ABSTRACT

Hidayat, Taufik. 2023. An Analysis of Directive Speech Acts Produced by Kayla Day in “Eighth Grade” Movie. Sarjana’s Thesis. English Language Education Study Program, Faculty of Teachers’ Training and Education, Lambung Mangkurat University, Banjarmasin. The first advisor: Dr. Novita Triana, S.Pd, M.A., the second advisor: Elvina Arapah, M.Pd.

Keywords: speech acts, directive speech acts, movies.

Speech acts can be found in everyday interactions between people. Other than that, speech acts can also be found in literary works, such as novels, short stories, dramas, and even movies. Therefore, the researcher is interested in conducting research on the types and contexts used in directive speech acts produced in a movie. The researcher chose the Eighth Grade movie to be studied. The aim of the study is to analyze the types and contexts used in directive speech acts in the movie. 

This research was descriptive-qualitative. The research objects are the main character of the movie. The data were obtained through conducting observation of the movie. Then, transcribed into written form, and selected to fit the objective of the research. The data were analyzed by using an observation sheet with a coding system to classify the data. The results of the study reveal that there are four types of directive speech acts in the Eighth Grade movie produced by the main character which is spread over 26 data. They are command, request, permission, and suggestion. The researcher found that command directive speech acts that are found by the researcher in the movie are mostly produced by the main character with low-context communication. The context frequently found is the situation where Kayla asked her dad to behave according to her expectations. 

The researcher recommends investigating diverse speech act categories, including locutionary acts, representative speech acts, or other topics within pragmatics. Moreover, researchers are encouraged to consider different research materials, such as poetry, or engage diverse study subjects, such as teachers or students.