TYPES AND FUNCTIONS OF SWEAR WORDS USED IN AMERICAN SITCOM HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER SEASON ONE
Cucu Sarnika English Department, Faculty of Letters and Cultures,Universitas Gunadarma Jl. Margonda Raya No. 100, Depok 16424, Jawa Barat [email protected]
Abstract This research is an analysis of swear words used in American sitcom How I Met Your Mother season one. The aims of this research are to find out types of swear words and to describe the functions of swear words found in American sitcom How I Met Your Mother season one. This research uses qualitative method. The source data is taken from sitcom How I Met Your Mother season one. The writer uses Hughes’s theory to find out types of swear words and uses Anderssson and Thrudgill theory to find out its functions of swear words found in How I Met Your Mother season one. The result of this research shows six types of swear words and its functions from 44 data, there are: 1). Types of swear words related to sex (4 data) and it has two functions; expletive and humorous. 2). Types of swear words related to excrement (3 data) and it has two functions; expletive and humorous. 3). Types of swear words related to name of animal (3 data) and it has two function; expletive and humorous. 4). Types of swear words related to personal background (9 data) and it has two functions; abusive and humorous. 5). Types of swear words related to taboo or religion or oath (14 data) and it has four functions; expletive, abusive, humorous, and auxiliary. 6). Types of swear words related to mental illness (11 data) and it has four functions; expletive, abusive, humorous, and auxiliary.
Keywords: Linguistic, Sociolinguistic, Swear Words
INTRODUCTION in a nontechnical sense, i.e. the word bitch, it In communication, people have many will be non-swearing when it means a female ways to express their feelings to others. One dog, but it will be swearing when used to of the ways is the use of swear words in the disparage a woman. While, Andersen (as conversation. When people express their cited in Midjord, 2013:20) swearing forms feelings, they often include the swear words. part of everyday language use for people of Inserting these words are not only when the all ages and cultures throughout the entire speakers are angry but also when they feel world. Although many swear words have lost happy. In modern era, language usage is more their literal meaning and people have a more modern and people are more use swear words easy-going attitude towards swear words than in their daily language. Swear words has previously, the use of swear words still has become common in the world society. Swear the power to provoke. words are the lowest language choice, but Swear words appear in the television swear words often has different message program like a sitcom or situation comedy within the meaning. According to Ljung which usually use daily language to make the (2011) a swear word is that it should be used viewers enjoyed in order to make the situation
84 Journal of Language and Literature Volume 6 No 2 Desember 2018
look funny. They used to swear words to on September 19, 2005 until May 15, 2006 in make a joke, to insult and so on depending on the United States. The writer would like to the story needed. Hughes (2006:7) stated that analyze this sitcom because this sitcom is swearing draws upon such powerful and very interesting, not boring, and the actors incongruous resonators as religion, sex, and actress are good looking, entertaining, madness, excretion, and nationality, en- and funny. Besides that, the writer chooses compassing an extraordinary variety of this sitcom because it is one of the sitcoms attitudes, including the violent, the amusing, contains many swear words usage. The swear the shocking, the absurd, the casual and the words that uttered by the characters is very impossible. According to Hughes (2006:208), interesting to be analyzed. Based on the writer the varieties of English swear words can be experienced, swear words usage are not only described as swear words related to sex, to insult other people but also has other swear words related to excrement, swear functions. For example, when your friend words related to name of animal, swear words suddenly called you as a beautiful bastard this related to personal background, swear words is just humor and you are not angry. Although related to mental illness, swear words related the word bastard means a person whose parents to sex activities, swear words related to taboo were not married to each other when she or he or religion or oath and swear words related to was born, and the word bastard combine with racism. Andersson and Trudgill (1990:15) beautiful make it more hear as a humor. categorized swear words into expletive, Based on explanation above the abusive, humorous, and auxiliary swearing. writer is interested to analyze about swear There are many types of swearing which are words and its function in this American usually used in people’s communication. sitcom How I Met Your Mother season 1. Each type of swearing has its own distinctive After looking for the theory, the writer finds characteristics that make it different from others. out the match theories for this research paper There are so many movies, television there are Hughes theory of types of swear program, or other entertainments in which words and used Andersson and Trudgill their actor/actress or characters use swear theory of function of swear words. The writer words. United States or America has a lot of limits the subject on types of swear words and television program. Sitcom is one of the its function found in American sitcom How I television programs which has many viewers. Met Your Mother season 1. The writer used American sitcom How I Met Your Mother season 1 which has twenty-two METHODS episode for this research paper. How I Met This research used qualitative method Your Mother season 1 aired for the first time as the method of the research. According to
