Udayana Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vol. 7 No. 2, September 2023

Women’s Language Features that Used by Characters in Movie “Tinkerbell: Secret of The

Wings”

Ida Bagus Aswinda Eka Temaja Sidemen1, Sang Ayu Isnu Maharani2, Putu Weddha Savitri3 [1]English Department, Faculty of Humanities, Udayana University

Denpasar, Bali

Email: aswindaeka12@gmail.com

[2]English Department, Faculty of Humanities, Udayana University

Denpasar, Bali

Email: isnu_maharani@unud.ac.id

[3]English Department, Faculty of Humanities, Udayana University

Denpasar, Bali

Email: weddha_savitri@unud.ac.id

Abstract: This study entitled Women’s Language Features that Used by Character’s in Movie: “Tinkerbell: Secret of the Wings”. This study is aimed at identifying of women’s language features and find out the function of the language in the movie. The theories applied in this study were the theory of women’s language that proposed by Robin Lakoff (1975) and theory of language function by Roman Jakobson (1960). The data of this study was taken from observation and taking note the dialogue of characters on the movie, the method applied was documentation method. The collected data were selected and put into categories of women’s language features and categorized their function which were descriptively analysed based on the theory applied. The finding of analysis shows the women’s language features found in this movie include the use of lexical hedges, tag question, rising intonation, empty adjectives, intensifiers, hypercorrect grammar, super polite form, avoidance of strong swear word and emphatic stress. The findings also show there are 5 function of the women’s language features such as: expressive, referential, conative or directive, poetic and phatic function.

Keywords: Women’s Language Features, Characters, and Functions

  • I.    INTRODUCTION

Language is a type of social interaction that occurs between people, whether men or women, in a specific situation. It is not only a social indicator, but also a personal trait. Language also can be a social indicator that indicates that it is agreed upon not only by linguistic factors, but also by social and situational factors. Examples of social factors include backgrounds in education, social status, age, sex, gender, and so on. Gender is so firmly embedded in our institutions, our behaviours, our values, and our desires that it seems normal to us. Eckert (2003:10) stated the different between Sex and Gender, she said “Sex is a biological categorization based primarily on reproductive potential, whereas gender is the social

elaboration of biological sex. Gender builds on biological sex, it exaggerates biological difference and, indeed, it carries biological difference into domains in which it is completely irrelevant.”

Sociolinguistics is the study of the sociological aspects of language. The discipline is concerned with the role of language in the maintenance of social roles in a community. It tries to separate the linguistic features that are employed in specific settings and that distinguish the various social ties between the participants as well as the important aspects of the event, sociolinguistics has so much part of study inside it, Women’s language is one of part Sociolinguistics Study, it has a foundation the attitude that women are marginal to the serious concern of life, which are pre-

empted by men. Many people think women’s and men’s are speak with same language, but they don’t, Women and men speak for different contents and different purposes. Women’s utterances show evidence of concern for the feelings of the people they are talking to. Women are more likely to be cooperative and to avoid conflict, for example agreeing, supporting and making suggestion rather than making command. On the other hand, men talk as a means to reach an end or decision, some information gained, and a problem resolved, such as men view questions as request for information. Men are also more likely to be competitive and to engage conflict, such as arguing, issuing, and commanding.

The study of Women’s Language is fascinating to analyze, not just in English, There are certainly gender differences in word choice in various languages, for example in Koasati, an Amerindian language spoken in south-western Louisiana, among other gender-linked differences, men often pronounced an s at the end of verbs, but women did not, e.g., male lakáws ‘he is lifting it’ and female lakáw. Beside that some people still don’t know how to differentiate women’s and men’s language. Some people even ask “What’s is women’s language?” Few people still considered women and men are speak with same language, they even don’t know the different about it. This is the reason why women’s language features are interested to analyze.

Problems of the Study

Based on the background that has been explained, the problems of this study are formulated as follows:

  • a.    What kind of Women’s Language Features that used by Characters in the Movie “Tinkerbell: Secret of The Wings”?

  • b.    What are the functions of Women’s Language Features that used by Characters in the Movie “Tinkerbell: Secret of The Wings”?

