FIGURATIVE EXPRESSIONS IN SONG LYRICS BY MALE AND FEMALE SONGWRITERS

Transcription

1 FIGURATIVE EXPRESSIONS IN SONG LYRICS BY MALE AND FEMALE SONGWRITERS AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra in English Letters By AMADEA NANDA LAKSITA Student Number: ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA 2017

2 FIGURATIVE EXPRESSIONS IN SONG LYRICS BY MALE AND FEMALE SONGWRITERS AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra in English Letters By AMADEA NANDA LAKSITA Student Number: ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA 2017 ii

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7 Sooner or later, those who win are those who think they can. (Richard Bach) vii

8 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This page is written to offer my sincere gratitude to my one and only God, Jesus Christ, for his everlasting love and blessings in every step I take. I also want to say my sincere gratitude to my family, especially to my parents, dr. Athanasia Endah Dwi Wahyuningsih, M.Kes, SpKk and Drs. Robertus Dudup Gunarjati, for filling me with love and blessings and for being such a wonderful Mama and Papa for me. I want to express my gratitude to Arina Isti'anah, S.Pd., M.Hum, as my advisor for patiently guiding me to finish this thesis. Thank you for always reminding me to work harder and faster and also for giving me brilliant solutions for my thesis. I also want to express my gratitude to Anna Fitriati, S.Pd., M.Hum., as my co-advisor, and Francis Borgias Alip, M.Pd., M.A., as my examiner, for giving many helpful suggestions for this thesis. I also want to say thank you to my dear friends, Suci, Rizky, Lilis, Nino, Donna, Disa, and Annisa for accompanying me during the making of this thesis and for the brainstorm we have done. Last but not least, I want to say thank you to Stefanus Kendra Dwi Nugraha, S.S. for being my biggest support system during the ups and downs and also for being my biggest reason to finish this thesis quickly. Amadea Nanda Laksita viii

9 TABLE OF CONTENTS TITLE PAGE... ii APPROVAL PAGE... iii ACCEPTANCE PAGE... iv LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN... v STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY... vi MOTTO PAGE... vii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS... viii TABLE OF CONTENTS... ix LIST OF TABLES... xi ABSTRACT... xii ABSTRAK... xiii CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION... 1 A. Background of the Study... 1 B. Problem Formulation... 4 C. Objectives of the Study... 4 D. Definition of Terms... 4 CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF LITERATURE... 6 A. Review of Related Studies... 6 B. Review of Related Theories Stylistics Semantics Figurative Language a. Metaphor b. Simile c. Personification d. Hyperbole e. Onomatopoeia f. Idiom g. Cliches Gender Language Differences Song Lyrics C. Theoretical Framework CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY A. Object of the Study B. Approach of the Study C. Method of the Study CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS (RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS) A. The Figurative Expressions Found in the Song Lyrics Hyperbole Metaphor ix

10 3. Simile Idiom Personification B. The Language Style Differences of Male and Female Songwriters The Style of Male Songwriters a. More Simple b. More Exaggerating The Style of Female Songwriters a. More Complicated b. More Comparing CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION BIBLIOGRAPHY x

11 LIST OF TABLES Table Table Table Table Table Table Table Table Table Table xi

12 ABSTRACT LAKSITA, AMADEA NANDA. Figurative Expressions in Song Lyrics by Male and Female Songwriters. Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, As people listen to the music through its lyrics, language holds on the important role to convey the meaning of the song. One of the language forms that is used to create the ambience or the feeling of its audience is called figurative language. It carries non-literal meaning which helps the songwriter to convey the meaning of the song. Different songwriters have different styles of language. It leads to what is called by gender language differences which will be analyzed through the use of figurative language in song lyrics by male and female songwriters. The purpose of this study is to see if the use of figurative expressions by male and female songwriters is different. This study analyzes and answers two problems: the classification of figurative language expressions types found in four selected songs and the differences of language style seen by the use of figurative language by male and female songwriters. In order to analyze the data, this research used stylitic approach to analyze the style of male and female songwriters. It was helped by semantic theory to define the meanings of figurative expressions in the lyrics. It was used to compare the literal and non-literal meaning from the dictionary meaning. This analysis was completed by the semantic property which was put to give the characteristics of the literal and non-literal expressions. This study took 4 selected songs that resulted 9 figurative language expressions from male songwriters and 21 figurative language expressions from the females. As the data resulted the significant range in the total number of male and female songwriters expressions, this study concluded that male and female songwriters had different styles of language, particularly in conveying feelings through song lyrics. There were 2 male and 2 female language styles that were found. In male language style, they tended to be simpler and exaggerating as they only used 2 types of figurative language in a small number of expressions. They also used figurative language mostly by exaggerating something in order to emphasize their intention as they used many hyperbolic expressions. In female language style, this study found that they tended to be less direct and comparing. They tended to be less direct as they tended to use many figurative language expressions to convey their feelings whose meanings are implied. They also often compared as the use of metaphor and simile whose purpose was to compare two or more things in order to give a better illustration. xii