Sarnika, Types And Functions… 85 https://doi.org/10.35760/jll.2018.v6i2.2486
Ary et all (2002:22), Qualitative research season one which used Hughes theory to find focuses on understanding social phenomena out types of swear words that appeared in from the perspective of the human in the How I Met Your Mother season one and also study. Moreover, data which does not involve used Anderssson and Thrudgill theory to find statistics, numbers or measurement is called out the functions of swear words. There are qualitative data because it reveals or illuminates six types of swear words from 44 data found the different qualities or characteristics of in How I Met Your mother season one. social life and social behaviour. (Nobbs, 1989:15). American sitcom How I Met Your Types of Swear Words Related to Sex and Mother season one as source of data. This Its Function sitcom was originally aired on CBS Sexual organ is a part of human’s September 19, 2005 until May 15, 2006 in the genital body which is included in a sexual United States. Directed by Pamela Fryman. reproduction. The swear words related to sex The sitcom written by Carter Bays and Craig found in How I Met Your Mother season 1 Thomas. Running time 22 minutes. The genre are; big-ass, butt means bottom, weenie ass, is sitcom and romantic comedy. The data was and weak-ass. One of swear word that refer to collected by watching the sitcom How I Met sex could be seen in the conversation below: Your Mother season 1. The data was taken Data 1 from utterances of the characters in How I Marshall : 'Sup, Blauman? E- Met Your Mother season one. The steps of bomb here. We still Collecting Data such as 1). Watch How I Met on for karaoke? Your Mother season one and pay attention to Dope. I’m going to the subtitle; 2). Read the script How I Met rock you on the mike Your Mother season 1; 3). Take a note of the so hard your hears dialogue in the script that showed swear are going to bleed words for the data collection. Technique of gravy. Catch you on Analyzing Data are; 1). Classify the data that the flip, butt puppet. is already taken; 2). Analyze the classified data to find types of swear words and the Butt include in type of swear word functions of swear words; 3). Take a related to sex because this word means conclusion based on data. bottom. However, the function of swear word of data 1 include in humorous swearing RESULTS AND DISCUSSION because in the situation when Marshall speak Types of swear words and its on the phone with his friend and at the end of functions found in How I Met Your Mother the phone Marshall called his friend as butt
86 Journal of Language and Literature Volume 6 No 2 Desember 2018
puppet, it is just bad called name between Types of Swear Words Related to Name of friend. Animal and Its Function Actually, the names of animals are Types of Swear Words Related to not taboo at all. However, if they are Excrement and Its Function purposely uttered or referred to the person or Swear words from excrement are thing, they may be considered as swear generally related to things which are assumed words. The writer found three swear words to be dirty, disgusting and rude if they are related to name of animal there are bitch, done in the public. Booger, crap, and piss are chick, and jackass. some varieties of swear word related to Data 3 excrement found in How I Met Your Mother Robin : say you are my bitch. season 1. Then, swear words related to Ted : I’m your bitch. Why this excrement is explained in the analysis of time? swear word crap in the following conversation: Robin : because tonight, I am Data 2 getting us all into Okay. Marshall : ssshhh.. Look how Barney : Okay? Awesome. cute she looks. All tuckered out. Hey Bitch derived from the word mongrel babe, Hey little one, which means a cowardly dog. Therefore, it is Hey Lilypad originally symbolized as a female dog and Lily : Crap! Band! We used to indiscriminate toward someone or forgot the band! something. Data 3 in the conversation above function of swear word bitch include in Crap [taboo] as a less vulgar humorous swearing because in the situation as synonym for shit, the term covers almost known Ted, Barney and Robin are friends and exactly the same basic semantic areas of Robin wants Ted to be her bitch because she feces, nonsense, rubbish, or insincere talk in will take them (Ted and Barney) to the Okay both American and British English, though (club). more widely used in the former. However, in data 2 function of swear word crap! is Types of Swear Words Related to Personal expletive swearing because in the situation Background and Its Functions Lily was sleep while preparing her wedding Swear words of this kind are spoken stuff then got shocked by Marshall so she said by the speaker to a person who is considered Crap! in order to express her shock and not to have a low status or profession. It means to directed to other people. insult, to degrade or to put down someone.
