English Empower, Vol. 4 N o . 2 , N o v e m b e r 2 0 1 9 | 45 FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE USED IN EMINEM’S SONGS Komala Dwi Syaputri Universitas Bina Darma [email protected] Robi Leonardo Universitas Bina Darma [email protected] Abstract : This study discussed about figurative language used in Eminem’s songs. This study aims to figure out the kinds, the meanings, and the most dominant figurative language used in Eminem’s songs. A descriptive method is used in this study. The data are obtained by using documentation technique. This study also used a percentage analysis technique to determine the most dominant figurative language used in Eminem’s songs. The result of this study is expected to be a reference for the readers and communities who are interested in understanding more about the meaning of figurative language used in Eminem’s songs and can help the students improve their knowledge on Semantics, especially Figurative Language. There are 10 kinds of figurative language used in Eminem’s songs which are dominated by 32% Simile, 31% Metaphor, 15% Apostrophe, 7% Symbol, 6% Irony, 4% Personification, 2% Allegory, 2% Overstatement, 1% Paradox, and 1% Synecdoche. Keywords: Figurative Language, Eminem, Songs INTRODUCTION cultures, dialects, symbols, locations, and People use language to communicate meanings. The most important aspect of a with each other. Language is a very important language is the meaning, because if the thing that people use in daily life, through listener cannot comprehend the meaning that language people express their feelings or the speaker reveals, then the meaning won’t emotions, ideas or thoughts, and be delivered clearly. In linguistic, imaginations that can be spoken or written. scientifically it is called semantic. These two terms are switching. In other Semantic is a branch of linguistics words, when spoken language is failed then concerned with studying the meaning of the written language replaced its function. words and sentences (Hornby, 1972, p.789). Language is a unique system to human beings Semantic deals with reading comprehension and different from the system of and the readers’ interpretation or perception. communication that animals can employ Besides, semantic builds a relation among (Charles 2009, p.481). Unlike animals, words and clarifies the sense of a sentence, human beings have systems in ways to use whether the meaning of words or sentence is language as a member of a social group or literal or figurative. participants. Those systems are written and One of semantics’ branches is spoken terms. Languages in the world are the figurative language. Figurative language is a representation of where the people are word or sentence which has multiple originally from. meanings. Figurative language defines as any Language is a vocal symbol that allows way of saying something other than an all people who have learned the system of ordinary way (Perrine, 1977, p.61). culture to communicate or to interact Figurative language is used by certain people (Ba’dulu, 2009, p.1). A language is built by in the world. However, generally people use different environmental processes. Several figurative language but they just don’t realize things distinguish languages, such as it is a kind of language called figurative 46 | E n g lish Empower, Vol. 4 N o . 2 , N o v e m b e r 2 0 1 9 language. Figurative language is also usually their literal meaning depends on the context. used by poets or the songwriters because the Figurative language provides other ways of figurative language makes the lyrics become looking at the world. It makes a comparison imaginative, attractive and adds the intensity between many different things. On the other of the writers’ feelings. hand, it helps the writers to visualize their The use of figurative language is thoughts and put a picture in the reader’s commonly found in literary work such as mind. song lyrics. Listening to the song is very fun Figurative language is the language to do, but sometimes when people listen to a that employs to improve an effect by song they may not focus on the lyrics because comparing one certain thing to another thing they might be difficult to understand, (Tarigan, 1985 p.6). Language changes moreover the song lyrics contain many dynamically in society, it is built by people’s figurative language. Occasionally people ideas or thoughts from any certain area. listen to a song just because they like the People can say anything based on their singer or the instrumental. Understanding the perspective, they can state things by lyrics is important for the listeners to know supposing their thought or idea with the real meaning and the purpose of the song. everything around. The use of language Figurative language helps the musician to appears in different