LANGUAGE AND POLITENESS BY WOWEN CHARACTERS IN BRONTE’S NOVEL ENTITLED “JANE EYRE”
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LANGUAGE AND POLITENESS
BY WOWEN CHARACTERS IN BRONTE’S NOVEL
ENTITLED “JANE EYRE”
Putu Heptari Novintya Dewi
Jurusan Sastra Inggris Fakultas Sastra Unud
Abstrak
Penggunaan bahasa dan bentuk kesopanan dalam percakapan oleh penutur wanita umumnya berbeda dengan penutur pria. Hal ini dapat ditinjau dari acara talk show wanita, majalah wanita ataupun karya sastra dalam bentuk novel. Tulisan ini merupakan analisa terhadap novel hasil karya Charlotte Bronte berjudul Jane Eyre yang memiliki korelasi terhadap teori Lakoff yang mengungkapkan theory of women language. Berdasarkan hasil analisa tersebut, hal hal linguistic dalam bahasa wanita mencakup pertanyaan pendek pada akhir kalimat, jenis dominasi kata kata sifat untuk wanita, konsistesi terhadap kosa kata yang benar, memperhatikan intonasi suara, penggunaan tata bahasa dan bentuk kesopanan bahasa, penegasan ekspresi, intensif dalam penggunaan just and so, menghindari umpatan yang kuat serta penggunaan istilah warna yang tepat.
Kata Kunci: novel, teori Lakoff, bahasa wanita.
Men and women grow restricted by the rules of society. Women speak by using tag question, qualifiers, and fillers in order to soften their speech, and by doing this they avoid direct, rough, and direct tone without hesitating whether to soften their speech or not. However, men speak in higher, rougher, and direct tone without hesitating whether to soften their speech or not.
The study about women language is very interesting to be carried out. The novel entitled Jane Eyre By Charlotte Bronte telling about girl’s interaction at that time with their friends, employer and also other elder persons. It is related with women and language features and about the form of politeness. It is shown clearly by the author. Charlotte Bronte was greatly admired for her use of language. This
novel had been chosen because it was written by a famous and a great author who used to write about women characters.
Based on the background above, the problems are:
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1. What kinds of women language features are found in the novel “Jane Eyre”?
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2. What forms of politeness are involved in the novel “Jane Eyre”?
Related to the problems above, the aims of this study are:
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1. To identify the kinds of women language features found in the novel “Jane Eyre”
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2. To find out and analyze the politeness forms in the novel “Jane Eyre”
In this section, there are three points of discussions covered including data sources, method and technique of collecting data, and method and technique of analyzing data.
The data of this study were taken from a novel entitled”Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Bronte. It took situation In England in 1824 that fit on the problem of the study about women language that was still more polite than men.
There were some ways to collect the data. In this study techniques of collecting data are formulated as follows:
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1. Read the novel entitled “Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Bronte.
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2. Select and identify the conversation that is spoken by woman characters to find out the styles of women language as well as to see the form of politeness found in this novel.
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3. Analyze data based on the styles of women language and the part of politeness form.
The data were qualitatively based on the theoritical framework. The data were processed through some steps :
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1. Listing and identifying the data into women’s language features.
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2. Classifying the women’s language features and the politeness form based on the theory proposed by Lakoff (1975).
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3. Analysis
The collected data were analyzed qualitatively in a descriptive way based on the theory applied in this study. The theories that is used are proposed by Lakoff (1975).
The women language features were divided into ten as proposed by Lakoff. They are the use of tag question, the use of empty adjectives, lexical hedges or fillers, question intonation and rising intonation, intensifies (just and so) and qualifier, hypercorrect grammar, super polite form, avoidance of strong swear words, emphatic stress, precise colour terms.
Jane : ‘But Miss Temple is the best – isn’t she’ ?
Helen: ‘Miss Temple is very good, and very clever; she is above the rest, because she knows for more than they do’ (Bronte, 1847:53)
Analysis :
In this sample, tag question has functioned to state a claim. At that time she tried to give her claim, but at the same time when she used tag question in giving answer, it also reflected the lack of confidence of the speaker.
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5.1.2 The Use of ‘Empty’ Adjectives
Jane : 'I know there is, because it does not sound too sweet. It is not like such words as Liberty, Excitement, and Enjoyment: delightful sounds truly ...’ (Bronte, 1847:87)
Analysis:
Generally, the word sweet shows the use of empty adjectives in admiring of something but in this case. Jane used this kind of adjective in negative form. In Jane's sentence 'It does not sound too sweet', sweet is not means good but it becomes 'it dislikes me'
Jane : 'No, thank you Bessie'
Bessie :'Then I think I shall go to bed, for it is past twelve o'clock; but you may call me if you want anything in the night (Bronte,1847:22)
Analysis:
She used I think hedges to end the conversation politely and to preface her declaration. Bessie conveyed if she wanted to go to bed but also guarantee she will come if Jane called her.
