Illocutionary Acts in the Movie Script Steve Jobs
on
ISSN: 2302-920X
Jurnal Humanis, Fakultas Ilmu Budaya Unud
Vol 20.1 Agustus 2017: 279-286
Illocutionary Acts in the Movie Script Steve Jobs
Sarah Novi Andriani
English Department - Faculty of Arts - Udayana University [[email protected]]
Abstrak
Skripsi ini berjudul “Tindak Ilokusi dalam Naskah Film Steve Jobs” berfokus pada analisis tindak ilokusi. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menjelaskan tipe-tipe tindak ilokusi beserta fungsinya serta menganalisis konteks situasi yang menentukan tindak ilokusi pada ucapan dalam naskah film Steve Jobs. Sumber data diambil dari ucapan karakter utama dalam naskah film Steve Jobs. Data dikumpulkan dengan menggunakan teknik mencatat serta menggunakan metode kualitatif dan deskriptif dalam menganalisis data. Penelitian ini menggunakan dua teori yaitu teori mengenai tipe tindak ilokusi oleh Searle dan teori konteks situasi yang diusulkan oleh Holmes. Terkait dengan analisis, ada lima tipe tindak ilokusi yaitu asertif, direktif, komisif, ekspresif, dan deklarasi yang ditemukan dalam film. Fungsi dari masing-masing tipe yaitu menegaskan, mengeluh, menuduh, menginformasikan, memprediksi, membual, membujuk, menyimpulkan, menghina, meminta, menyarankan, memerintah, peringatan, menanyakan, mengundang, menolak, mengancam, berniat, menjanjikan, menyapa, berterima kasih, menyalahkan, memuji, meminta maaf, dan menyatakan.
Kata kunci: konteks, situasi, ilokusi.
As a human, communication is an essential part of life that cannot be separated. When doing a
communication, there are speaker and hearer who are involved. The speaker has a goal to deliver a message or information to the hearer and
conversely the hearer aims to get the information from the speaker. According to Searle (1969:21) “the speech act is the basic unit of communication”. Speech act is the part of communication. It is the act of saying
or doing something that is concerned in meaning, use, and action. Austin (1962: chapter 12), classified speech act into three types, locutionary acts, illocutionary acts, and perlocutionary acts.
This study is focused to the analysis of illocutionary act. Searle (1979) classified the five kinds of illocutionary act: assertive, directive, commissive, expressive, and declarative. These types are analyzed in this study in order to get the speaker’s intention within his utterances. The
context of situation is also needed to describe the context of illocutionary act produced by the speaker. The reason of this study is interesting to be discussed, because the illocutionary act contains intended meaning. This intended meaning exists almost in every speaker’s utterance and most of the speakers do not realize that they perform the illocutionary act in their utterance. Intended meaning is referred to as the speaker’s intention to do something that the speaker’s utterance contains.
The illocutionary acts were analyzed by using movie script Steve Jobs as the data source due to the fact that many of the utterances especially the main character’s utterances consist of illocutionary acts. The movie tells about the biography of Steve Jobs which describes his personal life related to his family and colleagues.
From the background, there are some problems that can be listed as follows:
-
a. What types and functions of illocutionary act are found in the movie script Steve Jobs?
-
b. How context of situation determines the illocutionary act of the utterance in the movie script Steve Jobs?
Based on the topic discussed above, this study is aimed at learning about the illocutionary act as a part of speech act as follows:
-
a. To explain the types and functions of illocutionary act found in the movie script Steve Jobs.
-
b. To analyze the context of situation which determines the illocutionary act of the utterance in the movie script Steve Jobs.
This study used research method to collect and analyze the data. This research used primary data taken directly from the movie script Steve Jobs written by Sorkin. The movie script was downloaded from internet. The movie tells about the life of a personal computing innovator and Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Jobs. It was chosen as the data source as chosen it contains many illocutionary acts.
This study used note taking technique to collect the data. The data were collected by watching the movie and reading the movie script, then by noting down the main character’s utterances which belong to illocutionary acts. Descriptive qualitative method was applied in this study to analyze the data. The data were classified into types of illocutionary act and its function. After that, the context of situation which determines the illocutionary act of the utterance was defined.
-
5. Findings and discussion
-
5.1 Illocutionary Acts in The
-
Movie Script Steve Jobs
-
5.1.1 Assertive
Assertive is the illocutionary type which expresses the speaker’s belief to the truth of something’s being the case.
Boasting
(Scene 3)
Joanna: We’re not gonna sell a million in the first 90 days.
Steve: Everyone, everyone, everyone. Everyone is waiting for the Mac.
Joanna: Maybe, but what happens when they find out that for twenty four ninety five (2,495) there’s nothing you can do with it?