styles based on where the pair up the lyrics with the instrumental. It also people are originally from. helps the musician to build good rhythm and According to Perrine (1977, p.61), enjoyable flows. The song usually applies figurative language is another way of adding many kinds of figurative language in its lyrics extra dimensions to language. We can say is a rap song. what we want to say more imaginatively and One of the famous white American forcefully by figures than we saying it rappers Marshall Bruce Matters III or directly with common words. People could professionally known as “Eminem” mostly convey their feelings in an unordinary way so applies figurative language in his rap songs. the meaning of language can be enriched by He has released many famous songs since his people themselves. first album in 1999 and has huge fans from all over the world. Eminem is known as one The Kinds of Figurative Language of the greatest and most influential rappers in Perrine (1977, p.61-p.109) categorized the world. He applies very long lyrics and figurative language into 12 kinds, they are many unusual words with multiple meanings, simile, metaphor, personification, such as figurative language. In 2018, he apostrophe, synecdoche, metonymy, symbol, surprised the fans by releasing some songs in allegory, paradox, hyperbole/overstatement, his official Youtube channel which represent understatement, and irony. Eminem’s Criticism toward other rappers. Simile is the explicit comparison The lyrics contain many unusual words with between two things essentially unlike but has multiple meanings such as figurative the same characteristics, which indicates by language, which probably hard to understand the words such as like, as, similar, resemble for the fans of Eminem, especially fans who or seems (Perrine, 1977, p.61). E.g. “You act use English as their foreign language. Based like a puppy”. In this context, the sentence on these reasons the writers are interested in describes someone has the same doing the research on figurative language in characteristics as a baby dog which is cute the lyrics of Eminem’s songs. and playful. Perrine (1977, p.61) stated those LITERATURE REVIEW between metaphor and simile are The concept of figurative language similar. Both of them are the comparison Figurative language refers to words or between two things that are essentially unlike phrases that do not have the same meaning as but have the same characteristics. The only English Empower, Vol. 4 N o . 2 , N o v e m b e r 2 0 1 9 | 47 distinction between them is that simile uses Allegory is a narrative description that connective words such as like, as, similar to, has meaning beneath the surface one resemble or seems to compare things, while (Perrine, 1977, p.88). It is a complete metaphor directly states the narrative sentence that describes an abstract comparison. E.g. “You are a Puppy”. This idea or event. E.g. “Life is like a compilation sentence tells the similarity between the of film genres. Sometimes romantic dramas, characteristic of human and a puppy. comedy, some have thrillers and horror Personification is a kind of figurative stories. Sometimes there is a lot of laughter language that gives the attribute of human and tears until finally reaching the ending of beings to an animal, an object or a concept the film”. This sentence describes how life (Perrine, 1977, p.64). Personification goes on. represents an inanimate thing or abstract Paradox is a statement that may seem object which can do human’s action. It contradictory but something true. It may be a describes the reader’s mind of a certain situation or statement that leads to a logically object. E.g. “The car runs so fast”. Here, the unacceptable conclusion (Perrine, 1977, car is an inanimate thing that can ‘run’ which p.101). E.g. from Socrates “I know that I is known as human action. know nothing”. How can someone know that Apostrophe is a figurative language they do not know anything? The statement used to address someone absent or something contradicts itself because if someone knows nonhuman as if it is alive, present and can nothing, they can not tell that they know reply to what is being said (Perrine, 1977, nothing. p.65). It is used to inject a dramatic effect, Hyperbole is simply an exaggeration of humor, and color to the plot. E.g. the truth (Perrine, 1977, p.102). A statement “Hey Mirror! Tell me who is the that represents something as better or worse prettiest in the world?” the one who talks to than it is. E.g. "You don’t know it so hurt the mirror is supposing it can reply to what inside, I can fill the dry river with tears”. he/she says. Hyperbole is used by the speaker overloaded. Synecdoche is the use of the part to The speaker says that when the river is less of substitute the whole (Perrine, 1977, p.67).