Transitivity Of English Verbs In Reader’s Digest Magazine

ISSN: 2302-920X

Jurnal Humanis, Fakultas Ilmu Budaya Unud

Vol 17.3 Desember 2016: 15 - 21

Transitivity Of English Verbs In Reader’s Digest Magazine

Dewa Ayu Made Gandariani^1*, I Nyoman Udayana², Ketut Artawa³

¹²³English Department Faculty Of Arts, Udayana University

¹[[email protected]] ²[[email protected]] ³[[email protected]] *

Corresponding Author

Abstrak

Penelitian yang berjudul Transitivity of English Verbs in Reader’s Digest Magazine dilakukan dengan tujuan untuk mengidentifikasi jenis kata kerja dan menganalisa indeks transitivity dari kata kerja dalam bahasa Inggris yang ditemukan dimajalah Reader’s Digest. Teori yang digunakan untuk menganalisa data adalah teori yang dikemukakan oleh Givon (1984) dalam bukunya yang berjudul Syntax: A Functional-Typological Introduction dan Hopper dan Thomson (1980) dalam bukunya yang berjudul Transitivity in Grammar and Discourse. Hasil dari penelitian ini menunjukan bahwa ada lima jenis kata kerja dalam bahasa Inggris, yaitu state, action, process, middle dan passive. State, action, dan process termasuk dalam kata kerja aktif, sedangkan midlle dan passive termasuk dalam kata kerja tidak aktif. Kemudian, indeks transitivity dari kata kerja berbeda-beda tergantung kepada jenis kata kerja tersebut.

Kata kunci: kata kerja aktif, kata kerja tidak aktif, transitivity, indeks transitivity

• 1.    Background of the Study

Transitivity is a matter of degree,by applying ten semantic parameters to identify which verbs are higher and lower in transitivity. By analyzing semantic properties of the verbs, the difference between the degrees of transitivity of each verb can be found.In other words, transitivity is viewed as property of a sentence consisting of ten components and each component involves a different facet of the effectiveness and intensity with which the action is transferred from one participant to another.(Hopper&Thomson, 1980) By using transitivity, we can know if the verb has higher transitivity (such as action verbs) or lower transitivity (such as non-action verbs).Score 1 is given to the term which has high transitivity and score 0 to the term which has low transitivity.

• 2.    Problems of the Study

The problems are formulated as follows:

• a.    What types of verbs are found inReader’s Digest Magazine volume 36, October 1980 edition?

• b.    What is the degree of transitivity of verbs found inReader’s Digest Magazine volume 36, October 1980 edition?

• 3.    Aims of the Study

The aims of this study are:

• a.    To classify the verb types found in Reader’s Digest Magazine volume 36, October 1980 edition.

• b.    To analyze the degree of transitivity of verbs in Reader’s Digest Magazine volume 36, October 1980 edition.

• 4.    Research Method

The data were taken from Reader’s Digest Magazine volume 36, October 1980 edition. The data of this study were collected through library research and by using documentary method.Meanwhile, the technique of collecting data is by reading the magazine, then randomlyjotting down the sentence or clause which consists of verbs that are related to this study. The verbs in this magazine were chosen randomly from 30 articles. The chosen data were the most verbs shown in this magazine.

The collected data were analyzed using the qualitative method. In identifying the verb types, a theory proposed by Givon (1984) in his book Syntax: A Functional-Typological Introduction was used. Meanwhile, in analyzing transitivity of the verbs, a theory proposed by Hopper and Thomson(1980) in their book entitled Transitivity in Grammar and Discourse was used in this study.

• 5.    Result and Discussion
  
  5.1    Verb Types Found in Reader’s Digest Magazine

1 State Verbs

According to the data obtained, out of fifty seven verbs selected, thirteen of them are state verbs. Those are decide, look up, saw, find, love, reach, fear, think, contain, smell, hear and sense.

• 2.    Process Verbs

According to the data obtained, out of fifty seven verbs, five of them are process verbs. Those are grow up, spend, stay, suffer, and learn.

• 3.    Action Verbs

According to the data obtained, out of fifty seven verbs, twenty nine of them are action verbs. Those are describe, tell, dump, run, reject, explain, catch, follow, open, spit, hit, touch, attack, cover, swallow, gave, kill, interviewed, report, speak, leave, fight, bring, cut, pack, ask, clean, send, and went.

• 4.    Middle Verbs

According to the data obtained, out of fifty seven selected verbs, two of them are middle verbs. Those are sell and read.

• 5.    Passive Verbs

Based on data grouping, there are eight passive verbs found. Those are greet, break, destroy, awaken, spray, recommend, surround and transmit.