13 ABSTRAK LAKSITA, AMADEA NANDA. Figurative Expressions in Song Lyrics by Male and Female Songwriters. Yogyakarta: Program Studi Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma, Musik seringkali dinikmati dan didengarkan lewat uraian bahasa pada liriknya. Maka dari itu, bahasa memiliki peran yang penting dalam penyampaian sebuah isi lagu. Salah satu bentuk bahasa yang digunakan untuk membangun atmosfer dan suasana hati yang sesuai disebut dengan bahasa kiasan. Bahasa kiasan mengandung arti yang tidak harafiah yang dapat membantu para penulis lagu untuk menyampaikan isi lagu dengan lebih baik. Setiap penulis lagu mempunyai gaya ekspresi yang berbeda. Perbedaan gaya inilah yang mengantar kepada perbedaan ekspresi menurut jenis kelamin yang akan ditelaah dengan penggunaan ekspresi kiasan oleh penulis lagu pria dan wanita. Penelitian ini ditujukan untuk melihat adanya perbedaan dalam penggunaan ekspresi kiasan oleh penulis lagu pria dan wanita. Penelitian ini menelaah dan menjawab dua pertanyaan: klasifikasi tipe ekspresi kiasaan yang terdapat pada 4 lagu pilihan dan perbedaan gaya ekspresi yang terdapat pada penggunaan ekspresi kiasan oleh penulis lagu pria dan wanita. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan ilmu gaya ekspresi. Pendekatan ini dibantu oleh teori semantik dalam mendefinisikan arti ekspresi kiasan yang terdapat pada lirik lagu dengan menggunakan semantik leksikal. Semantik leksikal digunakaan sebagai pembanding antara arti kiasaan dan arti sebenarnya dengan menggunakan kamus sebagai alat utama. Penelitian ini dilengkapi dengan ciri semantik yang dipakai untuk menunjukkan karakteristik dari ekspresi kiasaan dan sebenarnya. Penelitian ini menggunakan 4 lagu sebagai data yang menghasilkan 9 ekspresi kiasan pada lagu pria dan 21 ekpresi kiasan pada lagu wanita. Penelitian menunjukkan bahwa terdapat jarak yang signifikan yang ditunjukkan oleh jumlah ekspresi kiasaan pria dan wanita. Maka dari itu, penelitian ini menyimpulkan bahwa penulis lagu pria dan wanita memiliki gaya ekspresi yang berbeda khususnya dalam menyampaikan isi hati lewat lirik dalam lagu. Terdapat masing-masing 2 gaya ekspresi pada penulis lagu pria dan wanita. Pada gaya ekspresi pria, penelitian menemukan bahwa mereka cenderung lebih sederhana dan terkesan melebih-lebihkan yang didukung oleh fakta bahwa penulis lagu pria menggunakan sedikit ekspresi kiasaan pada lagu mereka dibandingkan dengan penulis lagu wanita. Mereka dinilai melebih-lebihkan karena banyaknya ekspresi hiperbola yang dipakai yang sebenarnya dipakai sebagai alat untuk mempertegas ucapan mereka. Sedangkan, pada gaya ekspresi perempuan, penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa mereka cenderung lebih rumit dalam berbicara dan menyampaikan sesuatu serta lebih sering menggunakan ekspresi kiasan untuk membandingkan sesuatu. Dari 7 tipe ekspresi kiasan, penulis lagu perempuan menggunakan 5 tipe dalam 20 ekspresi termasuk metafora, simile, dan idiom. Hal inilah yang membuat para penulis wanita dinilai lebih rumit karena mereka xiii

14 cenderung memilih untuk berbicara dengan menggunakan ekspresi kiasan dibandingkan dengan menyampaikan sesuatu secara tersurat. Mereka lebih sering menggunakan ekspresi kiasan untuk membandingkan sesuatu yang dapat dilihat dari banyaknya penggunaan ekspresi metafora dan simile. xiv

15 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION A. Background of the Study Language becomes very important in communication along with its function as a core of communication itself. Wardaugh (2014) states that language is a system of arbitrary vocal symbols used for human communication. By using language, people can express the idea, intention, message, or information. In the other side, language also has a function to entertain its users. Language can entertain people in the way it expresses emotion and feeling. It is also applied for music. Language holds the important role in a song. By using language, the meaning of the song can be conveyed. It can create the feeling of its listeners based on what the song wants to convey through the words. One of the language forms that is used to create the ambience or the feeling of its audience is called figurative language. Figurative language is a language which uses figures of speech (a way of saying one thing and meaning another). It is a form of expression used to convey meaning or heighten effect, elaborate expression as opposed to literal language, (Merriam-Webster, Incorporated, 1995:415). It helps the writer to create the mood of a song or a poem in order to convey the deeper meaning of it. Some kinds of figurative language are simile, metaphor, allegory, personification, and hyperbole. As it carries non-literal meaning, figurative language can be analyzed by semantic theory. Therefore, it also cannot be separated from one of the branches 1