-
1. Illocutionary acts
Steve’s utterance “Everyone, everyone, everyone. Everyone is waiting for the Mac.” is in declarative form which is basically used for statement; however, it is not only stating but also boasting. Steve’s utterance is included in assertive type which is intended for boasting. To boast means to talk with too much pride about something (Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary). Joanna tells Steve to control his expectation about the high selling amount of Mac on its first day. However, Steve brags that everyone is waiting for Mac. He shows off that everyone wants Mac by emphasizing the word “everyone” twice in which it describes that everyone or almost all people are waiting for Mac. Then, Joanna as the hearer understands, but she responds by saying “maybe” because she is not sure and she tells about the worst probability that it will not reach a million in three months in order that Steve will manage his expectation. Therefore, Steve does not only give a statement but also boasts about Mac which is waited by everyone. His act of boasting expresses his belief as the speaker to the truth of the case which belongs to assertive as one of the illocutionary types.
-
2. Context of situation
The participants in this scene are the Apple co-founder Steve as the speaker and the head of marketing Joanna as the hearer. The setting is in the Steve’s dressing room in the morning. They talk about the Mac selling amount during the first 90 days. The aim of the conversation is related to the Steve’s wish in which Joanna tells Steve to manage his expectation that they cannot get a high selling amount of Mac launch in the first 90 days. However, he tells her with too much pride that everyone waited for the Mac.
Directive is the illocutionary type which expresses the speaker’s wish to get the hearer to do something.
Questioning
(Scene 1)
Steve: How bad are you saying?
Andy: It’s pretty bad.
Steve: I don’t know what that means. Andy: It means the demo is more than likely gonna crash.
-
1. Illocutionary acts
Steve’s utterance “I don’t know what that means.” is in declarative form which is basically used for statement, it is not only stating but also questioning. Steve’s utterance is included in
directive type which is intended to question. To question means to ask somebody about something (Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary). Andy tells Steve that there is a problem on the demo, then Steve responds by saying that he does not understand about his saying. Andy as the hearer understands and responds by telling the problem in more detail. Thus, Steve does not only give a statement that he does not understand but he is also questioning Andy or asking him to explain it indirectly. His act of questioning is referred to as his wish as the speaker to get Andy to do something which is to tell more about the problem of the voice demo.
-
2. Context of situation
The participants in this scene are the speaker Steve who is the Apple cofounder and the hearer Andy as the engineering. The setting is in the Flint Auditorium. They talk about the problem on the demo. The goal of the conversation is related to the demo where Andy tries to inform the problem of it, then Steve asks him indirectly about how bad the problem is by saying that he does not understand about Andy’s statement.
Commissive is the illocutionary type where the speaker commits to do a future action.
Promising
(Scene 4)
Andrea: There’s absolutely no way they’re letting us turn the exit signs off. Steve: I’ll pay whatever the fine is.
Andrea: The fine is they’re gonna come in and tell everyone to leave.
-
1. Illocutionary acts
Steve’s utterance “I’ll pay whatever the fine is” is in declarative form which is basically used for statement; however, it is not only stating but also promising. Steve’s utterance is included in commissive type which is intended to promise. To promise means to tell somebody that you will definitely do or not do something (Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary). Steve as the speaker wants the presentation to be total blackout and he asks Andrea to ask the technician to turn off the exit signs. Then, Andrea said that they would not turn off the exit signs because it would be dangerous. Steve said that he would pay whatever the fine for the technician to get the exit signs off. Steve’s utterance means something else; besides a statement, it shows his future action as promised that
he will pay the fine. Andrea as the hearer understands his intended meaning by keep insisting that it will be dangerous and the technician would not allow it.
-
2. Context of situation
The participants in this scene are Steve as the speaker and the Apple cofounder and Andrea as the hearer and the manager of Mac. The setting is in the Flint Auditorium. They talk about the exit signs which to has to be turned off. The aim of the conversation is related to the exit signs where Steve wants the presentation needs to be total blackout; hence, he asks Andrea whether the technician could turn it off and he said that he would pay whatever the fine is.
Expressive is the illocutionary type which expresses the speaker’s psychological state.
Apologizing
(Scene 120)
Lisa: Why did you say you weren’t my father?
Steve: Honey...I honestly don’t know. Lisa: That’s a child’s answer.
Steve: (owning it) I’m poorly made. Lisa stands there a moment, then checks her watch.
Lisa: You can’t start late. It’s after nine.