• 5.2    Transitivity of Verbs
  
  5.2.1    Transitivity of State Verb

• 1.    Then I felt a tug, my own heaviness and the agony of being yanked upward by my hair. (1980:11)

  Parameter	Verb Feel	Index
  a. Participants	Two participants	1
  b. Kinesis	State	0
  c. Aspect	Telic	1
  d. Punctuality	Non-punctual	0
  e. Volitionality	Non-volitional	0
  f. Affirmative	Affirmative	1

  g. Mode	Realis	1
  h. Agency	A low in agency	0
  i. Affectedness of O	O not affected	0
  j. Individuation of O	Ohighly individuated	0
  Total		4

The verb feel has index of transitivity four (4) which means this verb is low in transitivity.

• 5.2.2    Transitivity of Process Verb

• 1.    I learned from a Pathet Lao defector that from 1975-1978 the gassing had killed 50,000 H’mong in the PhuBia area alone.(1980:19)

  Parameter	Verb Learn	Index
  a. Participants	One participants	0
  b. Kinesis	Action	1
  c. Aspect	Atelic	0
  d. Punctuality	Non-punctual	0
  e. Volitionality	Volitional	1
  f. Affirmative	Affirmative	1
  g. Mode	Realis	1
  h. Agency	A low in agency	0
  i. Affectedness of O	O not affected	0
  j. Individuation of O	Onon-individuated	0
  Total		4

The verb learnhas index of transitivity four (4) which means that this verb is low in transitivity.

• 5.2.3.    Transitivity of Action Verb

• 1.    They hit us at the end of May at Nam Khing with the yellow chemicals. (1980: 18)

  Parameter	Verb Hit	Index
  a. Participants	Two participants	1
  b. Kinesis	Action	1
  c. Aspect	Telic	1
  d. Punctuality	Punctual	1
  e. Volitionality	Volitional	1
  f. Affirmative	Affirmative	1
  g. Mode	Realis	1
  h. Agency	A high in agency	1
  i. Affectedness of O	O totally affected	1
  j. Individuation of O	Ohighly-individuated	1
  Total		10

The verb hit fulfills all the parameters of transitivity which means that it has a total score. It got ten score for its transitivity.

• 5.2.4.    Transitivity of Middle Verb

• 1.    His books – Hawaii, Centennial, Chesapeake and many others – sell in the millions, and are transformed into movies, musical theatre, television drama. (1980: 116)

  Parameter	Verb Sell	Index
  a. Participants	One participant	0
  b. Kinesis	State	0
  c. Aspect	Telic	1
  d. Punctuality	Non-punctual	0
  e. Volitionality	Non-volitional	0
  f. Affirmative	Affirmative	1
  g. Mode	Realis	1

  h. Agency	A low in agency	0
  i. Affectedness of O	O not affected	0
  j. Individuation of O	Onon-individuated	0
  Total		3

The index transitivity parameter of verb sell is three (3). It means that the verb sell is low in transitivity.

• 5.2.5.    Transitivity of Passive Verb

• 1.    We were greeted by a cold wind and a rain filled sky. (1980: 2)

Parameter	Verb Greeted	Index
a. Participants	One participant	0
b. Kinesis	State	0
c. Aspect	Telic	1
d. Punctuality	Non-punctual	0
e. Volitionality	Non-volitional	0
f. Affirmative	Affirmative	1
g. Mode	Realis	1
h. Agency	A low in agency	0
i. Affectedness of O	O not affected	0
j. Individuation of O	Onon-individuated	0
Total		3

The index transitivity parameter of verb greeted is three (3). It means that the verb greeted is low in transitivity.

• 6.    Conclusion

It can be concluded that from fifty seven selected verbs in Reader’s Digest magazine, there are found forty seven active verbs, two middle verbs and eight passive verbs. The active verbs can be divided into three types based on the time stability scale. There are action, process and state. There are found thirteen state verbs, five process verbs, and twenty nine action verbs.

The degree of transitivity of each verb definitely depends on the type of verb itself. Among the active verb, state and process verb has the lower score in transitivity. The action verbs definitely have the highest score in transitivity. Middle and passive verbs are low in transitivity.

• 7.    Bibliography

Anonimous. 1980. Reader’s Digest Magazine. Vol.36 Oct 2013 ed. Hong Kong: Reader’s Digest Association Far East LTD.

Givon, Talmy. 1984. Syntax: A Functional-Typological Introduction Volume I&II. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing Company.

Hopper, Paul J. and Sandra A. Thomson. 1980. “Transitivity in Grammar and Discourse” language. Vol.56. 251-299.

21