16 2 of linguistics called stylistics. Stylistics is defined as the study of the relation between linguistic form and literary function (Leech, 2007:3). As Leech asserts, it can be simply defined as the study of style. It is aimed to explain something, and in general, literary stylitics has, implicitly or explicitly, the goal of explaining the relation between language and artistic function (2007:4). In order to convey the meaning of the song, different songwriters have different styles of language. Male and female songwriters tend to use different ways and different words in producing utterances to convey their feeling. As well as people in common, in writing song lyrics, male and female songwriters choose different dictions and produce different utterances to convey the meaning of the songs. The different style of language that is brought by male and female songwriters will become the main focus of this study as males and females tend to speak differently in the systematic differences such as vocabulary and grammar. By connecting to some theories of gender and language, this thesis tries to prove the distinctions that are found between males and females in their language styles. The perspectives that will be considered are male songwiters tend to speak explicitly and use simple sentences. In contrast, female songwriters choose to speak implicitly and use more complex sentences. As asserted by Leech, the aim of literary stylistics is to relate the critic s concern of aesthetic appreciation with the linguist s concern of linguistic description (2007:11). This thesis examines gender identity of linguistic situations by analyzing the style of language that they make in their artworks,

17 3 particularly in the song lyrics. Through the language style used by female and male songwriters, the writer tries to analyze how males and females convey their ideas in the utterances that they make. The writer lifts this topic because of the interest in observing male and female songwriters primarily in the differences of figurative language use in expressing emotion. Moreover, the study of male and female language style becomes the interesting topic to write. Despite the fact that there are many wellknown studies which have discussed it, the recent analysis should be improved. By observing gender differences in language, it widens our research horizon and helps us to explain the factors in the internal change of language development better. The writer chooses the data from four songs by four different songwriters. They are Grenade by Bruno Mars, Something s Missing by John Mayer, Rolling in the Deep by Adele, and Red by Taylor Swift. Bruno Mars, John Mayer, Adele, and Taylor Swift are the chosen songwriters that are also the singers of the songs that are analyzed. In order to equate the songwriters background, the songwriters are the American popular singers and songwriters who all come from the same society and come from the same average age. All of them are included as top 100 musicians in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. They have made many albums with many songs overrun the world top chart until now. The writer chooses them because each of them used the language style that, after it is analyzed, can represent their gender. By their similarity, it helps the writer to distinguish the figurative language easier.

18 4 B. Problem Formulation Based on the background above, the problems of this present study are formulated as follows, 1. What kinds of figurative language are used in song lyrics by male and female songwriters? 2. What are the language style differences found in the song lyrics by male and female songwriters? C. Objectives of the Study The aim of the study is to answer the questions set up in the problem formulation. Firstly, the study is aimed find out some kinds of figurative language used by male and female songwriters such as metaphor, hyperbole, personification, and others. The answer will help the writer to recognize the figurative language used by female and male songwriters. Secondly, it is aimed to figure out the style of male and female language by means of figurative language. In this further analysis, the writer will start to prove the differences of male and female language style seen by the use of figurative language. D. Definition of Terms In order to avoid misunderstanding on certain terms, the definition of several words will be explained here. The first word that is mentioned quite much in this study is figurative language. According to Merriam-Webster s Encyclopedia, figurative language is a form of expression used to convey meaning or heighten effect, elaborate expression as opposed to literal language, (1995:415). The second word is song lyrics. Lyrics are the arrangement of words,

19 5 found in verbal artworks such as poem and song (MWD, 2017). It is created in beautificial manner in order to develop the concept of the song s meaning (Pattison, 2009:2)

20 CHAPTER II REVIEW OF LITERATURE A. Review of Related Studies This part discusses several similar topics to this study which have been done by some researchers. The similarity includes the topic, focus, theory, and the different parts from this study. The first related study is by Chandra (2011). Chandra s thesis mostly discusses the absence of women s language features in Nicki Minaj s comments to the contestants of American Idol Season 12. It focuses on the society that changes the way a person speaks. According to Chandra, this is an interesting topic to be brought because as a social phenomenon, a language turns out to reflect not only the gender but also the social attitudes towards men and women. Chandra s thesis focuses on the language features that Nicki Minaj has in her comments. By analysing the language features, she found some results such as high intonation, hypercorrect grammar, tag question, and lexical hedge that are usually used by women but it could not be found in Nicki Minaj s utterances. Chandra uses sociolinguistic approach. Chandra s focus is more on the language features of women language such as stress, intonation and lexical hedge. She focuses on how society affects the women s way of speak and how the language features prove that statement. The second study is by Sylvia (2011). Sylvia s thesis focuses on one of figurative languages, metaphor, in Coldplay s songlyrics. This topic is brought up 6