-
1. Illocutionary acts
Steve’s utterance “I’m poorly made.” is in declarative form which is basically used for statement, it is not only stating but also apologizing. Steve’s utterance is included expressive type which is intended to apologize. To apologize means to say that you are sorry for doing something wrong (Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary). Steve’s utterance can be identified as the act of apologizing besides stating, because he shows his psychological states as a poor person towards Lisa. Steve as the speaker does not only state that he is poor but also he apologizes to Lisa for not admitting her as his daughter in the past. Lisa as the hearer understands his intention; however, as she responds she changes the topic by reminding him that the event is going to start soon.
-
2. Context of situation
The participants in this scene are the speaker Steve as the Apple cofounder and Lisa’s father then the hearer Lisa as Steve’s daughter. The setting is at the parking lot. They talk about the past when Steve did not admit Lisa as his daughter. The purpose of the conversation is related to Steve’s statement where Lisa wants to know his
reason for not admitting her as his daughter when she was a child. Then, Steve feels sorry towards Lisa by conceding himself as a poor made person.
Declarative is the illocutionary type where the speaker brings about the changes in the state of current affairs.
Declaring
(Scene 3)
Joanna: You said when you told me the story, you said, “Dan, did Michael Moritz ask you if I had a daughter named Lisa?” and Dan said, “Yeah” and you said, “What did you tell him?” and Dan said, “Yes.” My point was that he answered you simply and honestly because he didn’t think he’d done anything wrong.
Steve: Except, Joanna, except, I don’t have a daughter named Lisa! And this story is now about how I’m denying paternity and took a blood test! I don’t know what to tell you. I was supposed to be Time magazine’s Man of the Year and then Dan Kottke was born.
Joanna: Well...
-
1. Illocutionary acts
Steve’s utterance “I don’t have a daughter named Lisa!” is in imperative form which is basically used to command; it is not only commanding but also declaring. Steve’s utterance is included in declarative type which is intended to declare. To declare means to say something publicly (Oxford 284
Advanced Learner’s Dictionary). Steve’s utterance is not only commanding the hearer Joana to believe him, but also as the act of declaring because it brings the changes on the current state of affairs. His statement for not admitting his daughter affects his surroundings such as Lisa’s mother Chrisann who is angry with him and asks his responsibility, then Lisa also questions him when she is grown up to be the university student. His act of declaring as the speaker affects the changes in some current state of affairs. Joanna as the hearer understands his meaning and responds only by saying “well” which means that she understands and does not want to argue with him anymore.
-
2. Context of situation
The participants in this scene are the speaker Steve as the Apple cofounder and the hearer Joanna as the head of marketing. The setting is in the Steve’s dressing room. They discuss Dan’s statement about Steve’s daughter who is not admitted by him. The goal of the conversation is related to Dan’s statement where Joanna wants to tell Steve that Dan is not guilty for giving statement about Steve’s daughter;
hence, she asks him about it; however, he keeps saying that he does not have a daughter named Lisa and he blames Dan instead.
Types of illocutionary acts that are assertive, directive, commissive, expressive, and declarative were found in this study. These types have functions which marked the intended meaning of the speaker’s utterances in the movie script Steve Jobs. Assertive type has functions of insisting, complaining, accusing, informing, predicting, boasting, convincing, concluding, and insulting. In addition, they are requesting, advising, ordering, warning, questioning, inviting, and refusing. Commissive types are threatening, intending, and promising. While expressive are greeting, thanking, blaming, praising, and apologizing. Declarative has only one function that is declaring.
The context of situation consists of participant, setting, topic, and function. This study found the context of the character’s utterances which explained who the participants and what their relationship, role, and position were. The other contexts found are the 285
setting or location where the conversation took place, the topic which was discussed by the participants, and the purpose about why the participants talked.
Ariff, T.N.A.Z. and Mugableh, A.I. 2013. Speech Act of Promising Among Jordanians.
International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 3 (13), p. 248-266.
Wardani, N.A. 2011. “An Analysis of Illocutionary Act in Prince of Persia: The Sand of Time”
(Undergraduate thesis). Jakarta: State Islamic Syarif
Hidayatullah.
Dewi, A.A.P.R. 2016. “Comissive and Expressive Illocutionary Acts and Their Intended Meaning in Steel’s The Cottage”
(Undergraduate thesis).
Denpasar: Udayana University.
Holmes, J. 2001. A Introduction to Sociolinguistics. Harlow:
Longman.
Prasitha, I.A.T. 2015. “Indirect Illocutionary Act Used in Francine Pascal Novel
Forbidden Love”
(Undergraduate thesis).
Denpasar: Udayana University.
Searle, J.R. 1979. Expression & Meanings. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press.
Sorkin, A. 2015. Steve Jobs Movie Script. Go Into the Story. Available from:
http://gointothestory.blcklst.co m/wp.content/uploads/2015/11/ SteveJobs.pdf. Cited at May 5, 2016.
286
Discussion and feedback