Aims of the Study

The aims of this study is to identifying the women’s language features and their function by women characters that use Jakobson theories that applied in this study, the characters that used in this study such as; Tinkerbell, Periwinkle, Fawn, Rosseta, Silvermist, Iridessa, Vidia, Queen Clarion, Fairy Mary, Gliss and Spike.

  • a.    To find out the women’s language features are used by characters in movie “Tinkerbell: Secret of The Wings”

  • b.    To find out the function of women’s language features that used by characters in movie “Tinkerbell: Secret of The Wings”

  • II.    RESEACH METHOD

The research method covers data source, method and technique of collecting data, method and technique of analyzing data, and method and technique of presenting analysis.

Data Source

The data of this study was taken from observation and taking note the dialogue between Tinkerbell and Periwinkle with the other characters in movie “Tinkerbell: Secret of The Wings”. The Movie was downloaded, the data of this study used the dialogue that happens in the movie as the primary data and also used the script as secondary data. The movie contains many dialogue between women and women characters and also contain a little bit dialogue between women and men characters, because in this movie the female characters is more stand out rather than the male characters, but this study only analyse women’s language in the movie.

Method and Technique of Collecting Data

The data of this study was taken from dialogues in the movie “Tinkerbell: Secret of The Wings” The method applied was documentation method. The data was collected in order to find out the features and the functions of women’s language that used by main characters in the movie, and the features and their function were suggested by Lakoff (1975). There were some steps taken in collecting data, such as;

  • 1.     Download the movie and watch the movie

repeatedly

  • 2.     Find out the dialogue or conversations which

could be contains as women’s language features and their functions,

  • 3.      And last is taking note of the data and ordering to

list it

Method and Technique of Analyzing Data

The study tends to emphasize the quality of data, the data analyse with descriptive analyze methods, and presented descriptively in order to explaining and presenting the data based on the theories that applied in this study Lakoff (1975) about women’s language features and Jakobson (1960) about language function. The data analyse descriptively based on the problem of this study, they are;

  • 1.       Classifying the data into women language’s

features that used by characters in the movie “Tinkerbell: Secret of The Wings” based on the theory that proposed by Lakoff (1975).

  • 2.       Analyzing the function of women’s language

features that used by characters in the movie “Tinkerbell: Secret of The Wings” based on theory that proposed by Roman Jakobson (1960)

Method and Technique of Presenting Data

The data presented by using informal method and the data of this study were analysed by qualitative method, which means the data were describe or explain by words. This study was analysed based Robin Lakoff theory (1975) about women’s language features, and presented descriptively by showing the types of women’s language features and their function in the sentence of dialogues that used by characters in the Movie, because the problems of this study need description of analysis in order to make the utterance understandable by the reader.

  • III.    RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Analysis of Women’s Language Features and Functions in Movie “Tinkerbell: Secret of the Wings”

The utterances that analysed in this chapter taken from the conversations in movie Tinkerbell: Secret of the wings by characters. The women’s language features that found in this movie were use of Lexical hedges, Tag Question, Rising Intonation, Empty Adjectives, Intensifiers, Hypercorrect Grammar, Superpolite form, Avoidance of strong swear world and Emphatic Stress

  • 1.    Lexical Hedges

Data [3-2-1-1]

Tinkerbell : look you guys, it’s happen, it. It feel like…like…..

Silvermist           : Like what?

Tinkerbell : Like the winter woods was calling me..., you know!

Silvermist           :  “Whispering to her

friends lightly” Call the doctors, “then chukle to tink”

In the dialogue 1 above show conversations between Tinkerbell and her friends in the grassy field outside of fairy urgent care room, Tinkerbell who’s explain about what happen to her after she cross the border to her friends and tell them that Tinkerbell wings was lit up before, she describe it like the winter woods has a special connection to her. Tinkerbell used lexical hedges “you know” in her utterance. She used hedges you know to expressing her statement is not accurate, she think like she has connection with the “winter woods” which is by the warm fairy it’s impossible, because according to the rule of pixie hollow, the warm fairy were not allowed to go inside

the winter woods and it’s prevail to winter fairy, which is not allowed going to warm season woods, but Tink denied it, and going to winter woods by herself.