21 7 because according to Sylvia, it is interesting to find out some hidden meanings in song lyrics, especially one of popular bands like Coldplay. She uses Coldplay as the object of the data because she finds metaphorical expression in most of the Coldplay s songs. Sylvia s thesis discusses semantic properties to compare the lexical meaning and the metaphorical one found in Coldplay s song lyrics. The data are collected from the lyrics of several songs. Sylvia collected the data by classifying the metaphorical lyrics in its type of metaphor. Though this study discusses figurative language, the differences are found in some parts of the study. The first difference is the approach that is used. The thesis approach is on the semantic approach, whose purpose is to find the meaning of the metaphorical sentences. Second, the problem that is going to be analysed is also different. Sylvia s thesis does not discuss anything related to gender, female and male language. The third study is Jinyu s (2014). Jinyu s journal focuses on how gender can differ the language that is produced by proving some sociolinguistic theories. It tries to analyze the various social phenomena and explore different discourse behaviours. By expanding the understanding of sociolinguistics, according to Jinyu, we can understand the nature of language better. Jinyu s journal discusses the language gender differences of male and female language style, by using the previous theories and proving it more by some examples that he made. Stress, intonation, vocabulary, and syntactic differences of male and female language style are proven as different in this journal. Jinyu s

22 8 journal also discusses the research about the history of how male s and female s language are different. Alhough this journal discusses a lot in language gender differences, the differences between this journal and this thesis are still found. The first difference is located in the data that is analysed. Jinyu s journal does not discuss anything related to figurative language. Meanwhile, it discusses more in the language features. The second difference is that this journal does not focus on stylistics but pragmatics. Jinyu discusses more about the implicit meaning of an utterance. B. Review of Related Theories 1. Stylistics Leech desribes stylistics as the study of style and relates it as the study which the purpose is to explain language and the artistic function (2007:11). It is the study about lingusistic nature of the expressive means of the language, also their characteristics and functions. As asserted by Simpson, stylistics is defined as a method of textual interpretation in which primacy of place is assigned to language (2004:2). The reason why language is so important to stylisticians is because the various forms and levels that constitute linguistic structure are the important indices of the text function. As stated by Verdonk, the purpose of doing stylistic critic and analysis is simply to provide objective linguistic data to support existing readings or intuitions about a literary work (2002:215). In this thesis, the objective linguitic data are taken from 4 songs from 4 different songwriters whose purpose is to support the intuitions of the difference between male and female songwriters language style.

23 9 There is a list of the major levels of language and their related technical terms in language study which will be asserted as follows. Table 2.1 Stylistics: Levels of Language (Simpson, 2004: 5) Level of language The sound of spoken language; the way words are pronounced. The patterns of written language; the shape of language on the page. The way words are constructed; words and their constituent structures. The way words combine with other words to form phrases and sentences. The words we use; the vocabulary of a language. The meaning of words and sentences. The way words and sentences are used in everyday situations; the meaning of language in context. Branch of language study Phonology; phonetics Graphology Morphology Syntax; grammar Lexical analysis; lexicology Semantics Pragmatics; discourse analysis The levels that are taken as the core analysis are lexicology which will focus on the vocabulary of a language and semantics that will focus on the words meaning. In this research, the definition of some terms will be laid on Merriam Webster Dictionary (MWD). 2. Semantics Palmer defines semantics as the technical term used to refer to the study of meaning, and, since meaning is a part of language, semantics is a part of linguistics (1997:5). It associates a message with a set of signs which can be seen

24 10 by the words itself. Meaning is described as the idea that is represented by a word, phrase, and so on. It has two types of meaning, they are literal and non literal meaning (Recanati, 2004:31). Literal meaning is language that carries the literal, or dictionary, meaning of a word or phrase. In the other side, non-literal meaning means a language that goes beyond the dictionary meaning of the word or phrase. As asserted by Gibbs and Colston, the non-literal meaning is presumably derived as a special cases (2012:29). It carries the implicit meaning of the words or phrases. One that carries the non-literal meaning is figurative language. Figurative language is a language which carries something other than a literal meaning called figure of speech. 3. Figurative Language As mentioned before, the language that carries non-literal meaning is figurative language. Figurative language is a language that uses words deviating from their proper definitions in order to achieve a more complicated understanding or heightened effect (MWD, 2017). By using figurative expressions, a meaning can be conveyed more vividly. As asserted by Davis, figurative expressions give us the ability to convey more than what we mean, less than what we mean, the opposite than what we mean, or even something other than what we mean (1985:166). Figurative language is often achieved by presenting words in order for them to be equated, compared, or associated with other normally unrelated words or meanings. It always carries figurative meaning which is derived from the literal and it can be discovered by discovering the nature of the subtitution of the metaphorical for the literal (Glucksberg, 2001:8).

25 11 In preliminary analysis, there are 7 types of figurative language. They are simile, metaphor, personfication, onomatopoeia, hyperbole, idiom, and cliches which are described as follows. a. Metaphor Metaphor is a figure of speech in which a name or descriptive word or phrase is transferred to an object or action different from, but analogous to, that to which it is literally applicable; an instance of this metaphorical expression (Oxford, 2016). In other words, metaphor is a figure of speech in which two unlike things are shown to create a new image by comparing one another without using the connective words such as like or as. As Roberts and Kreuz explained, metaphor is used in order to compare similarities and clarify something which is also aimed to make the lyrics meaning is understood better (1994: 164). One of the metaphorical expression is you are the candle in the darkness. It is a metaphorical statement which shows a comparison between you and the candle. The words you and the candle are two unlike things that are shown to create a new image and it compares one another without using any connective words. It becomes a metaphor because in the sentence, you is compared to the candle. Candle means wax that has been formed into a stick or another shape and has string in the middle that can be burnt (MWD, 2017). As candle can be burnt, it contains a light. Since it contains a light, it can brighten the surrounding. In the example, the comparison between you and candle implies the comparison of something that are both brighten. It implies the meaning of you in the writer s life who is as same as candle in the darkness.

