CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of study

Figurative language is a style of language that is used by the writer to convey a message imaginatively and classically. The aims of figurative language make the reader get a certain effect from the language style that tends towards emotional.

Usually, it is not real but describes or connotation (Nirmala, 2017). Figurative language or usually called figure of speech is the way of saying something other than the literal or real meaning of the word (Arp & Jonhson 2006). Figurative language commonly used in daily conversation especially in literature form such as story, poem and movies.

Movie also known as film is a medium of communication that spreads moving pictures and sound that educate people and improve the understanding of the specific subject through visual. Movie has an important impact on giving information and as a device to convey the messages to the audience or people.

The messages could be positive or negative based on the audience perspective since movies manifest the audience by visualization. Effendi (2009) Movie contains some important elements to make it entertaining such as the script, the property, and the sound system.

Soundtrack is one of sound system movie elements that refers to an assembly of songs and musical arrangements played during a movie or television show. A soundtrack comprise original songs with written lyrics or it can be popular songs or instrumental music without words or singing. Music can be used for

10 everything from helping to establish a sense of location, to set a mood, to create an atmosphere (Ben & Schenk, 2002). The most popular theme song these days comes from a movie with title “”

The Greatest Showman is a movie with musical drama as a genre released in

2017 directed by Michael Gracey. It has so many viewers from teenagers & adults around the world and grossed over $434 million. The Greatest Showman is a movie about a man who has the ambition to fight his dream. How did the main character Barnum struggle in making circus performances, which he started from zero and then became a sensation number one throughout the world. Because

“The Greatest Showman” is a musical drama movie, all of the characters singing in this movie. The soundtrack of this movie is a masterpiece of Benj Pasek and

Justin Paul who previously worked on “” movie. Meanwhile, in the category of Best Original Song, one of The Greatest Showman soundtrack with the title “This Is Me” by Keala Settle has won.

There are some studies related to Figurative Language. Those are written by

Fajarwati (2016), Arifah (2016), Agustin (2019) and some others.

Fajarwati (2016) from State Islamic Institute of Tulungagung through research with the title “An Analysis on Figurative Language Used in Katy Perry Selected

Song” the research finding shows that there are 21 simile, 5 metaphor, 4 personifications, 13 hyperbole, 5 symbols, 21 idioms, 2 understatements, 3 rhetoric, 15 repetitions, 1 onomatopoeia, 2 metonymies. The percentage of figurative language is 22% simile, 5% metaphor, 4% personification, 14%

11 hyperbole, 5% symbol, 22% idiom, 2% understatement, 3% rhetoric, 16% repetition, 1% onomatopoeia, 2% metonymy.

Besides that, the second research finding that related to Figurative Language is conducted by Arifah (2016) “Figurative Language Analysis in Five John Legend’s

Song” the result of this study found some figurative language that is personification, hyperbole, metaphor, paradox, oxymoron, litotes, simile, allusion, repetition, symbol, enumeration. The most dominant type of figure in John

Legend’s selected song is hyperbole. It is used to make the object greater than the real object.

The third finding from previous studies conducted by Agustin (2016) with the title “An Analysis of Figurative Language in Alice in Wonderland Movie” from

University of Muhammadiyah Malang found that there were ten of figurative language which is: allegory, hyperbole, idiom, irony, metonymy, metaphor, onomatopoeia, oxymoron, personification and simile for forty-two utterances. The most dominant of figurative language used in this movie was Idiom with thirteen utterances.

Based on the previous research above, it is clear that generally they do not research Figurative Language used in Song Lyrics of Soundtrack "The Greatest

Showman" Movie. The researcher is interested to know more about The Greatest

Showman movie because the story and the song lyric has a good value.

12 1.2 Statement of the Problems

Based on the background of the study described above then the problems obtained are

a. What are the types of Figurative Language used in the Soundtrack Lyrics

of "The Greatest Showman" Movie?

b. What is the real meaning of the Figurative Language used in the

Soundtrack lyric of "The Greatest Showman" Movie?

1.2 Purposes of the study

a. To find out the types of Figurative Language that used in Soundtrack

Lyrics of "The Greatest Showman" Movie.

b. To describes the real meaning of the Figurative Language used in

Soundtrack Lyric of "The Greatest Showman" Movie

1.3 Significance of the Study

The research significance of this research is explained theoretically and practically. Theoretically, this research findings gives some contributions to keep up language theory definition about figurative language. In addition, this research also gives an extra information kind of figurative language.

Practically, this research will give contributions to the next researcher in the study about Figurative Language. Hopefully, this research can help the students to extend their understanding about figurative language.

13 1.4 Scope and Limitation

The scope of the study focused on the Figurative Language used in

Soundtrack Lyric of "The Greatest Showman" Movie. Then, the limitation of this study is limits this research into nine main soundtrack those are The Greatest

Show, , Come Alive, The Other Side, Never Enough, This Is

Me, Rewrite the Stars, Tightrope, From Now On.

1.5 Definition of the Key Term

Here are some key terms to avoid misunderstanding about this research.

a. Figurative Language is a language that expresses an idea that add an extra

dimension to beautify them and emphasize the meaning which can attention

of the reader. (Perrine and Thomas, 1983)

b. Soundtrack is the music or song with lyric that is played during a movie or

television program

c. Lyric is a written expression of feelings from the author (Dewirsyah, 2018)

d. Movie is a media used to express ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings,

beauty or atmosphere by the means of recorded or programmed that

entertaining contains a message (Rabiger,2009).

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