The function of her statement as expressive function, it’s means to express the speaker or emotion to the speaker, in here she used to express her feeling about what happen to her wings while she cross the border, it also has function to show her uncertainly of her statement before was not accurate.

  • 2.    Tag Question

Data [3-2-2-4]

Tinker Bell: Um…Hmm. I guess you can't see it from here.

Periwinkle: (SIGHS) No. You can't. What's it like over there?

Tinker Bell : Warm.

Periwinkle : And the colors? The sounds? All the animals. And the fish. They swim in melted ice, right?

Tinker Bell : Water.

Periwinkle: (SIGHS) I wish…I wish I could go there.

In Dialogue 4, there was conversation between Tinkerbell and Periwinkle who’s had a little campfire in front of Peri’s house. Both of them had conversation about themselves such as; knowing about themselves, what their common and what their differences, due to both of them were a sister, so they do that for knowing more each other. Periwinkle who’s a winter fairy was curious about what’s like over the warm season and ask “What’s like over there?’ to Tinkerbell. She also asked about the colors, the sounds, and the animals over there, she asked also about fish which swim in the melted ice (water). Therefore she using tag question “Right?” in her last sentences to show her uncertainty about her statement before which is “They swim in melted ice”. She used to weaken her strengthen statement before, because she doesn’t really know about water because she lives in winter woods.

The Function of Periwinkle statement above was as Phatic Function, its means communicate solidarity with others and empathy. The phatic function leads to touch establishment and relates to the communication channel. It opens or tests whether it functions for social purposes. In here her statement has function to avoiding some embarrassing minutes of silence, so she used tag question “Right?” in her last sentences.

  • 3.    Rising Intonation.

Data [3-2-3-5]

Spike       : Sisters?

Gliss       : Well, I think it's fantastic! Wow,

you two look exactly alike! I mean, expect for your clothes and your hair and Peri's a bit more pale. But your noses are very similar.

Spike               : Uh, Forget their noses.

He's a warm fairy. In winter!

Gliss      : (GASPS) you’re right. We got to

show her around! Oh, oh, oh! Let's take her ice-sliding! Come on, Spike!

Periwinkle : You are going to love this! Tinker Bell : It sounds fun.

In Dialogue 5, there was conversation between Gliss and Spike with Tinkerbell and Periwinkle, Tinkerbell who’ show herself accidentally in front of Periwinkle friends in winter woods, while Peri want to show Tink the Frost Forest, Tinkerbell slipped and fell onto a snowdrift below. Periwinkle flew to her and try to catch her, and they both wound up sliding right into Gliss's and Spike's arms. Gliss and Spike who’s confused by appearance of warm fairy in the winter woods while they’re practice. Spike use Rising Intonation “Sisters?” and rise her intonation on the last statement. She rise it to express her uncertainty about Tinkerbell and Periwinkle were sisters, so she rise her intonation to show it.

The Function of Spike statement above is as Expressive Function, it’s mean to show the speaker feelings or emotions thorough the addresser, in here Spike show her curiosity and unbelievable emotions to Periwinkle that she had a sister that she even never knew Peri’s had.

  • 4.    Empty Adjectives

Data [3-2-4-8]

Tinker Bell: Aaagh! (EXT. BOUNDARY – DAY. Fawn yanked Tinker Bell back past the border into autumn)

Fawn      : Oh, Tink! I told you, we're not

allowed to cross.

Fawn      : Your wings.

Tinker Bell: I know! They were sparkling.

Fawn      : They're freezing! We'd better get

you to a healing-talent fairy. (Fawn dragged Tinker Bell away from the border)

Tinker Bell: But–

Fawn     : Come on!

In dialogue 8, there was conversation between Tinkerbell and Fawn, Tinkerbell who’s crossed the

border just for a second, and then a lasso sailed over her head and tightened around her waist, and pull her back to warm woods season. Tink crossed the border and fawn didn’t recognize her, she admired with the view in the border, she just walked for a few meters of the border and fawn already realize Tink was not around her and saw she crossed the border, Fawn used Tink rod to get her back to warm season forest, then fawn realized Tink’s wings and she shock when saw it, Tink said “They were Sparkling”. Tink used empty adjectives Sparkling in her utterance to convince fawn that her wings was lit up in the border, but fawn don’t hear it and drag Tink to Healing Talent Fairy because seeing her wings was freezing. The function of Tink Empty Adjectives is to express Tink feeling to made fawn believe Tink’s wings was lit up.