26 12 b. Simile This second figurative language is explained as the figure of speech which has the likely definition with metaphor but the difference locates in the using connective words such as like and as in simile (Spivey, 2016). It is a figurative language which is used to compare similarities and also to deemphasize something (Roberts and Kreuz, 1994: 163). For example is you are so sweet, like a bar of chocolate. It is also a comparison, like the metaphor, but simile uses the connective word of like. The words that are compared are chocolate and you that give a new image of something sweet. This sentence shows that chocolate and you has the same characteristic, sweet, and it is shown by a connective word like. It implies the meaning of you and chocolate that both gives sweetness to the writer. c. Personification Personification is found when the human attribute or characteristic is put on an animal or a thing (Meisami, 2003). For example is the wind sang through the meadow. Personification is found when a human ability is put on a thing. The wind is a thing which does not have the ability like a human do, but the sentence the wind sang through the meadow is shown in order to personified the wind itself. It is done in order to create the image of calmness of the wind that can sing like the human sing to make people calm and relax.

27 13 d. Hyperbole It is defined as the figure of speech which uses an extravagant or exaggerated statement to express strong feelings. As asserted by Claridge, the preliminary definition can be explained as below (2010:5). Literal expression Agrees with the extra linguistics facts in the given context, contains semantic attribute expressing X. - Hyperbolic expression Exceeds the (credible) limits of fact in the given context, contains attribute more of X + Gradability The table above shows the gradability between literal expression and hyperbolic expression. In literal expression, it does not need any exaggeration in anything because it just puts the facts in the given context and the semantic attributes that are used are real without no extravagant statements. In the other side, as asserted by Spivey, hyperbolic expression always exceed the facts by some exaggerated statements to make the meaning deeper (2016). The example is he hurts me with thousands knives in my chest. It brings the idea of hyperbole because the meaning of the sentence exaggerates. It is shown by the words thousands knives in my chest which exaggerates the idea of being hurt so much. He hurts me with thousand knives in my chest gives the vivid illustration about how it feels to be hurt by someone which is same as to be stabbed by thousands of knives in the chest.

28 14 e. Onomatopoeia One of figurative language types is onomatopoeia which means a word that describes a natural sound or the sound made by an object or a certain action (Spivey, 2016). For example is Chuck-a-doodle-doo! which is a description of the natural sound of chicken crows that is written in letters. f. Idiom As also asserted by Spivey, idiom is defined as a set expression or a phrase comprising two or more words (2016). In idiomatic expressions, an interesting fact is that the expressions are not interpreted literally. Idiom involves collocations, a particular combination of words, in a special case. It also involves some associations of ideas, and the meaning of the entire expression can be predicted from the meaning of the individual word (Palmer, 1997:79). For example is Barking up the wrong tree which means accusing the wrong person. g. Cliches Cliches are those idioms which have been indiscriminately used that the original point has been blunted or removed entirely (Partridge, 1978). For example is All s well that ends well. This means that even if there were problems along the way, it does not matter as long as there is a happy ending. 4. Gender Language Differences Sex and gender are connected, related, but totally different. As asserted by Nobelius, sex refers to biological differences; chromosomes, hormonal profiles, internal and external sex organs (2002:2). On the other hand, gender is described as the chacteristics that a society or culture delineates as masculine or

29 15 feminine (Nobelius, 2002:2). Gender is connected to the role and behaviour that different cultures attribute to the sexes. Different gender has different behaviour and style. It is also connected to the way they speak and make utterances. The language style that is produced is different in some aspects. It happens because of the language and social interaction that affects each other as language is a multilectal phenomenon; people write and speak differently depending on their social group, audience, setting, and any other contextual factors (Dancygier, 2014:9). Men affect men and women affect women in the aspect of language style. They switch the language for the purpose of manipulating or influencing or defining situation as they wish, and conveying nuances of meaning and personal intention (Suchana, 2014:78). In daily speaking, men and women tend to speak in different style. They use different vocabulary, dictions and they speak in different way. As asserted by Danet and Herring, men tend to speak explicitly and say directly, while the women tend to speak in the opposite way (2007:250). They speak implicitly, therefore, they seem to be complicated in saying their ideas as the listeners are made to guess the meaning behind their saying. 5. Song Lyrics Lyrics is defined as the arrangement of words contained in literary works such as poem, song, and poetry (MWD, 2017). In songs, the arrangement of lyrics helps the songwriter to convey the idea and the meaning of the song. Accurate selection of words is important to the expressions of the feeling the songwriter is