Bessie : ‘miss eyre, are you ill?’
Jane : ‘Let me out! Let me go into the nursery!’
Bessie : 'What for? Are you hurt? What is the matter?’ (Bronte, 1847:52)
Analysis:
Generally they use this feature to seek for a confirmation from their addressee. She used these form because she worry about her friend’s condition. She wanted to know what happened to Jane.
Mrs. Reed: 'Abbot and Bessie, I believe I gave orders that Jane Eyre should be left in the red-room till I came to her my self’
Bessie : 'Miss Jane screamed so loud, ma’am’(Bronte.l847:19)
Analysis:
In this conversation, she said 'Miss Jane screamed so loud', which meant she emphasized the intensity of Jane's scream it is explained that Jane scream was very loud, as Bessie said.
The Girl :’ Will you walk this way, ma’am?’(Bronte,1847:97)
Analysis:
The conversation of the girl used simple future tense in the form of interrogative. It is show hypercorrect grammar used the girls in the novel at that time.
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5.1.7 The Use of Super Polite Form
Bessie : ' Would you like to drink, or could you eat anything?
Jane : 'No, thank you Bessie'(Bronte, 1847:21)
Analysis:
Bessie used superpolite form in the form of indirect request such as would you and could you in her sentence to offering drink also giving choice to eat something. Jane's answer also contains superpolite form in the use of thank you in her sentence.
Jane : I thought, Thornfield belonged to you'
Mrs. Fairfax: 'To me? Bless you child; what an idea
To me? I only the housekeeper' (Bronte,1847:101)
Analysis :
In her surprise, she used these sentences because she never imagine will be guessed as the owner of Thornfield since she is only the
housekeeper. She used blessing words whether than the harsh one and what an idea to ask Jane why she could think like that.
Jane : 'Are there ladies at Leas?"
Mrs. Fairfax : ‘…. You should have seen the dining room that day how
richly it was decorated how brilliantly lit up!
(Bronte,1847:158)
Analysis :
On the conversation above, the word richly and brilliantly in expressing her admiration to the party decoration that amazed her. It proved with the definition of the word brilliant that means extremely clever or impressive; very successful; very intelligent or skillful; and very good or excellent.
Jane : ……The horizon bounded by a propitious sky, azure, marbled with pearly white.(Bronte, 1 847:107)
Analysis :
Charlotte Bronte used precise colour terms to describe the colour of the sky like azure and pearly white. Azure means a bright blue colour, like the sky. Azure is usually familiar with women proved by in a example: a dress of azure silk(Hornby,1995:71).Pearly white phrase comes from the adjective word pearly that means of or like a pearl with the following example: pearly white teeth(Hornby, 1995:853).
Mrs. Fairfax : 'Oh, he set off the moment he had breakfasted! He is gone to the Leas, Mr. Eshton's place, ten miles on the other side Millcote. I
believe there is quite a party assembled there; Lord Ingram, Sir George Lynne, Colonel Dent, and others.'
Jane : 'Do you expect him back tonight?'(Bronte,1847:158)
Analysis :
Mrs. Fairfax used titles to mention some people in this conversation to show their high sosial status in society such as Mr, Lord, Sir and Colonel.
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5.2.2 Camaraderie
Jane :'Is your book interesting?'
Helen: ‘I like it"
Jane: "What is it about?"
Helen: 'You may look at it'
Analysis:
Jane tried to make a friend with Helen (as gestures of friendliness). It shows in her question to Helen is your book interesting? She used camaraderie form of politeness. She showed her sympathy to Helen who read a book alone. The other reasons, Jane was like read too, like Helen was.
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6. Conclusion
After analysing, the woman language and politeness in the novel entitled Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte it was found that women language features involved in the are tag question, the use of empty adjectives, lexical hedges or fillers, question intonation and rising intonation, intensifies (just and so) and qualifier, hypercorrect grammar, super polite form, avoidance of strong swear words, emphatic stress, precise color terms.
Women have their own language because they want to be more polite.Women Character in this novel are using politeness to man, strangers, and the older people. In terms of politeness, it was found two forms of politeness there are formality form and camaraderie form. Formality was used as the most polite one to keep aloof between the speaker and the addressee. In the other situation, it was used to respect someone who has already met.Meanwhile, camaraderie functioned to show sympathy. The purpose of this form is to make the addressee feel that the speaker wants to be friendly with her.
References
Bronte, Charlotte. 1847.Jane Eyre. England:Penguin Books.
Hornby,A. S. 1995 .Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. New York:Oxford
University Press.
Lakoff, Robin. 1995.Language and Women's Place. New York:Harper and Row Publishes.
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