Tinkerbell statement here has function as Referential function, its means referential function is a function to convey information, describes a situation, object or mental state. In here she describe situation and object that happened to Tinkerbell wings while she cross the border, she think her wings was lit up while she in the winter woods then she said “They were Sparkling” and use empty adjectives Sparkling, but fawn didn’t believe it at all and thought Tinkerbell wings was freezing

  • 5.    Intensifiers

Data [3-2-5-9]

Iridessa : But how?

Clank      : They were born of the same laugh,

okay! Tell them, Tink, what you told me and Bobble.

Tinker Bell : Her name's Periwinkle. She's a frost fairy, and she's just amazing. I'm making this machine so she can come here and meet you all, and after that we'll go straight to Queen Clarion!

Silvermist : Oh…

Vidia      : Um, have you thought this

through? "Hi, Queen Clarion. Meet the winter fairy I smuggled over the border." Rosetta     : Vidia!

In dialogue 9, there was conversation between Tinkerbell and her friends. Clank who’s told all of Tink’s friends that she had a sisters in winter woods, all of them was so excited heard of it and they’re help Tink’s plan to bring Periwinkle to cross the border and smuggle her into warm season woods. Tink depict whose and what kind of person is periwinkle. She use intensifiers “Just” in her statement about Periwinkle in order to emphasize her utterance and emphasize her assertion and show that Peri is an amazing person.

The function of “Just” here is as Expressive Function, its means to express the speaker feelings

also is to express speaker feeling and emotion, the aim of this emotive feature is to convey the addresser's emotion or to express the speaker's attitude feelings. The statement has function to express Tinker feelings about her sister to her friends there and convince the speaker statement to the addresser.

  • 6.    Hypercorrect Grammar

Data [3-2-6-12]

Tinkerbell: Um… I’m Tinkerbell

Periwinkle: I’m Periwinkle

Tinkerbell: So, You must have been at the border??

Periwinkle: Yeah! I was hoping to see the animal cross.

Tinkerbell: I guess, I didn’t see you

Periwinkle: (Chuckles) Me Either.

In dialogue 12, there was conversation between Tinkerbell and Periwinkle for the first time, in here Tinkerbell introduce herself and Peri do the same thing. When Tink ask Peri, she answered “Yeah! I was hoping to see animal cross.” She used hypercorrect grammar “I was hoping”. The sentences was considered as Past Continuous Tense and the rule is: S + Were/Was + Verb-Ing. Standard speech forms are generally associated with high social status and women use more standard speech forms as a way claiming of her status. In here, Peri winkle used it because in that case, she’s just meet Tinkerbell for the first time and also Periwinkle want to be polite with person that she never meet before, even both of them were sister. In here Periwinkle stated “I was hoping” it has purpose not just listened by Tink but also want to be understood by Tink that she was hoping to see the animal cross, while she in the border before.

The function of Perwinkle statement as an Expressive Function, its means to express the speaker feelings or emotions through the addresser, in here Periwinkle show her curious feeling about the animal cross.

  • 7.    Super polite Forms

Data [3-2-7-13]

Periwinkle: No, it could've worked! We just needed a bigger piece of ice.

Lord Milori: And when that was gone? Your wings could have broken.

Periwinkle: But they didn't. I'm fine. Thanks to them.

Lord Milori: The rule is there to protect you. I'm sorry. You two may never see each other again. (He stood to leave)

Periwinkle: Please don't do this. We really belong together.

Tinker Bell: We're sisters. We were born of the same laugh.

In dialogue 13, Tinkerbell and her friends who’s rushed bring back Peri to Winter Woods because their plan not accurate, and after they bring Peri cross the border, they scold by Lord Milori. Peri used Super polite Forms “Please, don’t do this”, to show her pure expression that she don’t want to apart with Tink, because they’re plan already known by Lord Milori. Periwinkle who’s almost in danger if Tink and her friends couldn’t bring her to border, after Peri and Tink stand eye of eye in the border, unfortunately, he came and scold them, Tinkerbell also begged to not apart them, she said Lord Milori rules can’t apart them, but Tink wrong, it’s not Lord Milori rule, it Queen Clarion rule, she came also into the border and show herself to them and tell Tink to not do same thing in future, like or not they have to say goodbye.

