Eyre and Mr. Lloyd. Although it was mentioned some names in the conversation, like John Reed and Jane’s aunt, when Jane uttered ‘But John Reed knocked me down, and cut my head, and my aunt shut me in the red room in the dark.’ and Abbot when she uttered ‘It is not my house, sir, and Abbot says I have no more right to be here than a servant. If I had anywhere else to go, I should be glad to leave. But I can never get away from Gateshead until I am a woman,’ but they were not involved in the conversation as the names was only mentioned by Jane when she talked to Mr. Lloyd.
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3. Mode
Mr. Lloyd suggested Jane to thank Gateshead Hall by uttering ‘Are you not thankful to live in such a fine place?’ He gave the suggestion by using negative question, with an intention to make his suggestion more polite and Jane could understand the intended meaning. It can be seen from her reply upon the
suggestion by uttering ‘It is not my house, sir, and Abbot says I have no more right to be here than a servant…’
Once he tried to hit me, but I quickly gave him such a hard blow on his nose that he ran to his mother, telling how ‘that nasty Jane Eyre had flown at him like a mad cat.’
‘Don’t go near her, John,’ said his mother. ‘She is not worthy of notice. I do not wish you or your sisters to associate with her.’
Leaning over the top of the stairs, I cried out suddenly, ‘They are not fit to associate with me!’
Mrs. Reed was rather a stout woman, but when she heard this remark, she ran quickly up stairs, swept me into the nursery and pushed me down on the edge of my bed. ‘Don’t you dare more from this bed or utter one more word for the rest of the day,’ she threatened. (page 20)
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A. The Expression and Intended Meaning of Indirect Illocutions
By uttering negative statement ‘I do not wish you or your sisters to associate with her’ the speaker, Mrs. Reed, did not only expect John, her son, not to associate with Jane but she performed an indirect illocutionary act of commanding where she commanded her son not to associate with Jane, as Mrs. Reed said ‘she is not worthy of notice.’ She performed the indirect illocutionary act of commanding to her son by uttering ‘I do not wish you or your sisters to associate with her’ in order that her command is softer. While to Jane, she always threatened and behaved rudely. It can be seen from her utterance ‘Don’t you dare more from this bed or utter one more word for the rest of the day.’ Jane, the hearer, replied the indirect illocutionary of commanding by crying suddenly and uttering ‘They are not fit to associate with me!’ which means that she disagrees with what Mrs. Reed command.
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1. Field
The background of the conversation was that Mrs. Reed separated Jane with her own children, making Jane eat and sleep alone and Jane had to stay in the nursery when her cousins, Eliza and Georgina, were in the drawing room.
They spoke as little as possible with Jane. Even, when John tried to hit Jane, she quickly gave him a hard blow on his nose that he ran to his mother, telling how that nasty Jane Eyre had flown at him like a mad cat. Thus, it seems that Mrs. Reed took Jane Eyre away from her children and made her sleep and eat alone is the field of the above conversation.
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2. Tenor
From the dialogue in the above conversation, there are two participants actively taking part, namely Mrs. Reed and Jane Eyre. Mrs. Reed who indirectly commanded her son, John, not to associate with Jane Eyre and Jane Eyre herself who understood the indirect illocutionary act uttered by Mrs. Reed and cried out suddenly as well as said ‘They are not fit to associate with me!’ Thus these two persons can be said as the tenor of the conversation. While John, although he did not say anything in the conversation above, but he had an important role in the conversation as he was the person who was not allowed to associate with Jane. So we can also say that John is also the additional tenor of the above conversation.
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3. Mode
In fact Mrs. Reed is a stout woman but when she commanded her children not to associate with Jane Eyre she used declarative sentence I do not wish you or your sisters to associate with her. She did not use strong imperative sentence. It is due to that she did not want to command her children strongly and she just wanted to be polite before her children. However, even though the command was conveyed indirectly and softly to her children, Jane Eyre could understand the purpose of Mrs. Reed. It can be seen from the direct reply uttered by Jane ‘They are not fit to associate with me!’
Based on the analysis, there are two points which can be taken as conclusion related to the problem formulated, namely:
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1. From the conversations taken from the Novel entitled Jane Eyre written by Charlote Bronte, the participants of the conversation used various expressions, such as, declarative expression, interrogative expression, negative interrogative
and negative declarative. These direct expressions or utterances also have various indirect illocutions, such as, requesting, suggestion, commanding, threatening, prohibitions, and denial.
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2. The context of situation determined the language used by the participants in a certain situation. The context of situation includes field, tenor and mode of the conversation. From the analysis of the conversation in Chapter III, when the participants used indirect illocutionary utterances, it was intended to make the utterances more polite and to avoid rudeness. The speakers used indirect illocution as they have different social status, such as, the maid, housekeeper, nurse, house owner, doctor and student.
7. Bibliography
Bronte, Charlotte. 1847 .Jane Eyre .London, Smith, Elder & Co.
Halliday,M.A.K.and Ruqaiya Hasan 1989.Language,Context,and Text:Aspect of Language in a Social-Semiotic Perspective.Victoria:Deakin University. Available from : http://en.bookfi.org/book/774500,,,,,Language, Context, and Text: Aspects of Language in a Social-Semiotic Perspective
Searle, J.R. 1979. Expression and Meaning: Studies in Theory of Speech Acts.Cambridge: University Press.Available from:
http://books.google.co.id/books/about/Expression_and_meaning.html
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