A SOCIOLINGUISTIC ANALYSIS OF GOSSIP AMONG FEMALE CHARACTERS IN GOSSIP GIRL SEASON 1 A THESIS Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Attainment of a Sarjana Sastra Degree in English Language and Literature By: Shinta Purnama Sari 08211141018 ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE STUDY PROGRAM ENGLISH EDUCATION DEPARTMENT FACULTY OF LANGUAGES AND ARTS YOGYAKARTA STATE UNIVERSITY 2015 MOTTOS “If you don't risk your life, you can't create a future...” – One Piece “Dreams don’t work, unless you do. Find yourself and be that.” – Fifth Harmony v DEDICATIONS I dedicate this thesis to wonderful people in my life. My beloved parents, Bapak (Riyanto) and Ibu (Almarhumah Purwanti) Thank you for everything you have given to me, I will always love you. My beloved sisters Thanks for supporting me. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page TITLE ............................................................................................................. i APPROVAL SHEET ..................................................................................... ii RATIFICATION SHEET .............................................................................. iii SURAT PERNYATAAN ................................................................................. iv MOTTOS ........................................................................................................ v DEDICATIONS ............................................................................................. vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................... vii TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................ viii LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................ xii LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................... xiii LIST OF APPENDICES ................................................................................ xiv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ......................................................................... xv ABSTRACT .................................................................................................... xvi CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION ............................................................... 1 A. The Background of the Research ............................................................ 1 B. The Research Focus ................................................................................. 5 C. Formulations of the Problems ................................................................. 6 D. Research Objectives ................................................................................ 7 E. The Research Significance ...................................................................... 7 CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW AND CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK ............................................................................................ 9 A. The Theoretical Background .................................................................. 9 1. Sociolinguistics ................................................................................. 9 2. Language and Society ....................................................................... 11 3. Language Variety ............................................................................... 12 a. Idiolects ...................................................................................... 13 b. Dialects ....................................................................................... 14 c. Registers ..................................................................................... 14 d. Genderlects ................................................................................. 15 viii 4. Women’s Language .......................................................................... 17 5. Gossip ............................................................................................... 19 a. Types of Gossip .......................................................................... 23 1) House talk ............................................................................. 24 2) Scandal ................................................................................. 24 3) Bitching ................................................................................ 25 4) Chatting ................................................................................ 25 b. The Speech Features of Gossip ................................................... 26 1) Meaningless Particles ............................................................ 26 2) Neutral Words ....................................................................... 27 3) Tag Questions ....................................................................... 28 4) Requisite Information ............................................................ 29 5) Requests ................................................................................ 29 c. Functions of Gossip .................................................................... 30 1) To provide information .......................................................... 30 2) To give entertainment ............................................................ 31 3) To enhance friendship ........................................................... 33 4) To influence others ................................................................ 35 5) To make social comparison ................................................... 36 6. Women’s Condition in 21st Century in American Society .................. 37 7. Gossip Girl Season 1 ......................................................................... 40 a. The Production of Gossip Girl Season 1 ..................................... 40 b. Summary of Gossip Girl Season 1 .............................................. 41 B. Previous Research Findings ................................................................... 43 C. The Conceptual Framework ................................................................... 45 CHAPTER III RESEARCH METHOD .................................................... 49 A. The Type of the Research ...................................................................... 49 B. The Data Preparation ............................................................................. 50 1. Objects of the Research, Data and Source of Data ............................. 50 2. Research Instruments ........................................................................ 51 3. Techniques of Data Collection .......................................................... 53 ix C. Methods of Data Analysis ...................................................................... 54 D. Trustworthiness of the Data ................................................................... 54 CHAPTER IV FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION ........................................ 56 A. Findings ................................................................................................ 56 1. Types of Gossip among Female Characters in Gossip Girl Season 1 .. 56 2. Speech Features of Gossip among Female Characters in Gossip Girl Season 1 ............................................................................................ 58 3. Functions of Gossip among Female Characters in Gossip Girl Season 1 ........................................................................................................ 59 B. Discussion ............................................................................................. 61 1. Types of Gossip among Female Characters in Gossip Girl Season 1 .. 61 a. House Talk ................................................................................. 61 b. Scandal ....................................................................................... 64 c. Bitching ...................................................................................... 66 d. Chatting ...................................................................................... 69 2. Speech Features of Gossip among Female Characters in Gossip Girl Season 1 .......................................................................................... 73 a. Meaningless Particles ................................................................. 73 b. Neutral Words ............................................................................ 75 c. Tag Questions ............................................................................. 78 d. Requests ..................................................................................... 80 e. Requisite Information ................................................................. 81 3. Functions of Gossip among Female Characters in Gossip Girl Season 1 ...................................................................................................... 82 a. To provide information .............................................................. 82 b. To give entertainment ................................................................ 85 c. To enhance friendship ................................................................ 87 d. To influence others ..................................................................... 90 e. To make social comparison ........................................................ 92 CHAPTER V CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS ........................... 94 A. Conclusions ........................................................................................... 94 x B. Suggestions ..........................................................................................