30 16 working for, as well as the visual imagery (Davis, 1985:164). Moreover, as inserted by Astor, the importance of song lyrics; a greater value to those compositions with lyrics, a sense that the material that contains the greatest level of emotional commitment is always where words are employed (2010:143). By using words and proper dictions, the songwriters try to convey the story behind the song. Through song lyrics, the listeners can understand how a sad melody comes also with a sad story or how a happy melody actually comprises a sad story behind it. The lyrics give the listeners the clearest illustration about how a song narrates something. C. Theoretical Framework There are two problems that will be analyzed in this research. This research focuses on the language style of male and female in order to discover gender language differences particularly in the way male and female songwriters convey the meaning and ideas of the song lyrics. In order to answer the first and second problem, the writer chooses stylistic approach to figure out the answers. Stylistics is the approach to analyze the style of women and men language, especially the songwriters who use figurative language in their lyrics. Stylistics is the core to establish the point that women use more complex sentences than men. The second theory that will support the lexical analysis is semantics. Semantics will help the writer to analyze the meaning of words and phrases that the songwriters chose for the song lyrics. It will help the writer to analyze the deeper meaning of the lyrics.

31 17 The third theory is figurative language that is still related to semantics that analyzes non literal meaning. It helps the writer to categorize the song lyrics into some types of figurative language that can make the analysis of lexical meaning easier. The fourth theory is gender language differences. It is related to the theories that explain the reasons why male and female songwriters express their feelings differently through their song lyrics. The last theory is song lyrics. Song lyrics is defined as the arrangement of words contained in songs (Astor, 2010:143). It is the last theory that will bring the importance of song lyrics and it will be proven by the words that are arranged are put on purpose in order to convey the important meaning of the song.

32 CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY A. Object of the Study In this part, the writer presents the description of the object of the study. It is about the data that will be analyzed and what linguistic elements that are contained. The object of this study is the figurative language found in particular song lyrics. The data were taken from the song lyric compilation website and they are four different songs from two female songwriters and two male songwriters. The songs are Grenade by Bruno Mars, Something s Missing by John Mayer, Red by Taylor Swift, and Rolling in the Deep by Adele. The writer chose them because the songs contain figurative language that can be analyzed as the representation of men s and women s language style. B. Approach of the Study This research comes under the area of stylistics which is defined as the study of style. It is also defined as a method of textual interpretation in order to explore creativity in language use by literary text as its object (Simpson, 2004:2). Therefore, stylistics is suitable to be used as the foundation of the whole analysis. Wales states, style refers to the perceived manner of expression in writing or speaking (2001:273). In making song lyrics, language styles of the songwriters reveal the different expressions to convey the content of the song. Thus, this thesis is aimed to reveal the idea of how the different style of language 18

33 19 between men and women can show the difference between men and women in making sentences. C. Method of the Study In order to make the process of analysis more detailed and effective, the method which is used to conduct the study is distinguished into two other parts. Those methods are described as follows. 1. Data Collection The data were taken from four songs. They are Grenade by Bruno Mars, Something s Missing by John Mayer, Rolling in the Deep by Adele, and Red by Taylor Swift. This study underlines the lyrics containing figurative language then makes it into a list. To make it structured better, the data were separated into different classifications of figurative language where they were suited on. The data were collected by purposive random sampling. It is a sampling method that combines purposive sampling and random sampling. It is used as the researcher chose the 4 songwriters as they have many figurative language expressions in their songs more than other songwriters in their age. Purposive sampling, as asserted by Saunders, Lewis, and Thornhill, is a sampling technique in which researcher relies on his or her own judgment when choosing members of population to participate in the study (2012:288). It is a method which the researcher purposely chooses the limited numbers of people that can be served as primary data source. Furthermore, random sampling is a method for choosing a sample among population for a wide range of purposes.

34 20 In other words, this thesis uses a method which the researcher relies on her opinion in choosing members of population (Saunders, Lewis, and Thornhill, 2012:287). 2. Data Analysis The first determination in analyzing the data was to classify the figurative language that is found in the lyrics. It was done in order to clarify the figurative language types which were used and the songs contained figurative language. After the classification was done, the analysis was started. The analysis began by counting the number of figurative language that was found in each song and made it into percentage. After that, it was continued by relating the result of the number of figurative and the theories on language by gender variety. The example of the table analysis was asserted as below. Table 3.1 Summary of Figurative Language in Song Lyrics Number Types of Figurative Language Male Songwriters Female Songwriters Number Percentage Number Percentage Total: From the analysis above, the writer s purpose was to answer the two problems that were written in the problem formulation. The first table above was used to answer the first problem which was to know what kinds of figurative languages that were used in song lyrics by male and female songwriters. The second problem was to know how figurative language showed the difference between male and female songwriters language style. First, the second problem

35 21 would be answered by the table shown as below and continued to be analyzed as follows. Table 3.2 Song Lyrics with Hyperbole Data Code Hyperbole Lyrics In this part, the analysis would be separated into each type of figurative language. Each type of figurative language would be provided by one table. The first column was used for the data code and the second column was used for the lyrics which were appropriate for the data code. Data code stood for the songwriter whose song was analyzed by its lyrics. The data code that would be used in the analysis would be explained as follows. M.1 Bruno Mars M.2 John Mayer F.1 Adele F.2 Taylor Swift H M S I P Hyperbole Metaphor Simile Idiom Personification Thus, the examples of the data code in the next chapter are M.1.H.2 which is defined as the second hyperbolic lyric in Bruno Mars song and F.2.M.1 which is defined as the first metaphorical lyric in Taylor Swift s song.