Sarnika, Types And Functions… 87 https://doi.org/10.35760/jll.2018.v6i2.2486
Consequently, talking about a person who has Types of Swear Words Related to Taboo or a low status in his or her profession is totally Religion or Oath and Its Function unacceptable in the public because it gains a Based on Hughes (2006:462) stated great sensitivity and hurts someone’s dignity. that taboo is generally unmentionable Bastard, gay, hayseed, hooker, lesbian, because, on a hierarchical scale, it is either pansy, prostitute, slut, and whore are ineffably sacred, like the name of God, or swearing words related to personal background unspeakably vile, like cannibalism or incest. found in How I Met Your Mother season 1. The term is now used of any social One of the forms dealing with personal indiscretion that ought to be avoided, since background is bastard as it is stated in the strictly speaking, a taboo action should not be conversation below: performed nor referred to, and a taboo word Data 4 should never be uttered. The writer found Ted : I’m doing this fourteen swear words related to taboo or Lily : Let’s go religion or oath there are damn it, damn Marshall: word up good, devil, evil, Oh My God, for God’s Lily : We’re coming with you sakes, one hell of a night, go to hell, what Ted : Barney? the hell, hell of a woman, hell yeah, holy Barney: all right, but under one crap, Lord, and satan. Then, go to hell is condition. Look at you, you chosen to be analyzed : beautiful bastard. You suited Data 5 up! Ted : I am calling her; this is Bastard [taboo] originally this word crazy I haven’t referred to a child of a nobleman born out of talked to her wedlock. It is symbolized alternatively as a in, like, three child born in a barn or child of the years. I wonder packsaddle (Hughes, 2006:18). Moreover, it if she even can be interpreted that bastard is a displaced remembers me. child who has no parents because his birth is Natalie : Hello? not wanted anymore. The function of swear Ted : Natalie, its Ted Mosby. word bastard in data 4 is humorous because Natalie : Go to hell. in the situation the word bastard uttered by Ted : She remembers me. Barney and directed to Ted as his friend. The word beautiful bastard in that situation used Hell in some religions, the place to praise Ted who uses a suit. believed to be the home of devils and where
88 Journal of Language and Literature Volume 6 No 2 Desember 2018
bad people go after death. And go to hell in humorous swearing because in the situation usually used to angrily tell someone to stop shows that Lily called Marshall idiot because talking and go away. In the conversation Lily feels very happy to be his fiancé and above function of swear word go to hell is there was no way she would refuse Marshall. categorized in abusive swearing because in the situation Ted called her ex-girlfriend CONCLUSION after three years passed, they were breaking Based on Hughes’s classifications, it up. When she answers the telephone and can be concluded that types of swear words knows that it is from Ted, she scolded him and its functions from 44 data found in How I by saying go to hell because she still angry Met Your Mother season one. There are; 1. at Ted. Types of swear words related to sex (4 data) and it has two functions; expletive and Types of Swear Words Related to Mental humorous. 2. Types of swear words related to illness and Its Function excrement (3 data) and it has two functions; Based on Hughes, swear words expletive and humorous. 3. Types of swear related to mental illness are perhaps the words related to name of animal (3 data) and richest source of terms of personal insult and it has two function; expletive and humorous. abuse. They are used as a symbol of people 4. Types of swear words related to personal with mild mental retardation, specifically with background (9 data) and it has two functions; an IQ (Intelligence Quotient) of 50–70. abusive and humorous. 5. Types of swear However, it was almost immediately taken up words related to taboo or religion or oath (14 in the modern contemptuous sense of a fool or data) and it has four functions; expletive, idiot (2006:452). Crazy, dork, dumb, idiot, abusive, humorous, and auxiliary. 6. Types of jerk, lame, loser, moronic, nuts, stupid, and swear words related to mental illness (11 sucker are some varieties of swear words data) and it has four functions; expletive, related to mental illness. abusive, humorous, and auxiliary. Data 6 Marshall : will you marry me? REFERENCES Lily : of course, you Andersson, L. and Trudgill, P. (1990). Bad idiot! Language. Oxford and Cambridge: Basil Blackwell. Idiot is a very stupid person or a Ary, D., Jacob, L.C., & Razavieh, A. (2002). person with very low intelligence who cannot Introduction to Research in Education think or behave normally. The function of (6th ed). Belmont: Wadsworth Thomson swear word in the conversation is categorized Learning.
Sarnika, Types And Functions… 89 https://doi.org/10.35760/jll.2018.v6i2.2486
Hughes, G. (2006). Swearing: A Social History Translation of Swear Words in of Foul Language, Oath and Profanity English and Danish Based on the in English. London: Penguin Books. Criticism of the English Subtitles in Ljung, M. (2011). Swearing: A Cross-Cultural the Danish Crime Series The Killing Linguistic Study. Basingstoke and New (Forbrydelsen)”. Thesis Unpublished. York: Palgrave Macmillan. Denmark: Aarhus University. Midjord, Margit Siri. (2013). “SWEARING IN Nobbs, Jack., et al. (1989). Sociology. Hong SUBTITLES: A Study of the Use and Kong: Macmillan Education Ltd.
90 Journal of Language and Literature Volume 6 No 2 Desember 2018