The function of Periwinkle statement here as Conative Function, its means trying to get the addresser to do something with the speaker request, in here Peri request to not being apart with her sister to Lord Milori.

  • 8.    Avoidance of Strong Swear Words

Data [3-2-8-16]

Clank      : We did it!

Tinker Bell: It's over.

Vidia       : Uh, I don't think it is.

Queen Clarion: Oh, my goodness. The seasons have been thrown out of balance.

Minister of spring: But if the temperatures continue to drop, it will freeze all of Pixie Hollow.

In dialogue 16, there was conversation between Tinkerbell and her friends with Queen Clarion and the other minister, after Tinkerbell and her friend release the snowmaker machine from stuck on the bridge, they really happy and think it’s over, but Vidia pointed on the tree in front of them and see the bridge start to freezing and the season have been thrown out of balance. In here Queen Clarion use Avoidance of Strong Swearword “Oh my goodness” to show her fear that temperature and weather become unbalanced and creeping fast to warm season woods.

The Function of Queen Clarion statement here as Expressive Function, its means to show the speaker feeling or emotions to the addresser. In here she show her fear emotions and her anxious to their Pixie Dust tree, because if the Pixie Dust tree frozen there will no pixie dust and all fairy lose their power to fly.

  • 9.    Emphatic Stress

Data [3-2-9-18]

Fawn: All right, guys. You ready? (The weasels chattered their agreement. Then they skipped up the log. One at the time, they leapt over into winter. As they crossed the border, each of the weasels' coats magically turned from brown to white!)

Tinker Bell: Wow.

Fawn      : Pretty great, huh?

Tinker Bell: It's incredible.

Fawn      : They get their winter coats to

protect them from the cold. (CHUCKLES) Your turn. Go on. Go on now. Follow your brothers.

In dialogue 18, Tinkerbell helped Fawn to do the animal cross, as an Animal Fairy, Fawn have to help the animal to cross the border, Tinkerbell which is a Tinker Fairy want to help Fawn, and for a wish she can cross the border with the animal. Fawn who’s help the weasels cross the border for the first animal who cross the border, ask them and encourage them to cross the border, Tinkerbell see while they cross the border, their coasts turn into white and Tinkerbell amazed with it said “it’s incredible”, she used it because she want to emphasize her assertion about the weasels who’s magically turn their coats to white fur while cross the border.

The statement “it’s incredible” here has a function as an expressive function, it’s mean to show or express the speaker feeling or emotion to the addresser. In here Tink want to express her amaze emotion or feeling through what have her seen while she cross the border, she amazed with the animal that cross the border turn into white color while cross the border, and Tink never see it, but Fawn seems like she already accustomed.

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  • IV. CONCLUSION

This study was aimed to show the women’s language features and their function based on Roman Jakobson theories, this study would like to figure out the function of women’s language features and also the features as well which is analyse trough movie Tinkerbell: Secret of the Wings, based on the analysing before, there are two conclusion that can be resolved

First, Women’s Language features was still used in today’s era, the female characters in the movie Tinkerbell: Secret of the Wings used 9 out of 10 of women’s language features as well-known as: Lexical hedges and Fillers was used 18 times, Tag Question was used 4 times, Rising Intonation was used 36 times, Empty Adjectives was used 3 times, Intensifiers was used 14 times, Hypercorrect Grammar was used 3 times, Super polite forms was used 7 times, Avoidance of Strong Swear Words was used 4 times, and Emphatic Stress was used 5 times. Unfortunately, in this movie didn’t found any sentences that considered as the Precise Colours Terms Features. Based on the data, Rising Intonation become the most used features in this movie and hypercorrect grammar and Empty Adjectives become the least used Features.

Second, there are 5 out of 6 functions that found in this movie, such as: Expressive Function, Conative or Directive Function, Referential Function, Phatic Function and Poetic Function, mostly of the women’s language features function found as expressive function its means to expressing the speaker feeling or emotion.

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