36 22 Next, the research was continued by explaining each lyrics in paragraphs. From the table, the writer would describe how the lyrics could be included as figurative language. In this step of research, the writer would compare the meaning of each lyrics by word to the real meaning from dictionary. Then, the writer would compare the result of the total number and related it to the theory of gender language in order to show what the differences of male and female songwriters language style were. It was the last step which will answer the second problem in the problem formulation.

37 CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS RESULTS AND DISCUSSION This chapter discusses the answers of the problems which were presented in the first chapter. The parts below show what kinds of figurative language found in the song lyrics and how the use of figurative language shows the differences of male and female language style. A. The Figurative Expressions Found in the Song Lyrics There are seven types of figurative language expressions that were explained in the previous chapter. In the four songs that are analyzed, there are five types of figurative language expressions that are found in the data. They are hyperbole, metaphor, simile, idiom, and personification. The table below shows the summary of figurative language expressions which are found in the song lyrics of the four selected songs. Table 4.1 Summary of Figurative Expressions in Song Lyrics Number Types of Male Songwriters Female Songwriters Figurative Number Percentage Number Percentage Language 1 Hyperbole % 6 30% 2 Metaphor 0 0% 3 15% 3 Simile 0 0% 7 35% 4 Idiom 0 0% 1 5% 5 Personification % 3 15% Total 9 100% % The table above shows that female songwriters use more figurative expressions than male songwriters. Female songwriters use 5 types of figurative expressions while male songwriters only use 2 types of figurative language 23

38 24 expressions. The total number of figurative expressions also shows a difference. In male songs, there are only 9 figurative language expressions that are found. Meanwhile, in female songs, it contain more figurative language in the total number of 20 expressions. In the further analysis, the data code that will be used are the data code which were explained in the previous chapter. 1. Hyperbole The first figurative expressions that is analyzed is hyperbole, which is defined as the figurative language which uses an extravagant or exaggerated statement to express strong feelings (Claridge, 2011:5). The hyperbolic expressions can be found by the exaggeration in some parts of the lyrics which is done by the songwriters in order to create a stronger or deeper meaning of the song. From four songs that are selected, hyperbole expressions are found in three songs, a song from male songwriter and two songs from female. The song lyrics which contain hyperbole will be shown in the table as follow, Table 4.2 Song Lyrics with Hyperbole Data Hyperbole Lyrics Song Title Code M.2.H.1 I gave you all I had and you tossed it in Grenade the trash M.2.H.2 I d catch a grenade for you Grenade M.2.H.3 I d throw my hand on a blade for you Grenade M.2.H.4 I d jump in front of a train for you Grenade M.2.H.5 I d take a bullet straight through my Grenade brain M.2.H.6 Beat me til I m numb Grenade M.2.H.7 You'll smile in my face then rip the Grenade brakes out my car F.1.H.1 That s why he s spinning around in my Red

39 25 head F.2.H.1 There s a fire starting in my heart Rolling in the Deep F.2.H.2 You had my heart inside of your hand Rolling in the Deep F.2.H.3 I m gonna make your head burn Rolling in the Deep Data Hyperbole Lyrics Song Title Code F.2.H.4 Throw my soul through every open door Rolling in the Deep F.2.H.5 Throw my sorrow into treasured gold Rolling in the Deep The table above shows hyperbole which are found in the song lyrics. The songs that contains hyperbole are Grenade by Bruno Mars, Red by Taylor Swift, and Rolling in the Deep by Adele. There are seven hyperbole in Grenade, one hyperbole in Red, and six hyperbole in Rolling in the Deep. The further analysis of hyperbole lyrics will be explained below. a. Grenade by Bruno Mars Grenade is a song that is addressed to a woman whom a man loves so much, yet the woman often rejects and hurts him. In the middle of his sadness, pain, and disappointment, the songwriter tries to emphasize the sacrifice of the man who still sticks with the woman. In this song, there are lyrics contain exaggerated meaning of sacrifice which is tried to be shown by the songwriter to a woman he mentions in the song. Grenade lyrics that are included as hyperbole are explained below: 1) I gave you all I had and you tossed it in the trash (M.2.H.1) The lyrics above is the first hyperbole that is found in this song. It is called hyperbole as the lyrics contain words that exaggerate the literal meaning of the song lyrics. The songwriter tries to show his severe disappointment as he says that

