Edith Cowan University Research Online Theses: Doctorates and Masters Theses 1-1-2003 A study of subject omission in the spoken language of Indonesian primary school children aged 6 to 12 in Jakarta Endang Sutartinah Soemartono Edith Cowan University Follow this and additional works at: https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses Part of the East Asian Languages and Societies Commons Recommended Citation Soemartono, E. S. (2003). A study of subject omission in the spoken language of Indonesian primary school children aged 6 to 12 in Jakarta. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1337 This Thesis is posted at Research Online. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1337 Edith Cowan University Copyright Warning You may print or download ONE copy of this document for the purpose of your own research or study. The University does not authorize you to copy, communicate or otherwise make available electronically to any other person any copyright material contained on this site. 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PhD Thesis A Study of Subject Omission in the Spoken Language of Indonesian Primary School Children Aged 6 to 12 in Jakarta By Endang Sutartinah Soemartono Supervisors: Associate Professor Graham McKay Professor Ian Malcolm Edith Cowan University School of International, Cultural and Community Studies Faculty of Community Services, Education and Social Sciences 2003 A Study of Subject Omission in the Spoken Language of Indonesian Primary School Aged 6 to 12 in Jakarta By Endang Sutartinah Soemartono (BA) in English, FKIP Universitas Airlangga, Malang, Indonesia (Dra) in Linguistics, FKIP Universitas Airlangga, Malang, Indonesia (Diploma) in TESL, Victoria University, Wellington, New Zea!and (MA) in Applied Linguistics, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia A Thesis in Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Award of Doctor of Philosophy at the Faculty of Community Services, Education and Social Sciences School of International, Cultural and Community Studies Edith Cowan University Perth Western Australia 25 January 2003 Dedicated to my parents witb love, gratitude and admiration, who have been a source of inspiration and a model of perseverance to pursue further education USE OF THESIS The Use of Thesis statement is not included in this version of the thesis. Table of Contents Page Table of contents Abstract iii Declaration iv Acknowledgement v List of Tables vii List of Figures ix Abbreviations xi Chapter I : Background of the Study Introduction The Significance of the Study 4 The Purpose of the Study 4 Limitations of the Study 5 Research Questions 6 Definition of Terms 7 Chapter 2 : Theoretical Orientation 9 Literature Review: Studies of the Acquisition of Indonesian Languages 9 Studies in the Acquisition of the Subject's Category 19 Theoretical Framework 24 Chapter 3 : Methodology 42 Target Population or Participant Selection 42 Design, Instruments or Materials 43 The first setting of communication tasks 44 The second setting of communication tasks 45 The third setting of communication tasks 45 The fourth setting of communication tasks 45 Procedure 45 Data Collection 46 Chapter 4 : Presentation of Data 48 Chapter 5 :Analysis of Data 66 Research Question I) 66 To what extent does subject omission occurs in the spoken Indonesian of first language speakers in primary schools in Jakarta and can the use of subject omission be traced through the development stages? Research Question 2) 79 When subject omission occurs, under what syntactic and linguistic environments does it occur? Research Question 3) 80 Where omission occurs, are omitted elements recoverable to a child or adult native speaker? Research Qestion 4) 88 To what extent does omission vary with such factors of formality of settings of age, sex/gender, and status of interlocutors? Research Question 5) 114 What effects do the developmental stages of subject omission have on teaching and learning? Chapter 6 : Discussion and Interpretation of Findings 119 Chapter 7 : Conclusions 124 References 127 Appendices 134 I A Female students' speech when they spoke with the researcher in the first setting. I 34 I B Male students' speech when they spoke with the researcher in the first setting. I 85 II A Female students' speech when they spoke with their peers in the second setting. 234 II B Male students' speech when they spoke with their peers in the second setting. 