Journal of Pragmatics Research

Beauty Construction on Clean&Clear Foaming Face Wash Video Advertisement: A Semiotic Analysis

Haryati — 2023-12-08

The study attempts to explain and describe the semiotic process and the stereotype about beauty construction in video advertisements. A triadic meaning of semiotics is used to identify and analyze the data, focusing on representamen, object, and interpretant. In addition, this study also uses the theory of beauty stereotypes to identify cultural conflicts in the form of beauty construction in society. The method of this study is descriptive qualitative because the writer collected the data in the form of written words, which produces descriptive information. There are sixteen pictures captured from the "Gak Perlu Curi-curi Lagi Cek" – Clean&Clear Foaming Face Wash video advertisement that was analyzed in this study. The research found that the semiotic elements consisting of representamen, objects, and interpretants appeared in the Clean & Clear video ads. The interpretation of signs in this study shows that women are trapped in a dilemmatic beauty construction where physical appearance is an absolute beauty concept for women. Beauty becomes a stereotype because of the construction made by the advertising media that requires women to have perfect physical appearances: smile, confidence, genetically colored skin, clean, without blemishes and acne.

Dear Leader!: A Look at (In)directness in Online Complaints in China

Shiying Zhao — 2024-02-13

The rise of e-government services has led to an increase in citizens interacting with the government online. However, not much about the nature of citizen complaints on such administrative platforms is known. The few previous studies have shown that due to politeness considerations, Chinese communication is often indirect in power-asymmetrical settings. This study examines citizen complaint posts on an online e-service platform in China, exploring the linguistic directness and politeness of those posts. Using a qualitative method, 300 citizen complaint posts were analyzed, with the findings revealing that: a) traditional markers of politeness were not extensively used in the opening and closing of complaint posts despite their inherently face-threatening nature; b) citizens communicated directly with the government, expressing a high level of directness in complaint posts; c) despite finding (b), complaint components were not in general perceived as impolite. The paper argues that Chinese communication is not always indirect, particularly in online situations where there is a power imbalance. In such cases, citizens sporadically use traditional politeness markers such as politeness strategies, specific types of speech act components, and avoidance of expressions of negative emotions. Interestingly, the study found that citizens focused more on avoiding Component B (i.e. dissatisfaction/disapproval) in complaints and formalizing complaint components, rather than relying on traditional politeness strategies to express politeness. In this online administrative context, direct citizen-to-government (C2G) communication is transaction-oriented and instrumental in nature. This paper provides some insight into Chinese pragmatics and practical guidelines for citizens to make successful and efficient complaints in an online administrative context.

The Relationship Between EFL Students' Implicature Competence and Their English Academic Success Across Gender

Amirreza Namdari — 2024-03-05

Implicature, a fundamental aspect of pragmatics, plays a significant role in effective communication. Investigating the implicature competence in the realm of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) education, the present paper aims at exploring the relationship between implicature competence and English academic success of EFL students across gender. The study included 60 EFL learners aged between 13 and 22, comprising both male and female students enrolled in Jahad Daneshgahi Department of Foreign Languages in West Azerbaijan, Urmia. To investigate the relationship, a quantitative correlation design was employed, utilizing MCDCT (Multiple-Choice Discourse Completion Test) to measure implicature competence of the students. The results revealed a positive correlation between implicature competence and academic success of EFL students. However, the correlation was more significant in male students than their female counterparts. These findings emphasize the importance of explicit teaching of pragmatics along with other linguistics skills in EFL curricula.

Rethinking on Expressive Speech Act Realization in The Comments Section on YouTube Channel

Apsari Javiera Hambali — 2024-03-09

Rethinking the realization of expressive speech acts in the comments section of YouTube channels offers an opportunity to delve deeper into the evolving dynamics of online communication and community engagement. This research explores expressive speech acts in One Direction's YouTube's comments section, examining how users express emotions, opinions, and reactions to video content. It explores new perspectives, emerging trends, and the ever-changing digital landscape of digital interactions. This research methodology is a descriptive qualitative method, and the data source was compiled from the comments section on One Direction's YouTube channel. Therefore, the researcher concludes there were seven types of expressive speech acts from fifty-one comments. There were 26 expressions of sorrow, four expressions of congratulating, two expressions of thanking, 13 expressions of praising, four expressions of happiness, and one expression for blaming and regretting. The most dominant expression used in the comments section on One Direction's YouTube Channel is the expression of sorrow. This expression appeared 26 times, out of 51 expression speech act listed. The researcher concludes that sorrow is the expression that is mainly used in the comments section.

Language Style Found in Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio Movie (2022)

Meidiana Meidiana — 2024-04-03

This research, entitled " Language Style Found in Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio Movie", aims to analyze the language styles and the factors contributing to the variance in the characters' speech styles within the film. The research employs a qualitative descriptive method, where data was collected through a thorough analysis of the movie, a meticulous examination of the movie script, and the subsequent identification of language styles and factors based on the characters' dialogues. The analysis is framed within Joos's (1967) theory of language styles and Holmes's (2013) theory of language factors. These styles are noticeable based on speaker context, formality, audience, and conversation setting. The research findings highlight the use of five distinct language styles - frozen, formal, consultative, casual, and intimate - in the characters' dialogues. A variety of factors, such as the participants in the conversation, the setting, the subject matter, and the function of the dialogue, influenced these styles. Furthermore, the predominant language style in the movie is casual, comprising fifteen instances, while the frozen style is represented by only one occurrence. This research thus offers valuable insights into the complex interplay between language style and its influencing factors within the realm of film dialogue.

News Reports on Indonesia’s Post-election 2024 from Selected National and International Newspaper: A Pragmatic Analysis

Budi Eko Pranoto — 2024-04-09

The Indonesia’s presidential election 2024, as one of the largest democratic nations, gained wide attention from both national and international media. This research carries out a pragmatic analysis of news report on the post-presidential election of Indonesia 2024 from selected national and international newspapers using Austin (1962) and Searle’s (1969) Speech Act Theory. 30 utterances were purposively taken from three newspapers (The Jakarta Post, The Guardian, and The New York Times). By implementing qualitative research method, this research analysis discussed three aspects of Speech Acts: locutionary, illocutionary, and perlocutionary. The result of the analysis showed that there was obvious finding on the reporting style of newspapers on the election outcome. Based on the analysis, assertive statements were dominantly found as it is in line with the nature of newspaper style; present factual information impartially, aiding in neutral and concise reporting. Directive statements wielded figures’ influence and attitudes toward ongoing issues. Commissive speech acts conveyed promises, pledges, and accusations persuasively, while declarative ones declared figures’ initiatives and actions on issues. Expressive speech acts reflected collective societal feelings, particularly regarding election outcomes.