40 26 he gave all he had but someone tossed it the trash, yet the literal meaning is not always meant by that. Firstly, the word all refers to the whole things without exception. It can be anything including parts of his body; eyes, nose, lips, or his stuffs such as books and electronic devices. Whereas, by choosing the word all, the songwriter actually mentions about what he has done for his girl. He wants to mention the eagerness to obey the girl s wish. Secondly, the word trash is defined as a container where people put things that are being thrown away (MWD, 2016). The songwriter chooses this word to show how bad the girl treats him after he gives all he has. This word marks out the rejection of the girl who still refuses him out of hand. Trash gives an outrageous meaning that make the listeners can feel what the songwriter feels as a trash. I gave you all I had and you tossed it in the trash is one of the hyperbole examples that found in the song lyrics since it does not bring the literal meaning but the exaggerated meaning. 2) I d catch a grenade for you (M.2.H.2) A hyperbole is shown as this part of song lyrics exaggerates the meaning. The word grenade is defined as a small bomb that is designed to be thrown by someone or shot from a rifle (MWD, 2017). By hanging on the definition, grenade is used to exaggerate the meaning of sacrifice. By this lyrics, the songwriter tries to show that he is willing to catch a grenade in order to show his sacrifice. It hurts him a lot yet he does it to show his love. Since grenade symbolizes a very dangerous tool that is killing and it is impossible for someone

41 27 to catch, the songwriter chooses that word to show that he will do everything he can to prove his love. 3) I d thrown my hand on a blade for you (M.2.H.3) Blade is defined as the flat sharp part of a weapon or tool that is used for cutting (MWD, 2017). It means that, the same as a grenade, it is a dangerous tool that can make him hurt. Meanwhile, throw means to put something in a particular place in a forceful way (MWD, 2017). By considering these definitions, this lyrics is included as a hyperbole as the songwriter exaggerates the meaning of sacrifice. Through this lyrics, the songwriter wants to show his willing to do everything for her, including to throw his hand on a blade as long as it is done for her. 4) I d jump in front of a train for you (M.2.H.4) This lyrics also contains a meaning of sacrifice. The songwriter makes the meaning of the lyrics deeper as he chooses the words of jump in front of a train. It is also an action that is impossible to do, as train is a vehicle with a series of trailer units (MWD, 2017) that moves very fast. It makes someone who jumps in front of it directly killed. Thus, the song lyrics clearly show a hyperbole as the song writer repeat the exaggeration of his sacrifice. It contains exaggerated meaning as he will not jump in front of a train for real, yet it is written as an illustration for the listeners that he will do everything he can to show his love including to jump in front of a train. 5) I d take a bullet straight through my brain (M.2.H.5)

42 28 Bullet is defined as a round or elongated missile to be fired from a firearm (MWD, 2017). Brain means the organ of the body in the head that control functions, movements, sensasion, and thought (MWD, 2017). When a bullet passes the brain, it surely can kill the person. Thus, the song lyrics are included as a hyperbole since the songwriter tries to express his strong feeling by adding the extravagant statement through the song lyrics. It is a hyperbole as the songwriter shows that he will take a bullet through his brain, again to show that he will do everything in the name of love. 6) Beat me til I m numb (M.2.H.6) It is also a hyperbole as the songwriter repeats to exaggerate the statement as seen in the lyrics. Beat refers to hit something repeatedly in order to cause pain or injury. Meanwhile, numb is a condition when a person is unable to feel anything in a particular part of the body because of cold or injury (MWD, 2017). The meaning of hit itself is to move your hand quickly so that it touches someone or something in a forceful or violent way (MWD, 2017). It means that when someone is hit repeatedly, it means that he or she in a deep pain as hit. Therefore, beat me til I m numb is the way the songwriter wants to show us how he is willing enough to be beaten even until he is dying. This lyrics shows that to be beaten until he is numb can be one of the sacrifice that surely will be done even he gets pain. The songwriter chooses beat instead of hurt and numb instead of in pain in order to make the meaning deeper. Beat and numb carry exaggerated meaning of hurt and in pain. The songwriter does not refer to someone literally beats him til he is numb, yet

43 29 he refers to someone s act that hurts him very much. It is not literally a punch that beats him, but the songwriter wants to say that someone who he mentioned is allowed to do everything she wants and he will accept it. 7) You'll smile in my face then rip the brakes out my car (M.2.H.7) The songwriter wants to convey that the meaning of the lyrics is that the woman whom he mentions will be kind to him, loves him, or accept him but then will hurt him. It is included as a hyperbole as it carries an exaggerated meaning. This lyrics tells about a double face woman who smiles, yet then rip the brakes out the car. The phrase rip the brakes out the car does not carry the literal meaning, yet refers to a hurtful unpleasant act. Rip means to tear, split, or open (MWD, 2017). By saying this, the songwriter shows us how the woman in the song has a double face as she smiles at first, yet then she changes and hurts him more. b. Red by Taylor Swift Taylor Swift wrote this song which tells about her feeling to have a relationship that is the worst and best at the same time. It is a song about how it feels to love someone, forget someone, miss someone, and any other feeling she has. The Red lyrics contain hyperbole are explained as below. 1) That's why he's spinnin' 'round in my head (F.1.H.1) The word spinning is a verb which, according to MWD, means to turn or cause someone or something to turn around repeatedly (2017). It is a verb that shows a movement of turn around, yet the song lyrics do not literally refer to it.