249 iii Abstract This study investigates the occurrence of subject omission in spoken Indonesian spoken as a first language by primary school children in grades one to six and aged between six and twelve years in Jakarta. It also investigates the developmental stages of subject omission, and the effects of age, gender and degree of formality on the occurrence of empty or null subjects. Since the acquisition of language is ongoing during the students' primary schooling, this study also considers how null subjects in Indonesian may have an impact on learning and teaching at school. The omission of subjects occurs independent or matrix and in main clauses, and in coordinating and subordinating clauses in four types of sentences of basic, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences. Developmental stages in subject omission, the setting or with whom the students are speaking, age and gender have a statistically significant impact on omission of subjects especially in independent, matrix and in the main clauses. Age and gender have no impact on the omission of subjects in the coordinating clauses of the compound sentences, in the subordinating clauses of complex sentences, and in the coordinating and subordinating clauses of the compound-complex sentences. Clauses where subject omission occurs here include indeendent basic sentences, the first or matrix clause in a compound sentence, the main clause in a complex sentence, and in the first clause of coordinate or subordinate clause in a compound-complex sentence. The similarities in the omission of subjects are that students omit subjects more \\hen they speak with the researcher than with their peers, except for coordinating clause subjects in the compound-complex sentences. Overall subject omission decreased in independent basic clauses, in the first or matrix clauses of compound sentences, and in the main clauses of complex sentences as the students become older. However, subject omission in the coordinating and subordinating clauses in the compound-complex sentences increases. The main focus of the present study is the omission of subjects in main clauses since in the formal adult written Indonesian there is no omission of the subject in this position. This fact may have an impact on learning and teaching in that there is a decrease in their omission of independent, matrix or main clause subjects as they become older and use more formal language in writing. DECLARATION I Cl'lilfy that this lt1t•sis does not, to tho best of my knowledge and hPIInf (1) inco1 porate without acknowl<•dgernent any matenal pr<>viously submitted for a degree or diptom;J in any institution of 111QIH>r <•ducal ion: (ii) contain any rn;•!mial previously publil::hed or wriflm1 by anotlw• person except wlwre due reference is made in the f(>yj; or (iii) contain any defamatory material. I also grant permission for llw Library at Edith COW<lll UnrvPrmly lo rnalw duplicate copies of tnY lhesis as f(>QIIired. vi Acknowledgements I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Edith Cowan University for granting me an IPRS scholarship to enable my study full time for a PhD in Applied Linguistics. I thank in particular my main and associate supervisors Associate Professor Graham McKay and Professor Ian Malcolm for their invaluable assistance and critical guidance from the beginning of my study until the completion of the thesis. I thank the Ministry of National Education of the Republic of Indonesia in Jakarta for providing the 2001 and 1999 Curriculum for Primary Schools and 1993 Main outline of the Teaching Program for Primary Schools and the Regional Office of the Ministry of National Education the Jakarta Raya Province for selecting primary schools in Central, South, North, East and West Jakarta for conducting the research. My thanks certainly go to the principals and teachers of Primary School SDN 05, 03 and 01 ofTebet Timur of South Jakarta, Primary School SDN 01 and 03 ofCipinang Besar Selatan of East Jakarta, Primary School SDN 017 of Rawa Kepak, Tomang of West Jakarta, Primary School SDN 03 of Menteng, Central Jakarta, Primary School 01 of Kali Baru Cilincing of North Jakarta for letting their students take part in the research in 2000 and 200 I. I also thank the hundreds of students in Grades I to 6 from those schools for participating in the research with pride and enthusiasm. I would also like to extend my gratitude to Dr. Judith Rochecouste for editing this thesis and to the research consultants, Dr Andrew Guilfoyle, Dr Danielle Brady and Dr Susan Hill for helping with the statistical analysis of the collected data. My thanks are also extended to all the Australian and International postgraduate students from Kenya, Botswana, Mauritius, Seyshells, Iran, India, Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, China, France and Canada for their support, help and friendship, to the ECU security personell, the PGA association, and doctors and nurses of the ECU Medical Centre who helped to make my stay enjoyable and peaceful.